DeWeese: Shop and admire the cats

You can’t miss Daft Crafts on the Square.

From the outside, the business at 109 E. Lexington Ave. is painted a vivid shade of green, and its two window displays are filled with equally bright homemade crafts and wearable goods.

But inside, something else is taking place that is making the business stand out: Beautiful cats like Arella and Lotus are seeking their new homes, thanks to a partnership with the Independence Animal Shelter.

The 9-month-old Daft Crafts is the first participant in Mews About Town, which allows businesses to foster a cat from the shelter and then actually adopt out the cat from the store. Jennifer Polston, Independence Animal Services supervisor, said the program increases the chances of adoptions to families who may not go to an animal shelter.

“So often, we talk to people who don’t even know about our shelter, and Mews About Town is a way to reach more people, increase cat adoptions and increase the shelter’s ability to provide foster care to homeless cats in the community,” Polston said. “Fostering cats also gives the foster family or business the opportunity to learn more about the cat’s personality in a setting outside the shelter and give the adopter information about the cat’s likes, dislikes and habits.”

I first learned of Mews About Town through social media – Facebook, specifically – and although I am an avid cat lover, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I went to meet Daft Crafts owner Cody Nations and her latest foster, a petite 3-year-old named Lotus, on Tuesday morning.

Last week, I had hoped to meet Daft Crafts’ first fostered cat, Arella, but she was quickly adopted and is now named Atticus. On Friday the 13th, Nations got her next foster – the all-black Lotus who’s been at the shelter several months – and the cat instantly made herself at home in Daft Crafts, getting into the catnip-filled toys available for sale inside the store.

“I think she knew you were coming today,” Nations said when I went into the store for an interview. “She’s been rowdy and jumpy since I opened the doors at 11.”

Lotus made herself at home as Nations and I chatted, sprawling herself across my lap and across my reporter’s notebook, cell phone and pen. Her soft purrs, clear green eyes and pink-and-black collar with bows warmed my heart immediately.

So far, customers also have responded favorably to the presence of a cat inside Daft Crafts, Nations says.

“They love it,” she says. “I even had a lady in here (Monday) who is really allergic to cats, and she took extra Benadryl so she could stay.”

“Shop cats” certainly aren’t a new occurrence. One of my favorite stores as a child and into my college years, The Dusty Bookshelf in Manhattan, Kan., had two shop cats, litter mates Cleo and Maxine. The cats were there from the time of my first trip to the Bookshelf in 1994, and while Maxine has since died, Cleo was still there the last time I visited the store.  

This story is different, though. The beloved cats at Daft Crafts could find a new home at any hour, from any customer. I asked Nations how she keeps from getting attached to the friendly felines.

“I don’t,” she said, smiling. “I love them.” A self-described “total sap” when it comes to animals, Nations is the proud owner of four cats at home – Lu, Sephie, Princess Meow Meow and Cammy – as well as one dog, Ripley.

The Animal Shelter is aiming to add more businesses to Mews About Town, especially during the busy summer months when many cats and kittens live at the shelter. Ideal businesses to participate in Mews About Town, Polston said, will have the ability to provide daily care for the cat, as well as the ability to keep the cat safely inside.  

“The shelter provides a crate, litter box, food and litter,” Polston said, “and the business provides the TLC and, of course, customers who won’t be able to resist such a sweet kitty that needs a family.”

Nations’ goal is to adopt out at least one cat each week from Daft Crafts. The adoption fees range from $59 to $99, depending upon the services provided, which are the regular shelter adoption costs. The store’s hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

“I would love to see the Independence Animal Shelter be able to go to a no-kill shelter in the future,” Nations said, “but they can’t do that unless they get a lot of fosters and a lot of adopters and a higher turnover rate. I’m really happy that I can bring animal rescue to this store.”