New Orleans Home For Sale Doubles as a Cat Rescue
Source: © Shutterstock
While some properties are cookie-cutter houses with identical external design and internal layout, other properties on the market are unique. They may have an interesting architectural style, an unusual layout inside, striking internal décor, or other unique features that make it stand out against other properties. In some cases, there is more than one reason why a property is unusual, such as a property in New Orleans that stands out for both its colorful interior style and for the fact that it has been used to house rescue cats in a cat café. Here is a look at the property.
A General Overview of the New Orleans Property
A striking property with an unusual use was recently listed by Realtor.com. The shotgun-style house on Marigny Street close to the French Quarter was once a residential property. The double-fronted house has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an office. There are also two kitchens, both to the property’s lower floor, with one on either side of the house. Internally, the property measures 1,995-square-feet. The former cat café is currently listed on the open market with a price tag of $550,000, and the listing agent is Samantha Poche, a realtor for Latter and Blum Inc.
The House’s Use as a Cat Café
The shotgun-style house in New Orleans was converted into a cat café in 2017. The café, which was called The Crescent City Cat Club, promoted itself as a cat café without food. Visitors could come and spend time with the cats at the non-profit organization, although they could not order a meal during their visit. The cat café, which Eshyah Selig founded, worked alongside cat rescues and other animal organizations in the local area. It aimed to get homeless cats off the street and to give them a comfortable home in which they could live. At any given time, between 20 and 40 cats were living in the cat café. Those who visited the cat café had the opportunity to spend time with the cats, and there was the option for adoption if they could offer the cats a good home with love and care. Even if people did not want to adopt one of the cats living in the cat café, people could spend time with them in the cat room.
The cat room is a large room on the property’s ground floor, with furniture for both humans and cats. There is also free Wi-Fi so people can relax and browse on the Internet while stroking the cats living at the café. The owner told visitors to the café that although no food or drink was being served in the café, they were welcome to bring their own. However, there was the stipulation that guests did not share their food or drink with the cats, even if the cats were asking very nicely. Sadly, Selig made the decision to close the café doors, so the cat café has stopped functioning. All the cats that were living in the cat café have been rehoused.
Inside the Colorful Cat Café
The listing agent for the former cat property describes it as having a funky vibe and says that it is clear that the owner put her heart and soul into decorating the property. Every room is painted in bright colors, which is unusual when the current trend is for neutral décor with colorful accents. From the outside, the shotgun-style house appears smart but nothing out of the ordinary for a New Orleans street. However, the interior is what makes the property unusual. The room that has been used as the cat room is accessible from the hallway, and it runs almost the full depth of the house. It is divided into two rooms that flow into each other, and both have wooden flooring.
The cat room’s first section is painted a bright yellow and has cat-themed paintings on the wall. Bright blue is the main color in the second section of the cat room. While one side of the room is simply painted blue, the other side has a blue background with hand-painted, cat-themed murals. One of the bedrooms in the property has a tiled floor and lilac walls. Although colorful, it is a tasteful room that is ideal as a guest room in a residence or commercial premises. While it currently houses a single bed and a settee, there is plenty of room for a double bed in this light and bright bedroom. The ground floor layout means that it is also possible to divide the house into two residences for rental purposes. It is a double-fronted property that is divided into two halves. There is a living room to the front and a kitchen and bathroom to the rear on both sides of the house.
Plans for the Property After the Sale
The house is on the open market for $550,000. Anyone can buy the property and then use it as either their residence or as a commercial property. However, the ideal buyers are cat lovers, and the café’s owner is keen for someone to resume the cat café. Therefore, she is willing to offer an eight percent discount if the buyer intends to reopen the cat café and to give homes to rescue cats, says Nola.com. It is possible this may happen, as there have already been some people viewing the house who are considering reopening the cat café. However, it is also possible that the person who buys the house will decide it is the perfect home for them, and they may have no interest in using the property as a cat café. If the new buyer is interested in using the property for commercial purposes, there are many possibilities. The current owner suggests that it is possible to rent the rooms or to use the house as a daycare center.
image sources
- Cat House: © Shutterstock