(lighthearted music) - I'm not sure why I have such a love for cats, but (laughs) somewhere along the way, it just kinda happened.

I started doing rescue basically about 30 years ago when I lived in New Haven, Connecticut.

I just started trapping them or picking them up and taking them to get to their vet visits and then finding them homes.

And so it just kinda started there and it's been that way for the last 30 years (chuckles), so.

I don't know why I love them so much, but I certainly do.

I have a very strong connection with our little feline friends.

The lounge is set up strictly as a foster home.

So the rescues that we work with, all the adoptions go directly through them.

You have to go through a process.

It usually takes a couple of days just to fill out an online application and then the rescue gets in touch with them.

And I just provide the space for free, and then people coming in here helps support that whole process by paying a small admission to go into the lounge.

So it's really focused on the cats and getting them exposure to more people and hopefully finding their new forever homes.

- I think it's such a cool environment for the cats who are up for adoption to feel, like, comfortable.

What I noticed when I adopted my cat was that he was just, like, in such a good mood and he was so happy.

So we really got a feel of what his personality was.

- Adopting from the Meow Lounge is great because you get to spend time with the cats in a really relaxed environment.

It's just a really good place to get to know a cat before you purchase it.

- We've been open for just over eight months and we've adopted out 202 cats.

Right now, we do have cats coming all the way from Houlton, a lot through Bangor, as well as in Portland, so kind of from everywhere.

So it was really very sweet to see when somebody makes that connection with the cat and they get to go home with her.

One thing people say is that it's the most relaxing experience they've ever had.

So we were really trying to build this space as much like a community space, and the common denominator is people who love cats.

- I decided to come here before I knew I was gonna teach a class, and I loved it and I was like, oh, I'm gonna have to come back.

And now I get the opportunity every month to come and meet all the new cats and hang out with them and then share, like, my love of pottery with people.

I feel really lucky.

It's super therapeutic, and I always come home, like, giggly and happy because I just got to spend two hours with kitty cats.

- We do get a lot of people in the space that can't have a cat, you know, 'cause somebody in the family is allergic or where they live, they're not allowed to have cats, so it's been really nice to be able to open our doors and have a space where both the people get a benefit and then the cats get the benefit by getting more social so that when they do go home, they won't be shy kitties, they'll hopefully be very outgoing and be used to lots of different people and different things happening at the same time.

It's just really, it's been a wonderful experience.

(lighthearted music) (lighthearted music fades)