San Antonio visitors will need to watch their step when they walk into Purr-fecto Cat Lounge, an upcoming café opening at 227 E Cevallos St. in Southtown. More than a dozen friendly cats will always be underfoot, scaling the obstacle course on the walls, or lounging on a fuzzy surface waiting to demand attention and scritches.

The cat café, San Antonio’s first since the controversial San Antonio Cat Café shuttered in 2017, comes from Austin, where owner Lupita Foster works with animal rescue groups to promote adoptions. Visitors will be able to order coffee and wine, but more importantly, bond with feline friends.

When the Austin lounge first opened, Foster told CultureMap that she wants people to spend more time getting to know cats before adopting them. She saw the effects firsthand when her then-fiancé fell in love with their shelter cat, Romeo, while the couple was volunteering.

Romeo had been called the “problem child” and barred from meeting people because he was too territorial. But as the pair spent time with him, they found his sassy attitude more charming than they could have guessed, eventually taking him in as their own.

Although obviously, the goal of Purr-fecto will be the perfect meet-cute, hanging out in real life also ensures cats don’t go home with the wrong people.

“Here you're going to be able to see — kind of like speed dating — who you're vibing [with], and who you've got a crush on,” says Foster. “Maybe you’ve got a crush on one, but she's not vibing with you.”

Once the café is open, visitors will be able to book by time slot, with no advance notice necessary. Since the lounge leaves the adoption paperwork to the rescue organizations, it runs on affordable booking fees.

The spot will also include a wine and coffee bar, partnering with local bakeries on snacks and sweet treats. Those who remember the rag-tag appearance of San Antonio Cat Café will find an entirely different experience. The Austin lounge is a more glam affair with touches like sequined pillows, (faux) furry throws, and an accent wall covered in purple silk roses.

Although Purr-fecto does not yet have an opening date, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records estimate that the buildout will be finished by September. Project timelines are subject to change without notice.

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This story contains additional reporting by San Antonio CultureMap Editor Brandon Watson.