Cats Galore! Cats in Bloom Cafe

 

Neil, chilling out

 Located on 102 West Main Street, Bloomsburg, in what used to be an optometrist's office, lies a feline haven. As you walk into the establishment, it invites you to settle in and relax. Warm colors cover the surrounding furniture and a fresh scent lingers in the air, putting your mind at ease. The café is Decorated in Valentines Day décor, coinciding with the season. 'La vie en Rose' plays gracefully through the café as you get checked in. 

 Neil, a co-founder and a main volunteer at Cats in Bloom, checks you into the establishment with a beaming smile. 

"Have you ever been in Cats in Bloom?" He gleefully asks as you walk in the two front doors with a relaxed tone of voice. He adds, "Make sure you close the first door before you open the next!" He explains that some of the cats would like to venture outside, if given the chance.

 A few young people, accompanied by an adult orange and grey cat, type tranquilly on laptops while lounging in blanket-covered chairs. Others play with a couple of active black and white cats, urging them on to pounce upon laser pointers and fake mice by tossing the toys around the café. The cats themselves scurry about and some come up to you as you walk in as if to say 'welcome'. Most of these content looking felines sleep, though, soaking in the sun that glares through large windows that face the outside of the shop. A handful of cats hang from floating fixtures on the side walls. There are toys scattered about to the point where it is rare if you don't end up stepping on at least one fake mouse throughout your visit. 

The main layout, Cats in Bloom

 Neil, his wife Dianne, and a few of their friends founded Cats in Bloom Café in October of 2019. It took 5 months to convert the establishment from an optometrist's office into the haven that it is now. The nonprofit functions 100% off of volunteer work and is donor supported. 

"All of the cats are rescued from some place and from there we have to vet them; often times they have to be treated for fleas or lice or ticks- they get socialized and must be cared for. They get spayed, neutered, even microchipped," Neil sputtered as 'Fade Into You' by Mazzy Star filled the air with relaxingly. Next to Neil, a skinny black cat with daringly green eyes sprints on a giant spinning wheel like a hamster. 

"One of the challenges is being able to support this place, as the adoption fee is $75 but to get each rescue ready for adoption it is 250, 300 or it could be up to $1000," Neil pronounced. "We have a sister organization called 'The Scratching Post'; they have been really nice and have helped us in our process," Neil explained sporadically as he shined a laser pointer for a crazed orange and white kitten. 

Cats in Bloom is always actively seeking volunteers. A volunteer's job, according to Neil and Dianne could be as simple as interacting with the different cats and kittens sheltered in the home-like environment. The cats, fed twice a day, are cared for as if they are in a home. 

A girl walked in and asked, "I heard on Mondays and Tuesdays you guys take volunteers?" to which Neil responded, "Oh yeah! Big time! Let me give you a volunteer card." The grin on Neil's face and his funky humor made it impossible not to smile with him. 

Since opening in 2019, Cats in Bloom has found families for over 940 cats and kittens, even through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Kittens playing in the basement space

 The building has main rooms for possible adoptees to interact with. The main room currently holds 18 adult cats, a back kitten room shelters 8, and a basement kitten area holds 12 kittens that  scurry about. Cats are adopted each week and the constant influx of new ones makes for solid business. 

Neil made his way to the front to check a younger family in. The woman in the bunch exclaimed, "We're here for an adoption." Neil, although he has likely heard those words hundreds of times, reacted in a display of joyful shock. "You are? You are?" he cried as he made his way to get the necessary papers. Clearly, Neil, Dianne and other volunteers on duty sincerely care for the rescues and the people that walk through the two doors.

"I'm retired now, and so in a way this is a social thing for a lot of us," Neil mentioned, sighing in between sentences. "We've had some special needs classes come in and enjoy the cats, its a rewarding experience. It is neat to see, sometimes the most robust looking people, like truckers, come in and adopt." Neil chuckled to himself and shined a laser pointer towards another cat. 

Mr. Wilkins, 'everyone's favorite cat'

Near the end of my visit, Neil introduced me to 'everyone's favorite cat', named Mr. Wilkins. Mr. Wilkins, perched on top of a cat tower in one of the back rooms like a king, peered through the window at a couple of birds. He immediately purred when I went to scratch behind his ear. I thought to myself that everyone must be Mr. Wilkins' favorite human, too. On the floor laid a frayed cat with an orange coat named Glory. Neil commented that Glory had given birth to a litter that had not survived, and so she adopted two other litters of kittens that did not have mothers. Glory tried to bite my finger as I reached out to pet her, but I do not blame her, she has been through a lot and as Neil noted, these are her relaxing days.  

"You see that?" Neil gestured towards people looking in the windows at cats from the outside. "People walk by and they're happy and its nice to sit here and watch that." 

As I prepared to leave, I assured Neil that I would be back. It truly was a pleasure getting to know about Cats in Bloom, and you would definitely need to like cats if you wanted to visit. They do have a website, which is updated as frequently as possible on new cats and kittens. The work they have done to rescue cats and help them find homes is undeniably wholesome. New volunteers are always welcome at Cats in Bloom Café, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like cats.

As I exited, Neil told me, "I'm sorry if I gave you any trouble. It's just in my nature."