Justyn Cozza says he, his wife Tori, and their 4-year-old daughter aren’t cat lovers.

“We’re cat freaks,” Cozza says.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows them that the couple has set out to establish what they say will be the Spokane area’s first cat café and bar, an establishment they want to use to help place strays into local homes.

The Cozzas are remodeling 1,700 square feet of space that will serve as the future home of Kitty Cantina, at 6704 N. Nevada, in north Spokane. They hope to open in April. Cozza says they’ve yet to determine how many employees they’ll have.

The couple have partnered with the SpokAnimal animal shelter and adoption agency to provide the felines.

“I want to be very clear that it’s not a zoo,” he says. “And you can’t bring in strays for placement. These are cats that are already in the care of SpokAnimal and have their vaccinations and are adoptable for individuals or families.”

A specially designed room will resemble a residential setting, so people can spend time with the cats in a nonshelter environment.

Patrons can enjoy beer, wine, coffee, and tea while they get to know and potentially adopt a pet, he says.

“It’s going to be a controlled environment for patrons, staff, and the animals,” he says. “It’s going to be a cage-free environment for the cats.”