Photo courtesy of A Voice for All Paws.

Whiskers and Soda Cat Cafe and Griffin Rock Cat Retreat will open soon in East Dallas.

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The cafe and boarding facility are associated with the local nonprofit A Voice for All Paws, a foster-based cat rescue.

Lake Highlands residents Rob and Caroline Stovall, who foster cats and have six of their own, are behind the operation. Caroline is also president of the nonprofit board.

“It’s all about just getting cats adopted and just trying our best to do the right thing and help the community,” Caroline said.

Two buildings near Garland Road and Peavy Road will house the boarding, cafe and rescue areas.

The reception area, cafe and a dozen boarding rooms will be in a building at 10310 Garland Road, which was formerly offices for an accounting business and a grandfather clock repair and resale shop.

The Stovalls have transformed the space. There is a large, open area to the left of reception, where about 40 customers can enjoy Cultivar Coffee and treats from Leila Bakery. Rob said he’s also working with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to get permission to sell beer and wine, too.

Cats, which will be bathed, fully vaccinated and socialized, can play on the “jungle gym” with toys and hanging objects and places to sit. Or, they can move around the room via the cat runs along the walls and overhead. Or, they can go to the cat couch.

“It’s got tunnels through it, basically,” Rob said. “So you’ll be sitting there, and the cat can pop up behind you.”

And that’s not to mention the adoptable felines in the kitten room and cat room. Unless there’s an exception, the kittens are for looking, not for touching, but the cats can come and go between the cafe and room as they please.

The Stovalls said visitors will reserve a time to go to the cafe, and there will be membership options available.

The other side of the building is Griffin Rock Cat Retreat.

Previous announcements about the facility referred to it as “luxury” boarding. Here’s why. Each owner will be given a room for their cat or cats. Inside the room, there’s a bed, a couch, a television, a picture with a scenic view and tons of places to play, scratch and hang out.

There’s also a camera in each room that’s accessible to owners who want to see and talk to their cats.

And the Stovalls didn’t forget about pet health. Each room has its own ventilation with an infrared filter cleanser, so cats continually get fresh air. And Griffin Rock will have a veterinary technician who can administer medication or provide other treatments.

The other building, at 1211 Casa Vale, will have 20 additional boarding rooms that are almost the same as the 12 in the other building, just a little smaller. There will also be space for A Voice for All Paws — medical boarding, a treatment room and other boarding areas for rescue cats.

Last year, A Voice for All Paws facilitated 485 adoptions, and Caroline said she hopes that increases to 750 this year.

“We can only do that with the help of the community and this, this is gonna give us the ability to intake more cats,” Caroline said.

Each cat rescued by the nonprofit is bathed, dewormed and chipped, and most of the cats visit the veterinarian at least twice before they are sent to a home. The Stovalls said they hope the cat cafe will help offset some of the costs of rescuing cats.

The grand opening is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. March 25 at 10310 Garland Road. There will be live music, cookies, drinks and an opportunity to tour the space.