We Have Coffee, Books & Cats!

Hello Friends,

After spending the last few weeks joyfully receiving the most wonderful boxes of books and coffee beans, we have big news to share:

1) We received the final food permit we needed to open the cafe last week! We are so relieved to have gotten through this final bit of red tape.

2) Starting this week, the cafe/bookstore side of our space will be open Wednesday - Sunday from 11:00 - 4:00! Our plan is to start with these limited hours, but gradually increase them to 10:00 - 7:00 in the coming weeks.

We can't wait to see you, serve you drinks and treats, help you pick your next great read, and, of course, talk to you about our current resident cats!

Cat Lounge Update: We are up to seven cats in the cat lounge area (more on them later in the newsletter!) and will open up reservations to that area in the coming weeks. As we've explained before, the cat lounge area's timeline is being dictated by the cats themselves: we'll add additional cats when they're ready for new friends and won't invite visitors until everyone is properly settled into their new permanent home. Until then, please enjoy the wonderful views into the cat space provided by our window walls and giant front window, and we're happy to answer questions about the cats!

Then vs. Now

Thank you to everyone for your incredible patience and support throughout this process! We recently rediscovered this photo from early 2023 (the blue tape shows the layout of the cafe area) and we wanted to share it alongside a photo taken this week to show the great transformation that's occurred at 80 Charles Street. We hope you'll stop by and see the finished space yourselves in the coming weeks!

Meet Our Current Resident Cats!

We asked our wonderful staff to tell us their favorite things about each cat, and here is what they said:

Billiards aka Billy aka Silly Billy/Billy Bill

• everyone mentioned how playful he is; playing is the key to Billy's big heart
• how much he loves his personal ribbon wand toy and mouse toys
• when he plays with Bug
• that's he's a bit shy but really sweet
• that he finds our reusable shoe covers irresistible
• his fur's white patches and how soft it is
• his official nap corner in the front window (baristas can't see him when he's there, but they can see people's amazing reactions to him!)
• his emotional intelligence with the other cats—he's such a good boy with everyone!

Tiger

• how talkative he is; he will start calling out to you when you're still quite far away and can often be heard from the cafe/bookstore area!
• that he's the friendliest and cuddliest boy, sitting in your lap and purring the moment you sit down
• when he naps at the top of the front window in a "jungle cat drape"
• his willingness to explore everything and meet every new person
• that he makes everyone feel like a cat person because he likes everyone

Bug aka Elinor's Daughter

• that she's at the kitten stage where any time she sees anything move, she has to attack/investigate
• her warm-up/revving in place before moving forward to pounce
• her Yoda-esque ears and giant eyes
• her obsession with the Cat Dancer toy
• her relationship with her mom, especially 1) when they're in the shark bed together and 2) when she can't resist playing with her mom's tail

Elinor aka Bug's Mother

• how she comes up to greet new people but also requires you to work for her affection
• that she plays like a kitten but is still so motherly with Bug
• every time she trots around with a pom-pom in the side of her mouth, and that she's starting to play fetch with pom-poms and mice
• how carefully she monitors every cleaning of the litter box
• that her new favorite place to groom is in someone's lap
• direct quote: "If I were a cat, I would want her to be my mother."

Lucky

• his incredible eyes, which have been described as sad, sorrowful and soulful
• watching him learning how to be a cat and be social with the other cats (he's come so far!)
• his affinity for kicker toys and his devotion to the catnip banana
• the way he lights up when being pet and how he shows people how much he appreciates being spoiled
• "My favorite thing about Lucky? Everything."

Mac aka Rica's Brother

• that he's such a big boy but also super soft
• his obsession with bottlecaps (which he is also great at hiding/losing)
• how friendly and snuggly he can be
• his passion for climbing into cabinets and trying to fit into too-small boxes
• how much he loves fans and sitting under air vents
• watching him race around with complete abandon under the influence of catnip

Rica aka Mac's Sister

• her extremely beautiful eyes
• her sweet, Southern belle personality
• the way she flops on her side and gives gentle love nibbles when getting attention
• how elaborately she stalks and hunts toys (and requires you to move and "hide" the prey in realistic ways)
• that she prefers chasing the shadow of the Cat Dancer over the toy itself
• that she can't resist going into anything cave-like
• "I would do anything for Rica."

Our Micro-Bookstore is Open!

Some of you may have discovered that we have been quietly opening our doors for limited, random hours while we waited for the cafe permitting to be completed. The locals (and occasional tourists) who have wandered in to book browse have been wonderful and we have had the loveliest conversations about books!

Please note: the links in this newsletter will still take you to our Bookshop.org site, but in the coming weeks we will update our website to show what we have in stock in our micro-bookstore and allow for in-store pickup. We understand that some people who live outside of the area may wish to order books from us for delivery (thank you so much!), but given our small space, small team and focus on in-store customer interactions, we have no future plans to process and ship online orders.

Bestsellers So Far:

1. The Catwings Complete Paperback Collection (Boxed Set) by Ursula K. Le Guin
2. The Babies and Kitties Book by John Schindel and Molly Woodward
3. Kitty Language: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Your Cat by Lili Chen
4. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
5. Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale by Gwen Cooper
6. A Kid’s Guide to Cats by Arden Moore
7. The Book of Cat Poems edited by Ana Sampson
8. The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena Zabin
9. The Atlas of Boston History edited by Nancy S. Seasholes
10. What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Book Reviews by Our Book Team!

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Red and Blue are enemy agents on opposite sides of the Time War, leaving each other taunting letters throughout time and in every conceivable medium (and plenty of inconceivable ones, too). Through their letters they learn more about each other, their philosophies of life, love, and war—and about themselves. This is a book that I constantly find myself coming back to, time and time again, and it's the perfect book for someone who loves beautiful prose, and a delicious turn of phrase.

-Read, Bookstore Manager

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

A charming and wholesome book to read when you're feeling lost or looking for comfort. It follows five independent visitors to a library who are all at crossroads in their lives and how self-reflection through literature changes them. A cozy and hopeful read, it will find you exactly where you are and remind you of the joy of discovery, the magic of libraries, and the transformative power of reading.

-Bren, Bookseller

How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Tiffanie DeBartolo proves that a good book and a good song are two forces of human nature that never fail to move us. You’ll find yourself revisiting How to Kill a Rock Star and its soul-shattering words again and again, the same way you couldn’t stop replaying your favorite song the first time you heard it.

DeBartolo both loves and tortures her characters, pushing them to make sacrifices in order to pursue their passions, at the cost of artistic integrity and personal relationships. Her music-minded characters confront the pressures of conformity and mental health hardships as they struggle to stay in touch with what gives their lives meaning: finding companionship in friendship, love, and a song that saves your life.



How to Kill a Rockstar is full of profound quotes, lovable characters who are rough around the edges, and startling plot twists that will have you desperately flipping its pages for the final reveal…even if you’re not ready for the song to end.

-Abby, Bookseller

The Search is Over! We Have Our (Human) Team!

After receiving hundreds of applications, we have chosen nine amazing individuals as our starting team at A Sanctuary Cafe! They are kind, smart, caring, generous and thoughtful people who share the cafe's dedication to creating a warm and welcoming community space. They make A Sanctuary Cafe better every day with their enthusiasm, hard work and big hearts, and we are so lucky to have them!

An 80 Charles Street Front Window Tour with Tiger

We are so happy with how our front window area has turned out! The large window seat allows several cats to lounge in the sun at once and the cat-scale spiral staircase and maple tree (yep, it’s real!) provide two fun and enriching ways to reach the upper catwalk. This higher section allows cats to take a break from humans while still having the best view of everything happening in our cafe and on our block of Charles Street! 

When we adopted Tiger from Kitty Connection, it was partly because we instantly loved him after reading his online story, but also because when his foster told us about his passion for sunshine and window-gazing, we knew Tiger was meant for our giant, sunny front window. We are so happy that he appears to wholeheartedly agree!

When Tiger was first introduced to the window area, he confidently settled at the center of the window seat, taking in the scene outside while also giving all of the indoor features a careful look.

And then he was on the move! Tiger is able to climb straight up the trunk to the front window's upper level, and it's extremely impressive to watch.

This upper "catwalk" wraps around the entire front window area and includes multiple levels and a tunnel, encouraging cats to explore and lounge.

Tiger's initial preference was to climb up the tree and descend down the stairs (we've been calling this the "reverse fireman's pole"), but now he mostly uses the stairs when going both up and down.

Finally, a nap in the back area of the front window with a beloved catnip banana for a pillow. Rest well, Tiger. Well done.

Bonus Photo Essay:

Our Cats Becoming Friends!

As anyone who has tried to introduce two (or more) cats can tell you, this is not a simple, linear process and patience is key! A cat deciding to trust another cat enough to eat with them, play with them and share a sleeping area is no small decision and greatly depends on each cat. The process of introducing cats—even ones carefully selected for likely compatibility with other cats—can be fascinating and frustrating, exhilarating and crushing, all depending on the day or the hour. But slowly and carefully, relationships develop and progress is made! Here are some moments we’ve caught from this exciting—and humbling—process. 

First, we have Elinor and Bug in the early days (look at how small Bug is!), showing their curiosity about Tiger by peeking through the (locked) cat door that connected their separate rooms.

Initially, Elinor was not a fan of Tiger's playful energy (and maybe his much larger size?) so Tiger was matched with Billy and Elinor and Bug were matched with Lucky. Sweet little Bug has gotten along with everyone and has been a particular friend to Lucky (socially awkward but desperate for cat friends) and a social bridge between all of the other cats.

After creating the two "pods" (Billy and Tiger; Elinor, Bug and Lucky), the next step was building positive associations with the cats who were less of a natural fit, including this classic move: eating dinner together on either side of a pet door. Billy and Tiger are very fast eaters, so we used slow feeders to lengthen their meal and keep them from begging for the trio's food.

After the cats seemed comfortable eating near each other, our next steps included supervised meetings through a crack in the door. (This is Lucky and Tiger, and yes, they touched noses.)

Meanwhile, we also continued to work on within-pod relationships, e.g., Bug and Lucky continuing to build trust (and have fun) through mutual play. If you look at the photos carefully, you can also see the site swapping was regularly occurring to mitigate territorial behavior and normalize the other cats' scents.

Saving our favorite for last: Tiger and Billy exceeded all of our expectations and have become such close friends we now refer to them as "the twins"! (Their main physical difference is Billy's extra white patches and spots.)

Current Status and Next Steps: We have now reached the point where all five of these cats are together 24 hours a day. We continue to make progress (and have the occasional setback) helping all of these cats figure out how to get along together, with our hearts exploding every time we witness cats developing better relationships through play and rest. We have also started introductions between these five and our bonded sibling pair, Mac and Rica...more on that to come!

Newsletter Archives

• Construction and Hiring Updates: Part 2 - March 25, 2024
• Construction and Hiring Updates - February 18, 2024
• Major Construction Progress and Opening Update - January 28, 2024
• Now Opening February 2024 - November 3, 2023
• Things Are Coming Together! - July 12, 2023
• Things Are Happening! - April 2, 2023
• New Year, Grand Opening - January 6, 2023
• It’s Officially the Holiday Season! - November 16, 2022
• The Third Newsletter! - October 27, 2022
• The Second Newsletter! - August 29, 2022
• Our First Official Newsletter! - August 14, 2022

In Our Next Newsletters

• More about the cats
• More about the cafe
• First cat lounge reservations

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