Kristin Cowen and Mount Purrnon mascot Weasley.
Cats and wine are a purrfect pairing.
After two years of planning, Alexandria’s first cat cafe and wine bar is open for business in Old Town. Inspired by the history and colonial architecture of its surroundings, Mount Purrnon (pronounced like Mount Vernon) offers guests the opportunity to whet their whistles while cuddling with adoptable cats.
A tavern-inspired wine bar on one side, Mount Purrnon offers a selection of beer and wine, as well as Alexandria’s own Swing’s coffee and prepackaged snacks from local vendors like Sophie’s Dough and Wellfound Foods. In the separate cat cafe, guests can pay a fee to curl up with cats, enjoying free wifi and unlimited head boops. Fancy Cats of Fairfax will provide around a dozen cats that have been rescued from kill shelters and will help facilitate adoptions after an interview and application process.
“I’ve always been a crazy cat lady,” says co-owner Kristin Cowen. “I’ve wanted to do something with animals forever.” After Cowen and partner Adam Patterson visited Pounce in Charleston, South Carolina, Cowen says, she knew the concept of a cat cafe with wine would be a hit in her animal-loving town, so the couple launched a Kickstarter that reached its $25,000 funding goal. Cowen says she plans to begin hosting events like trivia nights and wine tastings as the cat cafe clientele grows. MtPurrnonCatCafe.com
This article originally appeared in our October 2020 issue.
