In photo, a feral cat colony in Sparks, Nevada, amid local divisions among those trying to help cats in need in the community, with one initiative facing heightened criticism from others.
After we posted an article last month about a Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe post warning two black cats at their location could “go back to the streets,” more members of the community have come forward with concerns about how the Double R Blvd location conducts business more generally.
Complaints range from unexpected charges added onto credit cards after visits, not feeling welcome with children, confusion over the existence of a for profit model alongside charity donations, animosity with other local cat related organizations and why cats are being flown in from Hawaii while area cats are in need.
Kallie Laity bought what used to be called the Enchanted Cat Cafe lounge from its founders Devin Sizemore and Haley Meadows for whom she had previously worked for, reportedly for $80,000 in July 2022, plus monthly interest.
We asked Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe about these concerns as well as the location’s financial setup, to which we received an email which indicated: “With all due respect, some of these inquiries would require the divulsion [sic] of sensitive, proprietary information which we will not address. Answers to other inquiries are public record, have been previously shared to our audience, or are untrue or irrelevant.”
Concerning the cats from Hawaii the email indicated: “Not only is Kitty Kisses partnered with rescues in Hawaii (since May 2024) who are absolutely inundated, we partner with rescues including but not limited to Washoe County Regional Animal Services, Community Cats of Reno, Fallon Animal Control, and Friends of Normie in LA - Kitty Kisses was instrumental in helping during the fire in January. We also accept owner surrenders. While Kitty Kisses is based in Northern Nevada, we will not turn away an urgent request for help from rescues located elsewhere, as long as we are sure that our local community is not struggling too!”
A graphic we were emailed above concerning the separation between the non profit and the for profit.
On the Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe website, when we last checked, the second hyperlink was for Kitty Kisses Rescue of Reno a non profit “charity organization serving Reno, NV that focuses on cat welfare and resources.” The email indicated this non profit status was granted in late February 2024 and announced in June 2024, “as much preparation needed to be completed.”
The kittykissescatcafe Instagram page had as some of its bio wording “Reno’s 1st & only Cat Cafe & Rescue (nonprofit) since ’22!” mixing the two concepts there, as well as using the same physical space.
The email addressed the separation of the for profit and non profit sections by pointing us to an Instagram post from March which indicated “lately, we’ve noticed a misunderstanding, so we’re here to clear it up.”
A graphic indicated the cat cafe donates cat lounge space to rescue partners and hosts adoptable cats, while the non profit handles adoption inquiries and approvals.
An additional graphic included in the email indicates money raised by the non profit is not used by the cafe.
On several pages of the website, there’s the design of a pink cat indicating underneath that there have been over 300 adoptions via Kitty Kisses. There’s an adoption process page with different flyers for different cats, and a graphic indicating adoption fees are $110 for adults and $125 for kittens, followed by pictures of people hugging and petting adopted cats.
The website indicates that tickets are required for cat lounge access, with pre-booked tickets with a credit card at $15 for adults for a 50 minute visit, kids ages six to 17 the same, but with the caveat they must be accompanied by an attentive adult and as of April first kids 0 to five no longer allowed.
Same day tickets are priced at $18, with monthly and annual memberships also available. On the Plan Your Visit page, there’s a waiver to sign and on the right in pink a Rules When Visiting section, indicating “You will be asked to review these rules again before entering the Cat Lounge” with titled and underlined “EVERY guest must read EVERY rule. EVERY visit.” There are 14 bullet points and added disclaimers at the bottom.
A shoe policy has its own detailed flow chart diagram, which asks visitors to bring a separate, clean pair of socks or for adults to use borrowed slippers or shoe covers.
There’s two more sheets concerning children with one indicating that youths six to nine will only be allowed on Sundays going forward.
A recent review said they thought the prices were steep, including the four to five dollar per coffee at the cafe and that they went with a roommate, “thoroughly read the guidelines and really didn’t do much expect just walk around and look at them [the cats] running around. Couple days later I get a bill for $5 because I apparently broke some rules…. What a ridiculous excuse to make a few extra bucks … This place blows.”
In a response the Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe owner wrote back “although you claim to have read our rules, they were not followed. As a result, authorized incidental charges were incurred.”
There have been multiple angry comments concerning Kitty Kisses on both Yelp and Google Reviews. Several recent low star Yelp reviews were replied to by “Kallie L. Business owner” saying the person’s name was not found in the waiver or scheduling system, “which leads us to believe this is a false review” was one reply.
Extra charges showed up “for apparently breaking the rules,” Rose Tollar-Rae wrote recently about feeling deceived. “When I asked what rules were broken, I did not get a response. We were extremely respectful and honestly this is just kind of ridiculous.”
Another, Michael Cohen, wrote about an extra $42 on his credit card, and after threatening to write a bad review, he says he was banned. “Apparently they watch, and take notes, and then charge you extra money afterwards,” he wrote.
Kaycee Daniel said she paid over $50 on treats and entry and then was charged an additional eight dollars. “It is a pattern, other people with children in the reviews are all experiencing the same thing,” Daniel wrote. “They will claim your child was being bad without giving specifics.”
“This place has so many weird rules and policies, it’s as if the owner would rather not have any customers…” Nick Thiessen wrote. “For example, if you bring a kid that’s 5 years old or younger, you must HOLD THEM the entire time, otherwise they will tack on additional charges.”
Those younger kids are no longer allowed, as noted above. Many of these negative reviews get answered with lengthy responses which are viewable online.
A part of the website we were referred to as part of our questions.
Others in the community concerned about cat welfare say that if customers are disruptive they should just be kicked out rather than charged after the fact. Some who have complained about Kitty Kisses on its Instagram page say they are immediately blocked. Other visitors have said they paid to enter the cat lounge but then were denied the possibility of adopting due to different reasons.
In the email from Kitty Kisses it was indicated “paying to visit the Cat Lounge at the Cat Café allows a guest to visit the Cat Lounge for a session; it does not guarantee adoption approval, a process handled by the Rescue. Most of our guests visit socially.”
For local cat lovers operating in these spaces, who said they had high hopes for the place initially, the high number of feral cat colonies in northern Nevada is a challenge, as well as difficulties to access spay and neuter resources, and extremely tight windows with the SPCA of northern Nevada in getting appointments . The one nonprofit veterinary clinic which gets rave reviews Options is severely backed up as well. Feral colonies start when an unfixed cat is left outside, starts breeding, and then babies grow up to have their own.
“There are feral cat colonies locally although they are not managed by WCRAS so we don’t have any data about euthanasia rates for local community cat colonies,” Quinn Sweet from the Washoe County Regional Animal Services wrote back to us when we asked about these, followed by a list of “organizations that manage colonies locally: Community Cats, Feral at Heart, Nevada Humane Society, Options Veterinary Care and SPCA of Northern Nevada.”
One organization which used to work with Kitty Kisses, the Fernley-based Precious Paws Society of Nevada, an animal resource and rescue non profit group indicated in an email from Barbara Thompson, “we severed all ties with them in Dec of 2024. We no longer have any of our cats or kittens being fostered and showcased there at the cafe.” No additional details were offered.
After sending a follow up email to Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe, we received an email responding “Kitty Kisses ended the partnership via email on December 4th, 2024, due to a difference in values. The partnership was no longer mutually productive.”
Feral at Heart, a local Trap-Neuter-Return organization also does not work with Kitty Kisses due to past difficult interactions. TNR is an effective method for managing community cat populations by humanely trapping cats, spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them, and then returning them to their original outdoor location. This decreases the risk of disease transmission, improves the health of cats and reduces the need for euthanasia.
On a recent Facebook post on the Kitty Kisses Resources of Reno public group, Laity listed several other TNR organizations, such as groups operating in Fallon and Winnemucca but not Feral at Heart here in Reno.
Feral at Heart, a non profit, which traps an average of 250 to 350 cats per year here locally, also puts up cats for adoption and helps with resources on how to trap and save feral cats.
Concerning criticism from members of the community, the email from Kitty Kisses said “We strive to foster an environment in our space that is safe, kind, respectful, and positive and hope that this attitude emanates to the entire Reno area. Unfortunately, there are others in the local animal rescue field who are not of the same mindset. We do not wish to engage in a false narrative about our entities. Unlike them, we do not participate in the futile act of attempting to disparage other rescues in the area.”
Text messages and emails shown directly to Our Town Reno have accused Laity of giving her own bad reviews to other local businesses involving people she’s had difficult interactions with. One local business owner who wished to remain anonymous told us directly that Laity then apologized to them and took down reviews.
“We would like to see the text messages; we do not acknowledge baseless claims or accusations,” Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe wrote back when asked about this.
While we were finishing up writing the story, we received another email from Kitty Kisses indicating “materials have been fabricated in the past,” while we had been referring to text messages shown to us discussing her conduct.