BRYAN, Texas — With pandemic numbers still high, people in the community are looking for unique ways to relax.
Well, one local cat café may have just the trick.
The H&J Tea House gives people in the community the opportunity to come on by and cuddle up to these fury friends for some rest and relaxation.
This fulltime A&M student studying business, Hoa Ju, was inspired by his hometown.
”Locally it is the first one, so the stories of cat cafes start in Taiwan a lady there started the very first cat café,” said Ju, owner of H&J Tea House.
This café is one of a kind – all cats are retired show cats and permanent residents of the café.
“A lot of them keep asking if the cats in here are adoptable, so I kind of want to start to dip the water a little bit,” said Ju.
So far, one cat so far found their forever home.
Moving forward, they would like to partner with local shelters to do adoptions.
Giving back is also a huge priority.
“We’re now donating 25 percent of our weekend sales to Aggieland Humane Society,” said Ju.
New research show pets can drastically impact someone's stress level.
”Just from what I've learned as a student is pet owners actually specifically are less likely to suffer from depression then maybe those without pets even people with pets are shown to have lower blood pressure,” said Lauren Chapman, a Texas A&M clinical psychology student and NAMI Brazos Valley intern.
“That is the most wonderful part of the cat café... just come in relax, play with them and then leave,” said Ju.
H&J Tea House recently opened its doors.
For now you can come by with your own beverages to enjoy the company of cats as they work towards selling their own drinks.