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After over five years at its current location at 2021 E. Ivanhoe Pl., Sip & Purr Cat Café will be making a move to a new location on Brady Street.
In a deal expected to close later this year, Sipp & Purr Owner Katy McHugh plans to purchase the building on the 800 block of Brady Street. The cat cafe is expected to occupy the retail space in the building at 833 E. Brady St. following the expiration of their lease at the end of December.
“We’ve never been more committed to Milwaukee, the East Side, and our surrounding communities," notes McHugh. "Purchasing our own building will allow us to take cat rescue to the next level."
Since opening in 2018, Sip & Purr has secured homes for over 1300 cats, many of which were acquired from the Lakeland Animal Shelter in Delavan, Wisconsin.
The cat cafe has also added a boutique retail space and a foster care program. Thanks to the new Sip & Purr Scholarship Adoption Program, Sip & Purr is also the only cat cafe in America that routinely accepts adoptable at-risk cats from international locations.
McHugh notes that as Sip & Purr has become a popular destination over the past few years, their new location will aspire to provide an enhanced experience which is even more accessible.
Sip & Purr is open Wednesday through Sunday with hours from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
For guaranteed time with the cafe's cats in residence, guests are encouraged to make reservations for the Cat Lounge at sipandpurr.com.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.