Lancatster Cat Café Blends Coffee, Community, and Cuddly Companions
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Asia Tabb
Aired; June 10th, 2025.
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In downtown Lancaster, a cozy and colorful new business is creating a buzz — not just for its coffee, but for its cuddly residents and inclusive vibe. Co-founded by Jax Lanza and John Bender, two professionals who left careers in teaching and law, the cat café is more than just a trendy hangout. It’s a passion project rooted in community, comfort, and connection.
“I feel more free to express myself. And that’s really nice,” said co-owner Jax Lanza. “Being your own boss is beautiful… I love the creativity that I have there. And it reminds me of the creativity I had when I was teaching.”
The idea to pair adoptable cats with craft coffee was inspired by Lanza’s love of both. “Every time I go to a new city, I have to find a new cat café,” she said. “You can’t always take your cats with you when you travel… It’s such a good way to supplement that need if you’re a cat lover.”
Visitors to the café can sip lattes while watching cats lounge in sunbeams or nap in cozy corners — all adoptable and provided through a partnership with Columbia Animal Shelter. “We’ve had a lot of adoptions already just in the month and the few weeks that we’ve been open,” Lanza shared. “It’s really good for the cats and people. You know, it’s therapeutic to sit there and pet a purring cat.”
But beyond the caffeine and kittens, the café was intentionally designed as a welcoming space for all, particularly the LGBTQ+ community. “As a queer business owner, it’s so important to create a safe space for people because I know how important that is for me to feel seen and represented,” Lanza said. “We have pride flags, a words of affirmation jar, and a donated queer library made by Girl Scouts. Everything says: You are welcome here, you are loved.”
That sense of inclusion extends to the environment itself. “We wanted to create a really safe, cheerful feeling place for people and cats alike,” Lanza explained. “Really comfortable for the cats, really cozy for the people.”
John Bender, who brings his legal background to the business, helped navigate the unique challenge of operating in a city without specific regulations for cat cafés. “Lancaster didn’t actually have any regulations for a cat café,” Bender said. “As a lawyer… it was a great opportunity to work with city officials to draft rules that satisfy the goals of the business and the community.”
