The Kitty Beautiful — Restaurant in Orlando

The staff is okay. They were fairly nice, and by the way they talk about the cats it's clear that they are loved. On 11/25 I adopted a sweet little girl named Tigra, who I already love very much. When I I looked over her adoption paperwork,I was told that she had been given a fecal exam to check for worms and that besides a broken tooth, she was a healthy girl. On the evening of 11/26, I noticed a tiny worm sticking out of her rear end.

I immediately called to speak to an employee about it. The guy who answered, who I think is the same guy who went over her adoption papers with me, was very, very quick to deny any potential responsibility on their end. He told me multiple times that she had only been with them for a few days, which kind of rubbed me the wrong way. In my case, my cat's paperwork indicated she was infested with fleas when she arrived at the shelter. Since worms commonly come from fleas, it is very likely that she caught them during that time, and was given to the cafe with the worms. Still, I was kinda left feeling like this would've been his reaction even if she had been there for several weeks, which is how long it takes most intestinal worms to infect, hatch, and mature in felines.

He also told me that situations like this are why a $50 voucher for a vet visit at the pet alliance is included with the adoption papers. Which is fair, I guess. Just know that to use that voucher, you have to sign up for a trial of their pet insurance plan. Honestly, I won't bother taking her to be seen there and will be consulting my own vet who I can trust to take the time to actually make sure my girl is healthy.

I love Tigra and have every intention of keeping her, however, I also own two other pets who are now at risk. Had I known that she had worms, I likely would have decided against adopting her for this reason. I was lucky enough to catch the problem very early, but will likely still be shelling out the money to have them checked for worms too (which the $50 voucher wouldn't help with even if I intended to use it).

Before I got off of the phone, I was sure to suggest that they take a look at ALL of the cats, and possibly have them checked too. He was pretty dismissive and assured that he had just cleaned the litter boxes and he didn't see anything. Which, for me, isn't a good enough answer considering that worms weren't found in Tigra's poop, they were found sticking out of HER. I don't know if they'll keep an eye on the kitties, but I pray that they do.

Keep this story in mind if you're thinking of adopting from this cafe. Remember, they also told me my girl was healthy besides that tooth, and this is what's happening. Part of me seriously wonders if the worms were noticed, but kept secret since it would look very, very BAD for them. While I believe that they are doing good work in trying to find homes for these kitties, I think one should also consider the fact that it is still a business, and a situation like this can cause a lot of damage to said business. To me it makes sense that they would try covering up something like this since they are still very new and are trying to attract more customers.

On the topic of their food: I didn't try it. And I probably never will. The idea of eating food in a place with wormy animals is...

I hate to say anything negative because I respect what they do for the cats. I saw this beautiful cat on their website. I had always wanted a cat just like it. I met the cat. A lady there said that since the cat had been there it had never left the spot they were in. A week later I decided to adopt it. I felt bad about leaving their friend behind so I adopted it too. I knew the cat was shy and needed time to warm up. The cat had a clipped ear but, the friend didn't. I asked about it and was told that the agency that paid for the cat to be spayed required an ear clipping or they wouldn't pay for the spay and shots. I didn't think anything else of it. Later I looked over the paperwork and noticed that the same agency spayed both cats. I had them on my back screen porch. Neither one of them would come in the house. The cat I went there to adopt always stayed in the same spots. Neither would play with toys or sleep on the cat beds. A week later the cat I went there to adopt escaped through a small opening on the screen and ran away. That has been a month and there haven't been any signs of her. I believed they knew the cat was feral and not adoptable but, still tried to find it a home. The cat was supposed to be put down before going to this rescue. I respect what they tried to do however, the cat was one that is supposed to be trapped then released. I realize that someone meant well however, the cat was too feral to be a pet. I was looking forward to bonding with this cat. The other cat is doing well. It doesn't want to come in the house. The cat was at the rescue a year ago then returned when the owners couldn't care for it. I believe it was an outside cat that they were feeding and not a house cat. I am working with her and I am glad I have her. I just wish I could have known about...

I have mixed feelings. A visit was my daughter's idea. Being a cat lover and her birthday, she really wanted to check this place out. She enjoyed herself. What a clever idea, and I love that these precious kitties have the potential to find furever homes....but the Kitty Beautiful Cafe has a bit of room for improvement. The cafe part does not have much "cafe" appeal, and felt more like it was modeled after a school cafeteria. I ordered a milk steamer, only to get it lukewarm. They did heat it up at my request. I was told they would charge as a hot chocolate. They didn't, and instead charged the same as latte my daughter ordered($5) The prep area of the cafe was cluttered, with a clear flat tote storing small bread loaves in clear site. In hindsight, my loaf was not so fresh, leaving me wondering how long they store them. The cat time is in a separate room, and separate payment to help support the kitties. The kitties were cute, of course, but even these rooms felt a bit like they needed someone to come through and help organize and make it a better experience for interaction with the cats. For instance, a few toy baskets? I'm not sure...I also think it would be ingenious to hand a small flyer to cafe guests with mug shots of the kitties - and a few pertinent details. That way you have time to familiarize yourself with them before you go in. They do have posters on the wall inside, but by then, we wanted to get busy with the kitties. One guest inside was handing out treats. We wondered if this was her own she brought? Can guests do this? On a positive note, the staff was friendly and even acknowledged my daughters birthday with a free kitty ear hairband. Again, it has potential for improvement, which would make it a unique/fun experience that one would want to return to,...