Take a Cat-Cation to One of These FUN

Kitty-Themed Cat-A-ways!

You’ve probably noticed how some restaurants have become dog-friendly.  No problem with that but hey, how’s about a little extra time for kitties? If you can’t get enough love from your cats, and miss them when you’re away, well, with vacation season on the way, I want to fill you in on some vacation ideas that are perfect for those of us who can’t enough of those lovable felines.

Headed for Los Angeles? Or lucky enough to live there, like I used to? Then get a load of this. Los Angeles’ first-ever CAT CAFE has arrived!  It’s called Crumbs & Whiskers and will be located near Melrose & Fairfax Avenues.  Sounds like it’s going to be a cool spot, and as adorable as … well…a kitten. Crumbs & Whiskers will include plenty of special nooks and crannies for the cats to hide, the kinds of places your own cat loves.  Plus there will be lots of artwork to remind you of why we love cats so much.  There’s even better news.  (And this is really special to my heart.)  A portion of the profits will also benefit OPEN SPACE & KARMA RESCUE, they’re the not-for-profit partner of Crumbs & Whiskers. Their mission is to rescue homeless felines and provide a better home for them, either there at the cafe or to place them with loving families. (How could you not love that?) Want to know more? Check out Crumbs & Whiskers to get more information on their soon-to-open Los Angeles location, as well as their present spot in D.C.

Headed to the beautiful Pacific northwest? (Or lucky enough to live there?) Then Purrington’s Cat Lounge is a must-visit spot for you. They’re the first cat cafe and adoption center in that part of the country.  They’re also America’s first cat cafe to serve beer, cider wine (for people, not the cats) and have their own menu of great food selections.  While visiting and enjoying a beer or locally produced wine, you get to hang out with the sweetest, adoptable cats.  (Easy on the wine though, you may end up wanting to adopt every cat you meet!) If you bring the kids along, they also have an assortment of beverages for the little ones in your group. Purrington’s is all about giving shelter cats the opportunity to interact with people.  It’s set up to allow potential adopters to experience the cats who live there in a home style environment.  Oh yeah, be sure to ask about their Purr-Yoga classes.  It’s all about actual yoga classes with the cats who live there and sounds like a great idea.  You’ll probably end up wanting to have your own cat join you in a little yoga class when you get home. Wanna go? Reservations are not required but it’s a sure way to guarantee a spot for you and whoever is travelling with you.  By the way, weekends tend to be busier than weekdays.  A visit to PURRINGTON’S sounds like the PURR-fect place to visit for us cat lovers.

Okay, we’ve talked about the west coast, now let’s head east to Florida for an unusual kitty-themed getaway I think you’ll find interesting. I’m talking about the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in beautiful Key West, Florida. Now, here’s the interesting part. The museum is home to about 40 to 50 six-toed cats! The technical name for them is polydactyl cats. (Sounds like a name from Jurassic Park, right?) You’ve probably noticed that cats normally have five front toes and four back toes.  About half the cats at the museum have the six-toed trait but even those that don’t have six toes, carry the gene in their DNA. Wondering how this all started? Well, when he was living in Key West, writing many of his great books, Ernest Hemingway was given a white, six-toed cat by a ship’s captain.  Now get this, many of the cats living on the museum grounds are actually descendants of his original  kitty. (I love it!) Mr. Hemingway named all of his cats after famous people and the curators of the museum still follow that tradition today. So, are you headed to south Florida this vacation season? Then don’t just stop with the big theme parks around Orlando. Why not slip in a little side-trip to Key West and visit this historic spot. Not only is Key West a beautiful vacation spot, but visiting the ERNEST HEMINGWAY HOME & MUSEUM, you’ll end up meeting a famous cat… with a famous name!

Bali-hi will call you!(Sorry, I was thinking about one of my favorite old movies, South Pacific.) That’s because our next stop takes us clear across the Pacific to Our 50th State: Hawaii. When it comes to vacation spots for cat-lovers, I saved this one for last. On the small island of Lanai, there’s a special place called the Lanai Cat Sanctuary. It’s home to nearly 500 cats! And get this, people fly in from all over the world to visit and hang out with what we’ll call, “The Kitties of Lanai.” But wait, the sanctuary has an even better name for them, they’re called The Hawaiian Lions. (Now how cute is that?) The sanctuary is a huge property and it’s got to be heaven for the “lions” who live there. It includes huge huts and trees for the cats who live there to climb. along with fields of grass where they can lay and soak up that Hawaiian sun. (Ahhhh, sounds like a place I’d like to spend a sunny afternoon with the cats!) The sanctuary is open to the public for a few hours each day, but I’m betting some of us would never want to leave. All of the cats living in the sanctuary are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and given a full health exam before being added to the main population. Visitors can even adopt or foster a particular cat they fall in love with. The sanctuary helps facilitate adoptions for Hawaiian locals and even for some lucky visitors from out-of-state. How romantic would it be to adopt a Hawaiian Lion from the LANAI CAT SANCTUARY? Let me tempt you just a little more. Check out the photos on their website but I should warn you, it probably won’t be long before you’re thinking about booking a flight to Hawaii for a visit!

So have you begun planning your vacation holiday this year? I wanted to get all this fun info to you early, just in case you would to add meeting some very special cats while you’re away from your own family-felines back home. (Hey, you may even end up wanting to adopt one of them!)