RubyCats provides a community for cats and people to connect in downtown Toledo

Sophia Cadaret
eSomethin staff

RubyCats is a cat café located in downtown Toledo, which currently hosts nine adoptable cats from Forget Me Not Cat Rescue. Included in this is two kittens, named Delightful and Delicious.

Tallie Carter, the Founding Executive Director of RubyCats, said, “For everybody, there’s a cat that matches their personality.”

Carter said, “On the days we’re not open, we’re usually here feeding the cats and cleaning the litter boxes. We’re doing that three times a day.”

RubyCats, a nonprofit organization, aims to create a comfortable environment for both people and cats to connect. They host fifty minute sessions, where you book your time online, with ten minutes in-between sessions to give the cats time to relax and give the volunteer workers time to clean.

On the days that they are open, the volunteer staff clean between every session, which includes sweeping, checking the cats’ food dishes, and wiping off tables. They also mop and vacuum on these days.

The Board of Directors of RubyCats, including Robert Draper, the Director of Technology; Natalie Bostelman, the Director of Operations; James A. Molnar, the Director of Business Development and Marketing; and Dianne M. Engler, the Director of Finance; joined with Carter, have spent the past four years preparing the organization to open. This includes securing a property, renovating the space, and managing promotional and financial aspects of running an organization.

Carter added, “I’m really thankful for the board of directors that has joined me on this journey. Everybody has brought their unique gifts and I had an idea to do something, but there was no chance that I could have done it on my own.”

RubyCats is looking for volunteers to help run the cat café as well.

“There’s different reasons people would come to a cat café. They might not be looking to adopt; maybe somebody and their family is allergic. And that would be a great reason also to volunteer. Maybe you’re like, “I don’t really have the money to go to the cat café every week, but I really want to.” Well, come volunteer with us.” said Carter.

There are many other ways to help this local nonprofit besides volunteering. This includes donating at rubycats.org/donate or coming to one of the events they plan to host in the upcoming year.

At the moment the RubyCats’ Board of Directors are planning their second annual gala, this year’s theme being Saturday Night Fever.

They intend to have live music, drinks, food, and a silent auction to help support the event and the organization as a whole. The main thing they’re looking for currently is a space to host the event.

Carter said, “We just need to find a location because last year we had it here, but it was a cabinous space. This wall wasn’t here.”

Another way to support the organization is to purchase products that benefit RubyCats. RubyCats is currently partnering with Grindhrs Coffee and Community, which can be found across the street from the cat café, and has a specialty drink called the Oreo, which is an iced coffee with a scoop of cookies and cream ice cream on top. $1 of each of this drink sold is donated to RubyCats.

They also have a promotion with Grindhrs Coffee and Community where you can get 15% off your order on the same day you have a reservation booked with RubyCats.

Similarly, RubyCats sells a few items to purchase upon arrival at the cat café. This includes local art from Dani Herrera at PaperDenimart, who donates 20% of the item’s profits to RubyCats; bottled kombucha from Boochy Mama’s Komucha; and cat treats and toys.

RubyCats is located at 618 Adams St, Toledo, and for more information or to book a reservation you can access their website at RubyCats.org.

Other stories on eSomethin: