Papa’s Cat Café
Columbia, MO.
the novelist Ernest Hemingway and the polydactyl cats he raised in key west, florida inspired this unique commercial project in downtown columbia.
Located at 14 South 2nd Street, Columbia’s first cat café serves specialty coffee, teas and organic and vegan treats for customers to enjoy while visiting with adoptable cats.
Peckham architecture worked with owner ryan kennedy to create a sustainable design and a safe, comfortable space for visitors and cats alike.
Images by Melissa Jane Photography
Papa’s Cat Café partners with Barnie’s Place Feline Rescue to maintain an in-house population of 20 cats. Two cats, Pedro and george, reside there permanently. The others are available for adoption.
kennedy called it “a really big foster home for the cats to get socialized and be able to meet people in a more relaxed environment.”
Cat cafés are also for people who might not have a cat at home due to allergies, travel, roommates or other factors.
“We’re offering the opportunity to come in and have cat time,” Kennedy said. “You get to come and pet them, and then you get to leave.”
The cat area features a 600-square-foot playroom where cats climb built-in shelves and cat towers, hide in benches, lounge on tropical print cushions and sharpen their claws on a palm tree scratching post.
A separate, 100-square-foot housing and feeding area allows the cats to rest and use the litter box in peace.
a viewing widow and special ventilation system separates the coffee shop from the cat zone so customers can enjoy the playroom from a distance if they wish.
An airlock door system keeps cats from escaping into the food prep and entry area.
The project uses energy-efficient LED lighting, double ceiling insulation to reduce heating and cooling costs, and high-quality water filtration.
To avoid the environmental impact of buying new, we prioritized pre-owned equipment and furniture.
From the client:
Nick was great in terms of customer service. Easy to get ahold of—we would talk at all hours of the day about big things and little things. And he was always flexible to work with whatever ideas and needs we had.
I have this huge refrigerator with a worktop on it. I got it at an auction, and we all worried about getting it into the space. Nick cut out a post-it note to scale and moved it over the plans to make sure it would fit. If we hadn’t used that post-it note, I don’t think we would have had the confidence to make it in. it made it by the skin of our teeth!
Working with Nick has been a lot of fun. I could tell he wanted to be a part of Papa’s Cat Café, because it’s such a strange idea. Every time we talked to him, he was just all smiles. He would practically giggle whenever we talked about the concept.
—Ryan Kennedy, owner
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A 1-HOUR CONSULTATION WITH PECKHAM ARCHITECTURE INCLUDES PROJECT MEETING NOTES, COST ESTIMATE AND FEE PROPOSAL FOR $250.
