Cats really do pick their people—and Sandra Cagan sat down with the Community Cats Podcast to explain how that magic works inside Florida’s first cat café franchise. Episode 675, titled “Cats Pick Their People: Inside Florida’s First Cat Cafe Franchise with Sandra Cagan,” digs into our origin story, day-to-day operations, and the careful path to becoming America’s first cat cafe franchise—as told on this first cat cafe franchise podcast conversation.
If you’ve ever wondered how a property-management career, a New York cat-café news story, and a Lake County commissioner conversation led to opening Florida’s first cat café in September 2016, this episode is your backstage pass.
From idea to Florida’s first cat café
Show notes walk through the journey: Sandra’s path from property management to catching wind of New York’s cat-café trend, connecting with a Lake County commissioner, and opening in September 2016. We’re now in our 10th anniversary year—still a full-service café with a cage-free lounge, separate A/C, roughly 28 cats in about 1,000 square feet, and weekly refresh from SPCA Florida.
Last year alone, show notes cite 489 adoptions, with 100% of adoption fees going to SPCA Florida. Two legal entities keep the café and related work organized—structure that matters when welfare and hospitality share a roof.
Resilience, reserves, and a 500+ page playbook
The pandemic chapter is part of the story too: the café stayed closed until late July, staff were paid, and Sandra’s advice includes keeping about six months of reserves. That same discipline shows up in franchising—roughly 18 months of groundwork, a 500+ page operations manual, a $42,750 franchise fee, and a $450,000–$650,000 investment range, with intentionally slow growth across the Southeast.
- Opened September 2016 — Florida’s first cat café
- ~28 cats / ~1,000 sq ft lounge with separate A/C
- SPCA Florida weekly refresh; 489 adoptions last year
- 100% of adoption fees to SPCA Florida; two legal entities
- Franchise fee $42,750; investment $450k–$650k
- 500+ page ops manual; ~18 months of franchise groundwork
- Slow, intentional Southeast growth
Press play, then come meet the cats
There’s no substitute for hearing Sandra tell it—the choices, the challenges, and the joy when a cat chooses a family. Pour a cup, hit play, and then come see why cats—and communities—keep choosing Orlando Cat Café.
Listen to Community Cats Podcast Episode 675 with Sandra Cagan.
Visit us in Clermont or explore franchising at orlandocatcafe.com. We’d love to welcome you—whether you’re here for coffee, a forever friend, or both.
