Collingswood, ‘a cat community,’ has officially opened its first cat cafe

Two kittens with seemingly endless energy jump around the room in downtown Collingswood chasing their toys, their own tails, and their newest friend, 19-month-old Charlotte Kohlhas-DeMarsh. The toddler babbles excitedly as the kittens, Chicken Nugget and Onion Ring, leap at the feather attached to the wand she’s swinging around.

The kittens are just two of the adoptable cats at Catmosphere Cafe & Lounge, a new cat cafe that opened at 557 Haddon Ave. on July 10.

In partnership with Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center in Blackwood, Catmosphere provides a temporary home for adoptable cats where they can comfortably sleep, play, and potentially meet their forever families.

Within the first week, the business has already facilitated three adoptions.

“Every cat has gone to a perfect family,” said Sophia Coello, cofounder of Catmosphere. “It has really been a perfect match with every single cat.”

The new cat lounge fosters around six to eight cats and kittens at a time, helping to free up space for more intakes at Homeward Bound.

Equipped with food, water, toys and countless beds, the lounge provides the cats with a less stressful environment than a traditional animal rescue. This gives them a chance to acclimate and eventually feel comfortable showing their real personalities, Coello said, which only increases their chance of being adopted.

All proceeds collected from adoption fees — $150 for a kitten and $75 for an adult cat — go back to Homeward Bound.

The idea for Catmosphere was originally inspired by a goat yoga session in December 2024, Coello said. As she was surrounded by the farm animals, Coello, who identifies as a lifelong cat person, couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to be in a similarly relaxing environment — but accompanied by cats instead.

“This is my calling,” she said. “I just love watching and understanding cats’ behavior because if you understand a cat’s behavior, you understand how to create a bond with them. I feel like anyone can create a bond with a cat.”

“And once you form that bond and that trust, it’s actually the most beautiful connection that you could grow with an animal,” she said.

Alongside her partner, Marcus Tirado, the pair of Rowan University graduates soon began looking for the perfect location to set up their new business — somewhere in an animal-loving community with lots of foot traffic. They eventually settled on Collingswood’s bustling Haddon Avenue, breathing new life into what was once a thrift store.

“This is a cat community,” Coello said of the borough, where neighborhood cats are common and well taken care of, and residents are quick to come together when locating a lost pet.

As head of construction, Tirado did the majority of the renovation work himself, leaning on friends and family to help transform the cluttered space into a bright cafe with sleeping kittens dreaming in the front window. The soft-pink walls are adorned with a hand-painted logo as Lego figurines in the likeness of the couple’s two rescue cats overlook the cafe, a reminder of their mission to connect as many cats as possible with loving homes.

Catmosphere accepts both appointments and walk-ins for the cat lounge which currently costs $20 per hour. During some of the early bookings, Coello said they’ve helped kids remain calm and be gentle during their first interaction with a cat.

As they get more established, they’re looking forward to expanding their business by hosting workshops, working with local schools, and more, they said.

And if you’re allergic to cats, don’t worry. Catmosphere still has something for you.

Entirely separate from the cat lounge, the cafe itself is hypo-allergenic, Coello said.

Large windows along the walkway from the front door create a “kitty drive-thru,” she said, where you can get a glimpse inside the cat lounge while remaining protected from any allergens.

Located on the more residential end of Haddon Avenue, the pair also hope that Catmosphere, alongside neighboring businesses like the barber and ice cream shops across the street, can help strike up more activity in this part of downtown.

“We would love to bring more events to this side of the community,” Coello said.

They also hope the lounge can serve as an educational resource for the cat-loving community, helping to answer questions about adoption, common cat behaviors, and best practices.

As Kohlhas-DeMarsh happily followed her furry friends around the room Thursday morning, her grandmother Jenifer Kohlhas looked on, enjoying a drink from the cafe.

They’ve been looking forward to Catmosphere’s opening and finally stopped in for the first time, in part to avoid last week’s dangerous air quality but also to give Charlotte a chance to interact with friendly cats, Kohlhas said.

Their family has a formerly feral cat at home who isn’t particularly fond of the toddler, she said.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity for her to just be with a kitten that actually lets her play with it,” she said, as Charlotte cheerfully waddled around the room. “And she’s having a blast.”