Library takes story time to Kitty Cafe

KENNETT SQUARE » It’s a lucky cat that ends up at the Tree Tops Kitty Cafe in Kennett Square.

The cats that inhabit this luxurious environment have the privilege of meeting with human visitors every day and, in many cases, being adopted into comfortable and loving homes.

It was only natural that Avon Grove Library’s Marketing Coordinator and cat lover, Lisa Sherwood, had a strong yearning to get over there.

Sherwood reads a preschool story time, and, like a cat, she strays.

She sometimes takes her reading locations to places like Starbucks and out to the park for special adventures, among other places. And, being a cat lover herself, she even reports having cats hang around her house. It was only natural that she held a reading session with the cats at the cafe.

She announced that the next story time would be at the kitty cafe, and the kids plus parents followed.

About 20 kids showed up with parents to hear stories about cats on Nov. 28. They liked the stories, but it appeared they liked the cats a whole lot better.

They ran around, stroking the cats, picking up the kittens and teasing them with little pieces of string. They just couldn’t get enough of the place.

Welcoming the preschoolers at this place were several dozen cats of all sizes, ages, colors and personalities.

They are given a home there as they arrive from a shelter in the south that ships them north to the cat cafe for adoption.

There they are well cared for and are given luxurious surroundings with toys, chairs, beds and hiding places.

People who want to drop in to spend time with the felines pay $5 for a half-hour visit. There are also opportunities for single and family passes.

The kitty cafe was opened in July and the owners said that since the opening they have adopted out 48 cats. The Tree Tops Kitty Cafe is one of only four cafes like it in Pennsylvania.

The kitty cafe is at 305 W. State St. in Kennett Square. It is well guarded with surveillance, and it does not take any drop-offs.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Lisa Sherwood reads the kids a cat story while Bella Gosline, 4, plays with one of the cats.