Healthy Cats | September 18, 2018
With over 700,000 cats in the Portland metro area, PDX is the place for cat lovers. Walk through any Portland neighborhood and you’ll spot felines sunning themselves in windowsills or enjoying the occasional catio. To celebrate the opening of our twelfth store in the Portland metro area, we talked to feline-loving Muddies to find out exactly where they like to spend their free time.
Bookstore cats may have fallen out of fashion, but stop by Annie Bloom’s Books, and you may be greeted by their bookstore cat, Mollie Bloom. Mollie is a calm, beautiful black cat who can sometimes be found on the bookstore’s Facebook pages and often graciously accepts pets from customers looking for their latest read. Readers interested in cat-related topics can also special order almost anything from the bookstore and get it in a few days.
Want to spend time with adoptable cats, relax, and maybe even enjoy a Meow-Mosa? Purringtons Cat Lounge is the place to be! Every cat there is from the Cat Adoption Team, which is a Sherwood-based cat shelter. Purringtons offers yoga classes with the cats on most Sundays. If you’re allergic to cats, they have a cafe side where you can still see the kitties without the hassle of sniffling and sneezing.
If you need a cat-themed gift to honor a special cat-lover in your life, ROAR Cat Speciality Gift Shop has possibly the widest selection of items in Portland. This cat-only shop specializes in tons of gifts for cat lovers, and they support a lot of local businesses as well. Muddies also report that they have great customer service.
Right now, there’s only one stall that sells cat toys at the Portland Saturday Market, but there are plenty of cat-related items to enjoy from many different vendors. Muddies have bought cat-themed clothes, jewelry and ceramics there, and many said that it was one of their favorite places to visit on a Saturday.
For cat lovers who want to know how to help local cats, the Feral Cat Coalition provides several excellent programs to help felines. For people in Portland who want to help local feral cats, the Feral Cat Coalition can provide suggestions and support. They also are part of the Cats Safe at Home coalition, which includes the local Audubon Society, that gives tours of Portland catios to inspire other cat owners to help their cats safely enjoy the outdoors.
If you can’t travel with your cats and don’t want to leave them at home, Cats in the City provides a unique solution for cat owners. Instead of boarding cats in a kennel, Cats in the City rents out personalized rooms for cats who need a home away from home. They also have a dedicated group of staff members who will come into every room and offer playtime and companionship to every cat in their care.
There are many amazing cat-specific animal welfare organizations in Portland, but we also have a soft-spot for Multnomah County Animal Services. While this organization helps all kinds of animals, they have several unique programs that serve only cats. Their Kitties for Hire program places unsocial cats in barns, businesses, and other spots that could use a cat if the place meets specific requirements.
Cat Adoption Team is always thinking outside of the box to make the lives of cats better. Not only do they partner with Purringtons to help bring adoptable cats to Portland, but they have their own shelter in nearby Sherwood where you can look for a cat to complete your household. If you need support as a cat owner, the Cat Adoption Team is also ready to help by providing advice for renters, new cat owners and other people who need help overcoming feline-related challenges.
If you love kitsch as much as you love cats, ZimZim is worth a visit. Packed with all kinds of cat paraphernalia, ranging from t-shirts to totes to cards, ZimZim has fun products you’ve never seen before. It’s the kind of store that’s packed full of pop-culture novelties, so if you have a cat lover to shop for, it’s worth a visit.
New Seasons is known for their groceries, but it’s also worth checking their other products. Many Muddies report that the stores often have adorable mugs, chip clips and other gift options featuring cats. So if you don’t have time to visit any of the other cat-related options on our list, you can still sneak in a little browsing while you shop for groceries!
Mud Bay on Hawthorne Boulevard is our twelfth store in the Portland metro area. We’ll be opening on Saturday, September 15th, and we’re ready to welcome every type of cat-lover (and cat!) who comes to visit us! Whether you want advice on how to prevent hairballs or UTIs, or just want to play in our litter lab, we’re happy to talk to you. And if you’re near any Mud Bay, be sure to stop in for a free sample of our Treat of the Week, and let us know how your cat likes it!***