By Riley McCoy
CNHI West Virginia
FAIRMONT — Under dim lights, a group of cats pressed their paws to the lounge glass door as customers ordered their drinks.
Mugs and Mittens Cat Cafe opened in Fairmont in late September 2023 and built a simple model around calm space, coffee and cats that needed homes. The cafe charges $10 per person for day access to the cat lounge while a monthly payment of $35 grants monthly access.
A Valentine’s Day adoption event is scheduled for Feb. 14 with Davis Crew Kittens animal shelter to fill the lounge with adoptable cats, according to co-founder Morgan Boyles. Guests can take part in making Valentine’s Day crafts can stay for free and each $10 entry will send $2 to the shelter.
A lifelong Marion County resident, Boyles attended Fairmont Catholic School for eight years and later enrolled at Fairmont State with plans to teach. Boyles said an ADHD diagnosis came at 18 and an autism diagnosis followed at 21 or 22 that radically altered her life.
“Once you get diagnosed with autism, you kind of look back on your entire life and you’re like, ‘oh, my God, those were the moments I could have used somebody’ or ‘that explains so much about this situation,’” Boyles said.
The rigid school routine and long hours pushed hard against Boyles’ health and support needs and the pivot turned into a business plan.
“I was a barista for three or four years and then I was a daycare teacher,” Boyles said. “So I love customer service, I love making drinks. I’m artistic, I even designed the logo.”
Customers described the room as “really cute” and “inviting” while others said the atmosphere felt like “safe.”
A return customer, Jenna Itani, a West Virginia University graduate who worked in the nutrition department at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, said earlier visits to the cafe left a lasting impression.
“It was always great and comforting being there,” Itani said. “It’s just a safe place to be, you know, and it was just a great place to wind down and have some cats sit next to you and bond with them almost.”
Megan Nichols, a WVU graduate who worked at WVU Medicine’s Center for Hope and Healing in addiction treatment, watched the cats gather near the entrance before the lounge visit.
“They look like they’re really friendly,” Nichols said. “They’re just waiting at the door, they’re so excited!”
For longtime regular Alexys Pulice, Boyles set the tone as much as the room did.
“Morgan’s a lovely lady,” Pulice said. “She’s sweet, hard-working and quirky and I consider her more of a friend than just the owner.”
For Pulice, the cats filled a gap that home rules left open.
“It’s one of the best places to hang out, whether I want to see some kitties, get a nice drink or meet new friends,” Pulice said. “The cats are a comfort, especially for me, since my apartment complex doesn’t allow pets and I used to have my own.”
Boyles framed the cafe as Fairmont’s cat room and coffee bar — a third space built for people who needed quiet as much as company. On Feb. 14, Boyles said, the adoption tables and craft cards served a larger point — keep the room open, keep it accessible and move a few more cats toward a home.
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