Cat cafes originated in Japan in 1998 and spread throughout eastern Asia and Europe. The United States has slowly been getting cat cafes in places such as Oakland, Calif., San Diego, Denver, New York City and Portland, Ore.

However a young Lincoln, Nebraska woman, Lizz Whitacre, hopes to open a cat cafe in Lincoln.

“They are places where people can play with the cats,” Hunter said. “They pay a fee to get in the door. That fee pays for the building and the upkeep.

“There are people who can’t have them in their building, but they love cats. There are kids who love cats but don’t want the responsibility of having a pet. You can just come, pay a fee and play with them for an hour. Or, if you fall in love with one, you can adopt him and take him out.”

Working with animals is inherent in Hunter.

“I’ve always wanted to do something with animals,” she said. “I thought maybe I should do a pet shop, maybe I should do this or maybe I should do that. I thought, ‘You know, I’ll just start rescuing animals,’ and that made my life.”

To read more about the opening of a possible cat cafe in Lincoln, Nebraska, click here.

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