Gatos and Beans was vandalized. Help them top their Go Fund Me goal to keep the kitties safe

IMG 0988 Gatos and Beans was vandalized. Help them top their Go Fund Me goal to keep the kitties safe
Customers at Gatos and Beans, Alabama’s first cat cafe. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

On Saturday night, October 5th,  someone broke into Birmingham’s first and only cat cafe Gatos and Beans, shattering their store window door.

It was a scary moment for owner Kelli Steward.

“It is one thing to break windows at a home or local business, but this was life threatening,” said Steward.   “The cats could have been gone.”

Initially, Steward  could find only 3 out of 13 for cats that were residing at the cafe.

“We had a panic attack.  Where do you start looking?” added Steward.

Fortunately, the cats were wise enough to stay inside and hide throughout the cafe, until Steward arrived.

IMG 0998 e1570881008314 Gatos and Beans was vandalized. Help them top their Go Fund Me goal to keep the kitties safe
Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now

16 Cats adopted since July 20th

The brain child of Kelli and Stephen Steward, Gatos and Beans is a comfortable place where you reserve time and for a small fee, to hangout with cats from 7 months to 19 years old, who need a home.  Along with the separate cat visitation area, there is a cafe that serves food and fantastic coffee/drinks.

Since Gatos and Beans opened on July 20th, 16 cats have been adopted.

Go Fund Me Campaign – help needed to insure the cats are safe

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(l-r) Stephen, Kelli and Adrian Steward—just a few of the family members pouring all the love into Birmingham’s first-ever cat café. Photo by Sharron Swain for Bham Now

In an effort to make sure the cats are always safe, the cafe has set up a Go Fund Me Campaign to raise funds to repair the shattered door as well as install special “roll-up windows” so this cannot happen again.

“The roll-up windows,  even out of meanness, should  keep someone from breaking one of our windows ever again,” concluded Steward.

Near its goal

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Sweet feline. Photo via Gatos and Beans on Facebook

As of the morning of October 12th, the Go Fund Me Campaign had raised $4270 of the $6500 needed to fix the door and install two new reinforced doors.

Help Gatos and Beans reach their goal.   Visit their Go Fund Me Campaign page and make a donation.

Here is the Go Fund Me  – LINK

 

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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