Picture this: you're sitting at a cozy pink chair at Pounce Cat Cafe + Wine Bar (283 Meeting St.), sipping a glass of Pinot Grigio, and the cutest kitties are climbing around. Pounce is like a foster home for ~20 cats from the Charleston Animal Society.

The cafe helps take some of the burden off the animal society and gives animals a cool new space to live until they find their furrever homes. The cafe takes donations, including wet food and unused cat toys, and has helped re-home 2,370 cats since they opened in 2016.

Pounce Cat Sleeps at Cafe | Photo provided by Pounce Cat Cafe + Wine Bar

College friends (and CofC alums) Ashley Brooks + Annaliese Hughes founded Pounce, the first cat cafe in Charleston. Their mission is to improve the lives of shelter cats by getting them out of cages and increasing adoption rates. They say that by creating a comfortable place, the cats can relax, and adopters can connect with the animal before taking it home.

Ashley Brooks + Annaliese Hughes | Photo by: @pouncecatcafe

Plan your visit

Reservations are recommended.
One-hour visits cost $17 + include one non-alcoholic beverage per guest.
Beer + wine costs an additional $3.
Baked goods by Saffron Bakery are available for purchase — see what's on the menu.

Adopt

So, let's say you happen to fall in love with your new best friend. You can adopt on the spot.

The team asks you to spend an hour in the cat lounge.
You'll then be asked to fill out an interest form and talk about the next steps with the staff.
You must be 21, so have your ID ready.
The final step is to fill out adoption paperwork + pay the adoption fee — adult cats are $50, specialty breeds $150.

Rules

You must be at least 12 years old to visit.
Children 12-16 need a chaperone.
No pets allowed.

If you're not ready to adopt, you can still help animals in need. For Giving Tuesday, Charleston Animal Society is running a matching campaign — gifts will be matched up to $50,000. You can also get involved by fostering and volunteering. Explore ways to give.