Catsbury Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue founded in July 2016 by DJ Bornschein, a Jersey Shore native with lifelong passion for animal welfare. The organization began as a small, foster-based rescue operating from a home, quickly growing into a community movement dedicated to providing cats and kittens genuine second chances. In 2017, Catsbury Park opened New Jersey's first cat cafe, transforming the vision into a welcoming space where people meet adoptable cats in relaxed environments. Although the original cafe location closed in 2020 due to COVID-19, the rescue mission continued uninterrupted through foster networks and trap-neuter-return programs. Today, Catsbury Park operates from a dedicated facility combining a rescue space for intake and medical care with an adoption lounge featuring free-roaming cats in comfortable environments.
The cat lounge operates Thursday 5 PM-8 PM, Friday 2 PM-6 PM, Saturday 12 PM-5:30 PM, and Sunday 12 PM-4 PM, with all ages welcome. One-hour lounge visits include snuggle time with 20+ adoptable cats and kittens. Children under five enter free with an accompanying ticketed adult. The organization limits lounge visits to ten people per session to ensure optimal cat welfare and visitor experience.
Reservations are strongly recommended as sessions frequently sell out, though walk-ins are accommodated when capacity allows. The facility features excellent interactive toys, educational fact sheets about individual cats in each room, and spacious, comfortable seating. Catsbury Park additionally hosts the annual Catsbury Park Cat Convention (CPCC)—a two-day celebration of feline culture bringing together cat lovers, artists, rescues, and advocates from across the country at Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ, raising vital funds for multiple rescue organizations.
Reviewers celebrate the clean, spacious facility featuring free-roaming cats with abundant enrichment and comfortable space. Visitors praise the staff as extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, with volunteers demonstrating genuine expertise about individual animal personalities and needs. Multiple families note children's extended engagement with cats, with staff showing patience and warmth rather than rushing visitors. The well-socialized, well-cared-for cats inspire visitors to commit to future adoptions, with reviewers noting they'll return specifically for adopting from Catsbury Park. The facility's focus on cats rather than cafe service receives appreciation for maintaining animal welfare as the primary mission. Birthday celebration visits create memorable family experiences, with children falling in love with available cats and families deliberately choosing to adopt from the organization based on the quality of care and socialization evident in every interaction.
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