About

in the beginning

La Gattara Story

La Gattara Cat Café & Boutique is a feline-based entertainment center and cat sanctuary based in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona. Originally founded in Tempe, AZ by Melissa Pruitt as a for-profit organization in 2017, La Gattara has offered a unique business model, styled in the same fashion as those first located in Tokyo and New York City. The stated mission of La Gattara has always been to provide a safe space for patrons to enjoy the company of free-roaming rescue cats.

In 2020, Melissa Pruitt and Carrie Schwartz transitioned the organization into a non profit in order to be able to help more cats and people and moved to a larger space in downtown Phoenix. To date, La Gattara has adopted out over 1000 cats to loving owners and families, and – along with the help of their adoption partners – saved the lives of hundreds of others. As a result, La Gattara has been recognized several times by the City of Tempe for their tireless, amazing work, and has been honored three times in the Best Of Phoenix category for exceptional work in the community.

What we are all about

La Gattara Mission

La Gattara Cat Lounge & Boutique provides an extraordinary customer friendly environment where people can enjoy refreshing beverages and tasty snacks in the presence of adorable adoptable cats with the goal of finding forever homes for its adoptable cats. La Gattara ultimately seeks to provide a safe place for humans and cats to have nothing but Peace, Love and Meow!

Our Core Beliefs:

  • Be an advocate and a voice for all cats
  • Enhance the home lives of people and cats by educating new and existing cat guardians
  • Find new purrrever homes for the amazing cats in our care!

it’s What we do

La Gattara Services

Alongside its mission to provide safe spaces for cats and those who love them, La Gattara has also offers several services
Pet Adoption

Patrons may decide to adopt one of the café cats in order to enrich their family and provide sanctuary for a beloved new family member. Adoption fees range depending on the age of the cat, with proceeds going towards local rescues to continue their important work.

Cat-Themed Boutique

Patrons wishing to purchase cat-themed shirts, hats, mugs, statues, artwork, jewelry and other cat-themed merchandise may do so from our unique store.

Coffee Shop

La Gattara offers a full service coffee shop where patrons can purchase coffee, tea, smoothies, frappes, and Italian sodas that they can bring with them into the cat lounge. 

Special Events

These run the gamut of scope, and have typically included popular, all-ages community events like Yoga With Cats, Cat Ambassador Kids Camp, Drag-Queen Bingo, Comedy With Cats, Dungeons & Dragons & Cats, Paint Nights, and Movie Nights.

Party Rentals

For patrons wishing to secure a truly unique experience, La Gattara offers the ability to rent out space for birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, bar/bat mitzvahs, and a host of other specialized events, with special care taken to ensure a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

Community Events

La Gattara has been fortunate to welcome special celebrity guests to speak about their experiences and take photos. These have included both internationally-known luminaries within the feline space, as well as local pet-rescue organizations

Pet Training Services

A major area of need within the industry, La Gattara plans to offer space for pet training that would allow for 1-on-1 and group instruction on pet-related topics covering behavior and space modification. Additional community training and education focused on Trap & Release (TNR) guidelines

board members that are anything but boring

La Gattara Board

Matt Mang

Vice President

Dorie Nelson

Board Member

Brea Stuns

Board Member

Shelby Olson

Board Member

incredible Community Support 

La Gattara Sponsors