We’re closed for now due to COVID-19.

Sadly, more cases of COVID-19 are being found throughout our Islands. In the best interest of our guests and our small team, we’re temporarily closing our cat lounge, effective Sunday, March 22 until further notice.

This is a situation that continues to evolve by the day, sometimes by the hour. We’ll remain vigilant and heed the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Once it’s safe again to open our doors, we’ll let you know.

Caring for our 15 felines doesn’t stop when our doors are closed to the public. Our cats will all continue to live here 24/7 until they find forever homes. Our small team—Kamalei, Fatima and I—will continue to come in twice a day to care for them. That includes feeding them, changing out their drinking water, scooping their litter boxes, doing laundry, cleaning up after their messes, and playing with them, because playtime is essential for cats.

We’ll be posting pics and videos of our cats on Instagram and Facebook, so follow us there if you don’t already. We’d be happy to bring you joy, however we can.

We opened our doors just a little more than a month ago, so this is a particularly sensitive time for us. Your patronage keeps a safe roof over our rescue kitties’ heads, looks after our two employees who provide personalized care for our furry residents, and gives our community a special refuge. Without guests coming in, and necessary expenses remaining constant, this puts us in a scary situation.

There are a few ways you can help us care for the kitties from the comfort and safety of your home. You can purchase an e-gift card that you can use toward a future visit, or you can send one to your super-cool cat friend as a gift. You can also order our “bobacat” shirts from our website.

We’re also working on a way you can choose to sponsor any one of our cats through a monthly membership. Email us at meow@popokiandtea.com to let us know if you’d be interested in helping this way, and we can send you a personal update once that’s set up.

In the meantime, our animal rescue friends at KAT Charities are looking for fosters to temporarily care for some newly found kitties that we hope to eventually place in our cat lounge. Please email them at info@katcharities.org if you’re interested. If you’re able to help, perhaps this time of self-quarantine is perfect for adding some new feline company in your life, even for a short while.

One thing we all know: there are a lot of unknowns right now. That includes how this will pan out long-term for us and our other small business friends in Kaimuki and elsewhere. We’re all going through tough times, but we’ll hang in there and ride out this storm. You hang in there, too.

With aloha,
Liberty Peralta
Founder/Owner
Popoki + Tea