Cat Café In Collingswood Proposed To Local Officials

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — A cat café may open in Collingswood, pending approval from local officials.

A public hearing for a cat café has been scheduled for Nov. 24's Planning Board meeting. The applicant — listed as Ashe Ember, LLC — is seeking to bring the business to 557 Haddon Ave.

The proposed café would sell premade food and drinks and will also have a separate "cat room" with several residential cats. Customers will be able to adopt them, according to a public notice published in the Courier-Post.

Ashe Ember wants to make "minor interior renovations" in the currently vacant building, including new walls and counter space, the listing says. They are seeking a use variance from the Planning Board, since cat cafés are currently not permitted in Collingswood's Central Business District.

South Jersey's first cat café — Calico Cat Café in Oaklyn — opened last month. Food preparation and dining take place in a different room than the cat lounge, which features adoptable cats in a separate, sealed-off space.

The Collingswood Planning Board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Collingswood Community Center (30 W Collings Ave.).