Cats are out of the bag as O.C.’s first feline cafe opens in Laguna Beach

If you peek through the windows of Catmosphere Laguna at any given moment, you’ll find 10 to 12 adoptable cats sleeping, pouncing or stalking one another. If you walk in between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., you can sit down and play with them.

The cafe opened to the public Monday and doubles as a rescue organization for homeless cats and kittens across Orange County.

The idea behind a cat cafe is simple: order food or coffee and pet some felines.

The concept originated in Taiwan in the late 1990s and grew popular in Japan and China before crossing into the United States. Now, cat cafes are in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, among other cities.

Before Catmosphere’s opening at 381 Forest Ave. in Laguna Beach, the only cat cafes in Southern California were Woodcat Coffee Bar — near Chinatown in Los Angeles — and Crumbs & Whiskers near Beverly Hills.

Catmosphere Laguna is the first of its kind in Orange County, and founder Gail Allyn Landau couldn’t have been happier with the turnout on opening day.

“We were ‘feline’ the love,” she joked. “We were overwhelmed with love, with support — and with walk-ins.”

Landau, a 63-year-old Laguna Beach resident and feline enthusiast, has never been without a cat. As she was growing up in Illinois, her mother sheltered animals from all walks of life, Landau said. Her upbringing motivated her to advocate for animal rescue and adoption, leading her to volunteer at the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter and the Blue Bell Foundation for Cats.

Catmosphere Laguna is divided into two sections: the cafe area (which is free to enter) and the cat lounge (which requires payment). Large glass windows separate the cafe and cat lounge so cafe-goers can watch the cats while snacking on a plate of cheese or sipping from a glass of wine.

Landau believes that by giving adoptable kitties a comfortable environment where they have plenty of toys and other cats to play with, their chances of adoption are higher. After two days of being open, Catmosphere Laguna already had two pending adoptions, she said.

“What I do here is I think about adoption differently,” Landau said. “Adoption comes from a place of quiet and comfort for the kitties. They’re acclimated, they’re completely socialized here. They don’t have the trauma of being in a cage in a shelter. They’re free to roam, and whenever they want, they can get away from the humans and go back into the ‘Surf and Sand’ kitty condo area.”

People who want to visit Landau’s kitty haven are encouraged to make reservations at catmospherelaguna.com, though walk-ins are welcome. The cost for children ages 6-17 is $12 per hour, while adults 18 and older pay $22 hourly. There is a two-hour maximum, and children younger than 6 are not permitted. All proceeds from the lounge go to the Catmosphere Laguna Foundation, which funds medical care for the cats.

The cat adoption fee is $200.

To let the curious get a peek at the cat lounge from a phone or computer, Catmosphere Laguna has a livestream every day on its website.

Landau said Catmosphere Laguna accepts donations of fresh cat toys and newspapers, which are used to line the cats’ litter boxes. The foundation also accepts monetary donations to help get all cats spayed or neutered, microchipped and dewormed.

Catmosphere Laguna is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The last lounge reservations and walk-ins are accepted at 5 p.m.