Our Mission
MeowWOOF Animal Collective and Cafe aids cats and dogs who have lost their owners through death, illness, and other situations that separate a pet from a loving owner.
By serving this specific group of animals needing new homes, meowWOOF ACC maintains and improves socialization, continuity of care, and improves adoption opportunities for a demographic that typically does not adjust well to the rescue shelter system.
Working in concert with our local animal shelters and our human healthcare and outreach programs allows us to better serve this need in our community.
FAQ
The following answers are based on our current building plans and operating projections. Until our facility is built, most of these answers are not actionable. These are to better illustrate our planned operations, to show how we serve the community, and to answer common questions we receive from the public.
Our facility offers three distinct areas:
1. Our comfortable cafe offers an area for humans to enjoy teas and coffees. We host community support groups and small events in this area without animals in this section. There are observation windows and all proceeds from our cafe menu fund the housing and care for our adoptable feline and canine guests. The public’s attendance helps our animals stay socialized and familiar with a variety of humans. Yes, a cup of tea and a chat with friends does help our animals’ and our facility’s success.
2. The cat lounge has an indoor lounge and outdoor catio separated from the main cafe area by a vestibule and self-closing door. Similarly, the doggie patio offers an enclosed area and outdoor play yard. These areas are accessible to humans when they reserve a time slot, sign a waiver, and pay for entry. Single session, multi-passes, and membership fees all go to the housing and care for our adoptable pets.
3. The internal workings of the shelter hold kennels, small offices, storage, and shower and rest areas for our 24 hours staff and volunteers. Transition areas specific for cat needs and a separate dog run offer private spaces for new animals to acclimate and for overwhelmed animals to reset with quiet time for themselves.
The cats and dogs available for adoption will be posted in the cafe area and on our website. If you find an animal who you think would be a good match for your family, we first encourage you to spend dedicated time with them. Then, our adoption staff will have a form for you to fill out and will interview you to make sure you are aware of the animal’s history, any specific needs, and we will ask questions about your home and day-to-day activities for a good fit. Any amount paid for your most recent session will be subtracted from your adoption fee. Adoption fees will differ depending on certain animals, grants, and other funding specials that will offer discounts.
Yes, children under 16 must have a form signed by their guardian and must be in company with their adult at all times. Children over 16 must also have their form signed by a guardian, but may enter the animal areas without an accompanying adult. As with all our human guests, improper behavior towards our animal guests, inability to follow our rules, or disrespect to animals, staff, or our facility means you will immediately be asked to leave regardless of whether or not you have reached the end of your paid time slot. This policy is subject to change due to liability insurance changes.
We do not have a kitchen on site. We may sometimes have packaged snacks and treats. We may sometimes have a food truck parked out front. During overlapping operating hours, our neighbor McMillan’s Pub will have their bar open to the public if you’re that kind of hungry. But, these treats are not guaranteed during all of our operating hours. Plan accordingly.
If you plan to bring a group, please contact us via our contact form with the dates you would like to visit, the size of your group, and any details about your group that would be relevant. We will need to assess your group’s needs with the needs of the animals on site. We may offer your group’s visit outside public operating hours. We may offer a special event for the group. Each group’s attendance will be assessed on an individual basis. We reserve the choice to deny any group’s visit, planned or drop-in, for the safety and comfort of our animal guests and human staff.
Monetary, material, and service donations are always helpful, but they aren’t the only way you can help. Purchasing from the cafe and spending time with our animals helps to cover our costs. Volunteering with us is especially rewarding for everyone. Spread the word.
Foster care for animals is essential for successful adoptions. Any shelter, any rescue will tell you socialization and human interaction allows for dogs and cats to thrive in the days leading up to an adoption. We see meowWOOF as meeting a specific need for felines and canines and the humans who want to adopt: a comfortable environment to spend time with potential candidates. By providing a home-like setting, these felines and canines can relax and build confidence. By providing a cafe, humans can relax, enjoy a cup, and pass a good time Louisiana-style. As a registered 501-c3, funds generated from cafe sales go right back to the animals and their care, which means that anyone visiting our cafe, whether they’re looking to adopt or not, has the opportunity to support our animal guests’ futures.
This model has been adopted in multiple states and municipalities to incredible success. Each successful animal cafe has thrived by meeting the specific needs of their community. As animal welfare advocates familiar with the local rescue and shelter landscape, our team has designed our model to fill a specific gap in our local system. In many conversations with shelter workers, human outreach and hospice workers, and bereaved families and friends, we have heard of the stress experienced by the orphaned animals, the families, animal control, and our shelter system. We saw how we could help, and our capacity to help exceeded the foster capacity of our own homes. We knew we needed a dedicated facility, and the animal cafe model makes the most sense, because of its nationwide success.
Contact Us
If you have questions, wish to partner with us, or have physical donations, please contact us through this form. You can inquire to surrender animals to us through this form, but please review our mission and provide as much information as possible. We require that animals coming into our care are up to date on vaccinations and that we will be given access to the animal(s) veterinarian records. If you are looking to volunteer, fill out our volunteer interest form.