First cat café opens in Syracuse amid pandemic

This September, Alisha Reynolds held a soft opening for Syracuse’s first cat café, Pawsitivitea CNY Café & Cat Lounge. Reynold’s journey to the café’s opening became uncertain when the “Pandemapocalypse” hit amid construction, she said.

Reynolds, a new small business owner, pushed through, sticking to her mission of helping homeless cats and kittens find their forever homes.

“There are tons of cats in the area in shelters, and they might not get the attention that they deserve or that they’re waiting for,” she said. “This gives them the opportunity to have a nice place to live in the meantime, and maybe one day their forever home will walk through that door and they’ll connect.”

Reynolds, who has already helped 23 cats and kittens find their forever homes, is also supporting fellow small business owners. At the café, she sells vegan treats from Fatcat Baking, a small home-based bakery owned by a couple in the Syracuse area.

Motivated by her passion to help cats in need, Reynolds is providing the Syracuse community with the “purrfect” opportunity to sit back, grab a cup of coffee and pet the stress away.