Mixing Business with Charity at the Purrfect Day Cat Cafe

Despite what the news headlines might indicate, the world is generally filled with a lot more good people than bad, and you might be surprised by the number of animal shelters, cat rescues, and feline charities there are in your state, let alone the entire country. But it takes more than just a kind heart and hard work to keep these sorts of endeavors going. For every successful non-profit organization, there are likely a dozen that failed to stay afloat, because in many cases, the people who are prepared to dedicate their time and effort to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming pets in need, find it almost impossible to say no, making it almost impossible to stay afloat. We talked to Chuck Patton, the “Purrietor” and Founder of Purrfect Day Cafe in Kentucky, about how he discovered the secret to successfully helping thousands of cats starts with a good business model.

In 2018, having experienced entrepreneurial success in his professional life, Chuck Patton had sold his business and was looking for a job with purpose.

“I really wanted to make a difference,” he said, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. He was on holiday with his wife in Charleston, South Carolina, when inspiration struck in the form of a $15 lapdance. The sign was a clever advertisement from Pounce Cat Cafe, and Chuck had to find out what it was all about.

“When I was told what the mission was, having been an animal lover and a cat lover all my life, I said. You know, this is a sign. This was a long time ago, when Cat cafes weren't familiar within the United States, and my wife told me – You gotta do this. So eight months later, we were open in Louisville, Kentucky.”

It proved to be a winning decision, and less than two years later, they were opening a second cafe in Covington, on the border with Ohio, right in the heart of Cincinnati.

Whilst the concept of enjoying a delicious coffee and cake in the company of a friendly feline might sound like a pretty clever idea for a business, it is the charity aspect of Purrfect Day that really puts them on the map. By teaming up with local animal shelters, including the Kentucky Humane Society, PAWS of Dearborn County, Cincinnati Animal Care, and the League for Animal Welfare, Chuck and the team at Purrfect Day have successfully rehomed over 12,500 health-checked, chipped, and spayed/neutered cats from the Louisville cafe, and another 6,000 from the Covington location. Chuck believes that a large part of the Purrfect Day success story lies in his business background.

“There's a formula to it, and I feel like we've gotten there, but when I started it was, for me, a business with purpose, and I wanted to find people to surround myself that wanted a job with purpose. Rally our community around it.”

What has changed for him is the goals of his business, and he takes inspiration from social enterprise and B Corporations like TOMSⓇ Shoes, which reinvest the majority of their profits into charities, community projects, or environmental missions, rather than lining the pockets of shareholders.

“That's the way we think of revenue here. We use the same core principles that a business would, but just a different target. It's not about profit for just me or for individuals; we call it the ‘we before me’, and the adoptions have just been crazy, and it's working.”

Working is accurate. With almost 20,000 cats rehomed since 2018, the venture has been so successful that they occasionally need to reach out to animal shelters further afield when the local charities have been emptied—that’s a pretty good problem to have!

The Purrfect Day Cafe isn’t just about cats, and being inclusive of all, not only those who identify as ‘cat people,’ has been another source of pride and success for Chuck.

“We wanted to expose not only people who are dog people or however you stereotype, but kids, too. So we're very much open to kids, and this being their first experience on how to pet, how to keep your voices down, what are the consequences if you don't. I wanted animal lovers, dog lovers, community lovers, people that just wanted experience.”

As a licensed venue, Purrfect Day Cafe isn’t just a place to enjoy beverages of the caffeinated variety, but don’t worry, adopting under the influence is not encouraged! Though Chuck recalls an occasion where a feline connection was formed over several drinks, and the customers returned – sober – the following day to adopt.

“In today's world, everybody wants a unique experience, and that's what we lean into. I mean, if you can hang out with cats, adopt cats, help cats, and drink beer?”

Sounds purrfect.

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