CatCafe Lounge on South Sepulveda has spent the past six years curating a safe space for LA cats. They offer snuggle-heavy cat therapy, soundbaths, and have found over 1,200 kitties their forever homes. After the devastation of the Eaton and Palisades Fires, the CatCafe team decided to offer free therapy for evacuees and first responders.
The goal, says creative manager Athena Stamos, is to provide a sense of relief: “Animals do lower your anxiety, and that is exactly what we need right now. Being around cats or dogs or any calm animal, that calming effect can just transfer over to you. And there’s that tranquility that happens when you really bond with an animal. Purs not only calm them, but they calm us too.”
Visitor Amanda Schafer says, “You can be somewhere that just actually feels really nice and calm for a minute.”
Those affected by the fires can book up to 70 minutes of free therapy using the discount code PURRRELIEF.
Stamos says CatCafe intends to keep the free services as long as people need it.