Cat toys in the Attic

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This article was published 26/01/2021 (2071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sitting in a beam of sunshine, Estelle Getty watches the flurry of activity outside her apartment window with calm curiosity.

The brown tabby and her feline friends, Beatrice Arthur and Betty White — named after the cast of the ‘80s NBC sitcom The Golden Girls — are the first residents of Annie’s Attic, a new cat café and thrift store at 1560 Main St., operated by D’Arcy’s Animal Rescue Centre.

Last Thursday, employees were busy cleaning and putting the finishing touches on displays before opening the doors to the public for the first time.

“A cat café is something I’ve always wanted to do,” says rescue founder D’Arcy Johnston. “All of the money goes back to D’Arcy’s ARC, the charity… we lost about $75,000 in fundraising because of the pandemic. We can’t do anything right now we usually do to raise money for the shelter, so our thrift stores help us with that.”

This is the rescue’s second thrift-shop location in Winnipeg; the first is a five-minute drive south on Main Street and has been running for 13 years.

Visitors to Annie’s Attic, named after Johnston’s youngest daughter, can cuddle adoptable cats, grab a drink and sweet treat at the café counter, and peruse racks of second-hand clothes and housewares.

The cats have their own living space; shoppers can enjoy the animals through their apartment windows or hang out with them in person for a $5 donation. The café is open for takeout, but eat-in service is currently restricted during code red.

Leslie St-Amant and her husband, George, of Nachelle’s Cakes and Cupcakes are running the food program at Annie’s Attic. The couple has been baking and selling wedding cakes and elaborate cupcakes out of a commercial kitchen in Transcona for the last 11 years. St-Amant never imagined their first storefront would involve cats.

“I’ve always loved cats. I don’t have cats because my son has an allergy, but would I fill my house with cats? Absolutely,” she says. “I already told D’Arcy, if a hairless one comes in, it’s mine.”

St-Amant is looking forward to spending time with the cats (she’s even brought in some extra toys for the animals) and supporting the work of the rescue.

“It’s a way for us to help; it’s a no-brainer,” she says.

Opening day at Annie’s Attic has been a long time coming.

The cat café project got underway in the fall of 2019, when Johnston received a clean bill of health after a three-year battle with cancer. With his health in order, he was looking forward to a year of travelling, celebrating the 20th anniversary of D’Arcy’s ARC and getting his new business venture off the ground. The latter became his sole focus when the pandemic hit.

“I’m feeling good, a lot of energy, and it’s been fun working here,” he says, adding that being forced to go with the flow has kept the work fun, despite renovation and permit delays. “All those things that would usually drive me insane and… it’s funny my wife said, ‘You’re really not that stressed out.’”

Johnston was an animal-health technician working in an emergency vet clinic when he decided to change course and open an animal shelter in 2000.

“There were so many homeless animals that needed help… and they were to be euthanized because nobody wanted them,” he says. “I thought that wasn’t ethical, or the fair thing to do.”

The shelter on Century Street can house nearly 200 animals at a time and the rescue processes hundreds of adoptions each year.

Annie’s Attic is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. More information is available at anniesattic.ca.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney