May Mews You Can Use Welcome to our May eMewsletter containing updates on all the comings and goings and purrs and meows at The Orlando Cat Café! Visit the Orlando Cat Cafe website

Blackie has Ernest Hemingway Roots Hi! I'm Blackie and I'm the coolest cat at the cat cafe because I have lots of extra toes! Did you know that cats with extra toes were made famous by Ernest Hemingway and his cat, Snow White, a white polydactyl kitten that Hemingway received in the 1930s? The kitten was a gift from a sea captain and sailors favored polydactyl cats, believing they were good luck. They said our extra toes enhanced our abilities as mousers and provided better balance on rough seas. So, while my rough sea days are over, I hope my good luck of finding a new home will happen soon! Come visit me at the Orlando Cat Cafe!  Click here for more information on how to adopt Blackie.

Send a special gift to the cat lover in your life this Mother's Day and you will automatically be entered in a special gift basket drawing!

This Mother’s Day, as you reflect on the ways your mother, grandmother, aunt or a mother-like figure have touched your life, consider making a special holiday tribute gift to the cats at The Animal League in her honor. Your tribute gift will immediately go toward our life-saving work — giving hope to cats needing a second chance and truly making a difference. For every $10 donation (or more!), you can choose to send a mailed card and/or eCard to notify your mother about your thoughtful gift. Additionally, for every $10 donation, your name will be entered into a raffle for a special Mother’s Day Gift Basket filled with gifts including tickets to the Orlando Cat Café, a bottle of wine (21 and up only), a Feline Yogi Mat, and special cat toys and treats (pick up at Orlando Cat Café required). (For example, $10 = 1 ticket; $20 = 2 tickets; and so on). Winner’s name will be selected and notified by May 14, 2017. So skip the flowers and give a gift that truly makes a difference and make this Mother’s Day one to remember!

DONATE TO SAVE LIVES TODAY!

Your special someone can receive a custom-made Orlando Cat Cafe Mother's Day card.

Upcoming Events

Friday, May 5 - Cinco De Meow-o Meowy Hour: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Thursday, May 25 from 6:00 pm -7:30 pm - Special Lecture with Jodi Ziskin: The Importance of Enrichment and Play FREE ADMISSION TO ANIMAL LEAGUE  & OCC CAT ADOPTERS! *Open to all Animal League and Orlando Cat Cafe adopters within the last 12 months. Email info@orlandocatcafe.com to register. Saturday, May 13 - Yoga with Kitties SOLD OUT! Friday, May 19th - Axum Coffee Barista Challenge Throw Down Contact Axum at 352-989-4820 for more information on how to register. CLICK HERE TO MAKE A RESERVATION AND VIEW ALL EVENTS

Want to see what a typical morning at the Orlando Cat Cafe looks like? KITTY MADNESS!  Check out what the Verizon Canary All-in-One Security System caught the kitties doing!

Hey! We need YOU to Volunteer! Volunteers really can make a difference at the Orlando Cat Cafe -- so join our team! All it takes is an approved volunteer application and short training process and you’re ready to go! To get started,  click here to visit the Animal League website  to begin the volunteer application process. Once you have submitted your volunteer application, you will be contacted by a representative within 2-3 business days and notified of the upcoming volunteer orientation dates. At orientation, you will learn all about our organization and be put in contact with your Orlando Cat Cafe representative to begin the hands-on training to work with the kitties.

Jean Luc Debunks Misconceptions  & Myths Jean Luc has been hearing a lot about "fake news" around the Orlando Cat Cafe and he's here to debunk any rumors in this month's blog.

As I walk around the Orlando Cat Café I get to hear a lot of conversations, and it seems like there are a lot of misconceptions about cats out there, so, as a public service, I am devoting this month’s column to debunking a few Kitty Cat Misconceptions and Myths.   1. Cats Always Land on Their Feet Not always. We are very agile indeed, but the truth is we can really hurt ourselves if we fall the wrong way and that includes sprains, strains, bone fractures, and even respiratory issues. Ouch. Ever see a kitty on crutches? It makes using the litterbox VERY difficult. Contrary to popular belief, we are more apt to be injured from low heights than high because we don't have time to turn or twist our bodies into the necessary position for a safe landing. That’s why we enforce the “no picking up” rule at the Orlando Cat Café. Falling from your arms to a concrete floor can really hurt us! 2. Female Cats Should Give Birth before Being Spayed I’m a male, but I’ve got a lot of female friends, and they all say the complete opposite (as does the Humane Society). Your female cat does not need to have “just one litter” to make her feel good about herself. She’s a cat – the most perfect creature out there already! Making the decision to spay your furry friend is a big one, but it's a good idea to do so before she becomes a mom. This can prevent cat overpopulation, which overcrowds shelters and puts individual cats (and their kittens) at risk for neglect. Another added bonus, your cat doesn’t have to go to the gym to lose to the extra kitten weight after birth! 3.  Black Cats are Bad Luck Utter Nonsense!!! Of course black cats aren’t bad luck! There are loads of negative superstitions of black cats, all of them folklore falsities, dating back to witch hysteria in the 17th century. These cats are just as loveable and happy as a white, brown or orange cat. Sadly, black cats are the least likely type of cat to be adopted, which is terribly unfair to them! 4.  Cats are More Cold and Aloof Than Dogs Cats can and do share deep bonds with their human families. Ask any cat owner and they will tell you that they consider us “family members”, as opposed to just "pets" which frankly is the way it should be. We do not exclude non-family members from our circle either, as witness the many  therapy cats  that give love and comfort to patients in hospitals, and convalescent homes. We are indeed very loving and although we sometimes act independent, we really love our human family members (and even sometimes canine family members, but please don’t tell anyone). 5.  Cats that Claw Furniture Have Behavioral Issues The fact is we love to scratch because it sharpens our claws, relieves anxiety, is an energy releaser and is a way to mark our territory. Sometimes I sing “I Gotta Be Me” while I do it!  It’s unfair to expect us NOT to scratch, because scratching is a perfectly normal behavior that is essential for our mental health. It’s like asking you not to have a manicure or go to the gym or have a massage! You can, however, redirect this natural instinct to scratch to appropriate areas by providing various scratching posts made of a different material in strategic areas of your house. Or, as an alternative strategy, don’t get really attached to that couch!

Orlando Cat Cafe • 532 Cagan Park Ave., Clermont, FL 34714  • 352-989-4820  •  www.orlandocatcafe.com