Ruby has her enormous eyes on you.

The 2-year-old, cinnamon swirl tabby cat with cashmere-soft fur lounges in the front window of Comfort & Joy Cat Cafe, locking her expressive eyeballs on all who dare knock on her front door.

But the cafe cat is used to strangers showing up at her home. A resident since it opened in 2024, she’s watched about 125 cats from Teller County Regional Animal Shelter, Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and Safe Place for Pets pass through its doors before being adopted by ailurophiles who visit the cozy digs.

“When I think back on all the jobs I was doing to contribute — I enjoyed everything — but it’s different here because it’s hopefully making a difference,” said Comfort & Joy co-owner Carol Lawrence Guinta. “Not only in people’s lives who adopt the animals, but also in helping out local shelters, and taking a load off them.”

On a March morning, a horde of cat lovers is getting their fuzzy fix inside the old 1900 house, which once housed lawyers, psychiatrists and a psychic before the kitties took over.

Ruby slinks around her fiefdom, along with Moo and Benji, the other resident cats who live here and aren’t available for adoption. Moo, a Manx cat with a black heart-shaped patch on his nose and only a stub for a tail, holds the title of welcoming committee chair, while Benji, a silver point tabby, can’t quite rouse himself out of the fluffy bed under the front window. But he gladly rolls onto his back, pulls his front paws up under his chin and accepts belly scratches. All without opening his eyes.

He’s the perfect guy for the group from Elevated Arts Academy, an art studio and day program for artists with disabilities. Visiting a cat cafe is a first for all of them.

“They’re so cute,” says one overjoyed woman several times.

“I’ve never been in a cat cafe,” says another. “I had a dream I wanted to.”

“It’s so wonderful,” said one of the group leaders. “I thought we were coming to a coffee shop that had cats. I had no idea this was the experience.”

Upon stepping inside, cafe visitors are greeted with an eclectic cat-themed gift shop stocked with clothing, jewelry, cat eye sunglasses, crocheted cat hats, ceramics and catty works by local artists.

The merchandise and a roster of monthly events, including Sunday tarot readings paired with cat visits, cat enrichment classes, Paint and Purr nights, and reading and crafts nights, help pay the rent and keep the cats fed.

Behind a closed door lives cat utopia, where the adoptable animals have access to a landscape of overhead perches, soft beds and safe spots in wire cages. Humans have plenty of couches and chairs to lounge in, cat toys at the ready, while hoping to welcome a visit from royalty.

At any given time, up to eight cats, including the trio of cafe cats, will be available for cuddles, interviews or companionship. Co-owner Sharon Mullally thinks it works best when there’s at least one cat per person, so everyone has plenty of chances to get time with the animals.

“It’s so relaxing,” said Molly Dorman, who’s visiting the cafe with her father while waiting for her own cat to get a dental cleaning at a veterinary clinic. “It’s an opportunity to be around a lot of animals at the same time.”

“It cleanses your mind of troubles,” Wes Dorman said.

The genesis of the cat cafe sparked several years ago when Mullally visited her first one in Scotland. She returned home inspired and pitched the idea to Guinta, as the two longtime friends had been mulling over ideas for semi-retirement jobs.

As lifelong cat lovers — Mullally officially has four, but her daughter, who has one, lives with her, bringing the number up to five; Guinta has one senior who would prefer to live the rest of his golden years as a lone wolf — running a cat cafe seemed like a natural fit.

“I love it. I feel like I’m at home when I’m here,” Mullally said. “I’m taking care of the animals, trying to make the place shine, talking to people, having community in the cat room with people.”

Adoption prices are different for each shelter, but range from about $75-$150. A $25 hold fee can lock in your favorite kitty. The cafe doesn’t receive any portion of the adoption money, but it does keep the hold fees, which also help pay for cat food and litter. Donations of canned cat food and unscented litter are always welcome.

Details

Comfort & Joy Cat Cafe, 615 S. Nevada Ave., 50-minute sessions, $13-$16; private cat sessions, $90-$150; reservations suggested, ages 7 and older, adoptions available; 719-635-1228, comfortandjoycatcafe.com