A cat cafe called Get A Gato is on the way to South Philly. We are not kitten.

Jackie Starker had the idea to open a cat cafe in South Philadelphia that combines a lounge area for adoptable cats with a cafe serving Colombian-inspired snacks.

All she needed was a name.

She turned to her father, Jeff, who came up with Get A Gato.

And now the cat is out of the bag. This week, Starker announced that Get A Gato will occupy a historic building at Seventh and Christian Streets, appropriately catty-corner from John’s Water Ice. This is the second business for Starker, 35, who owns Amelie’s Bark Shop, a pet boutique on East Passyunk Avenue.

Starker hopes to open Get A Gato later this year — first the cafe, and later the lounge. The spaces, with the cafe in front and lounge in rear, will be separate, purr health department directives.

Starker said Get A Gato, a nonprofit, will partner with the Pennsylvania SPCA, which will supply cats and provide support. Bonnie Sarana of Vanilya Bakery across the street from Amelie’s will make the baked goods.

The Philadelphia area — home to the highest percentage of cats in the United States — has had several cat cafes, including Le Cat Cafe in Brewerytown and PURRsonal Space Cat Lounge in Palmyra. From 2016 until the pandemic shut it down in 2020, Kawaii Cat Cafe drew crowds in Queen Village.

“The cat community in Philly is big and also very supportive, so this felt like a natural progression” for her business, said Starker, who has two cats, named Don Draper and Penny. “Cat owners can feel left out a lot of times, so I’ve found that if you build it, they will come.”

Starker learned that firsthand. She opened Amelie’s eight years ago after creating dog treats for her little shih tzu-poodle mix, Amelie, who is turning 16 this month. She started with a few cat items, and expanded the fe-line to include bonito cat cupcakes and birthday cakes. Her dad hand-makes tie-dye pet wearables.

Get A Gato won’t allow dogs inside, but Starker will install a treat dispenser outside.

Starker said she chose Colombian food because the family of her mother, Marta, is from Bogotá, “and I grew up with rice pudding and all that wonderful Colombian food.”

Starker was sold on the idea of a cat cafe during a trip to Japan a few years ago. “I went to every cat cafe that they had there, and just fell in love with the concept,” she said.

“It’s a really great way for people to be able to meet cats outside of a shelter environment and it’s a great way for the cats to be able to get more comfortable to other cats and people,” she said. “Adoption rates are very, very high.”