WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nestled in West Palm Beach's Northwood district, Nine Lives Cafe offers a bright, welcoming space that creates an uplifting atmosphere portraying its positive initiative of finding shelter cats their forever homes.
The cafe's origin story begins with a search that came up empty. Co-owner Jada Thornton had fallen in love with the concept while volunteering at a cat cafe in North Carolina. When Thornton and co-owner Razmig Panossian were living in Boston hoping to find a similar experience, they found nothing. Hoping West Palm Beach might offer what Boston lacked, they were disappointed once again – but this time, they took action.
"We took a leap of faith and decided to open a cat cafe," Thornton explained, embarking on what would become an 18-month journey to bring their vision to life.
Creating Nine Lives Cafe wasn't just about opening a business; it was about building something meaningful from the ground up. With Thornton's interior design background and Panossian's construction expertise, they designed and built the entire space themselves.
"The time did go by fast because we were able to get a lot of support from Furry Friends (Humane), from various other people in the community, mentors." Thornton said. "So it's been a pleasurable process, honestly."
The spot features two distinct areas: the main "Cat Heaven" room where visitors can interact with the cats, and a separate coffee area divided by glass. This layout allows even those with cat allergies to enjoy the experience, watching the felines while sipping coffee and enjoying pastries in a cat allergy-safe environment.
The $25 entry fee to interact with the cats provides an hour-long "feline therapy session," though most visitors end up staying much longer.
"Nobody wants to leave," Thornton said. "They come in here, they stay for hours."
The fee supports their nonprofit mission, covering cat care, facility maintenance, and staffing until each cat finds its forever home.
Behind the cozy atmosphere lies a serious mission. Palm Beach County faces a staggering euthanasia rate of at least 800 cats monthly, making Nine Lives Cafe's work crucial for local animal welfare. The cafe partners primarily with Furry Friends Animal Rescue, providing a bridge between shelter life and permanent homes.
"These rescue (cats) are just as lovable and their stories are amazing. They're survivors, so they know how to love," Thornton said, speaking from personal experience with their own rescue cats.
The cafe environment offers significant advantages for both cats and potential adopters. Unlike a traditional shelter setting, 'Cat Heaven' provides a home-like environment where felines can roam freely, play, and display their true personalities. This setting helps cats become better socialized while giving visitors a genuine sense of each animal's character.
"When you're hanging out with the cats, you get to see how they are because they act like it's their home," Panossian explained. "So you get an idea, a good sense of what their personality is like."
In true Palm Beach fashion, Nine Lives offers "Paw-lates" – 60-minute mat-based classes that combine classical contemporary flow with feline therapy. The connection isn't coincidental— Joseph Pilates drew inspiration from cats when developing his exercise methodology.
"It's kind of like a full circle moment for the Pilates world," Thornton explained. The intimate classes, held in dimmed lighting with closed blinds, create a therapeutic environment.
The cafe has already facilitated a handful of adoptions– a promising start toward their goal of maintaining 10-12 adoptable cats alongside a few resident cats who provide consistency and companionship.
The coffee program at Nine Lives is overseen by David McLennan, the cafe's head of coffee, who brings over 20 years of experience serving coffee everywhere from super yachts to estates to his own coffee shops. McLennan and his wife discovered Nine Lives through Instagram and were immediately drawn to the concept that combined their two passions: cats and coffee.
"We both love cats and we love coffee, and so this just seemed like a natural thing to reach out to them and see if I could be involved in their coffee program," McLennan explained.
The cafe features a specially sourced blend from New York that McLennan describes as "lovely and approachable" with chocolatey, velvety and fruity notes. The menu includes all the classics – hot and iced coffees, mochas, and lattes – along with high-quality matcha.
The food offerings feature everything from in-house croissants to cookies, pastries, and both healthy and indulgent options, making Nine Lives an ideal spot for morning coffee while watching the cats or settling in with a laptop for some work.
"What we want this to be is not just an amazing cat area and Pilates, but we also want it to be really great coffee," McLennan emphasized. "You can come here as the cafe itself and enjoy the view of the cats."
As Nine Lives settles into its role as West Palm Beach's first cat cafe, the team remains focused on their dual mission: providing exceptional experiences for visitors while saving lives. In a county facing significant pet overpopulation challenges, this bright, welcoming space in the Northwood district represents hope – for cats seeking homes, for people seeking connection, and for a community working together to make a difference.
Reservations can be made online through their
