Feeding more than 50 cats every night may sound expensive, but Bella Green said it is her purpose in life to care for animals.
“Our goal is to set up cat colonies of caretakers, and we can help get the caretakers food for the cats and we can help get the cats fixed,” Green said.
Green said she always had a desire to help animals. Now she has a store, Brews and Blessings, to help cats and cat owners.
Brews and Blessings is not meant to be confused for a cat café, where cats wander around while customers enjoy drinks. Green does not sell coffee drinks in the store and, most days, customers will not find cats in the store.
Green started selling whole bean and ground coffee, roasted for her company, online in January to support local cat rescues.
She opened Brews and Blessings May 1 in downtown Hickory. The store sells whole bean and ground coffee, snacks, baked goods, decorations and candles. The store also sells mushroom-infused tea and cannabis-infused tea.
People are also reading…
Bags of coffee range in price from $17.95 to $23. Mugs are $15 and decorative signs range from $5 to $20. Many snacks are $5 or less.
“Our coffee is organic and super fresh, and you can tell. We’ve got a lot of positive feedback,” Green said.
The store has toys for cats but does not sell cat food. Green does accept donations of cat food that she said she gives to area rescues.
While cats are not usually in the store, appointments can be made to play with cats in the Little Lion Lounge on Fridays, beginning June 7. Green said she will have two or three cats for people to pet or adopt.
Green said 50% of profits from her sales go to cat rescues. She currently partners with six rescues but hopes to expand.
The proceeds help feed and spay or neuter feral cats. Proceeds can also help people with low incomes who have cats but cannot afford to feed or vaccinate them.
Green said she always had an interest in animal welfare but took a special interest in cats after moving to Hickory in 2021. She found a feral cat without a tail and began to care for the cat. Her partner suggested she get involved with cat rescues.
“I met someone who asked me to foster a cat, and then I got involved with Cat’s Cradle (a cat rescue out of Morganton),” Green said. “So then I started fostering more cats. We took in a pregnant cat and she had babies. We took in 20 one time because it was an emergency situation. My whole downstairs had cats. We wound up rehoming half, I still have half and now I’m kind of cat crazy.”
Green said she currently has 20 cats at her home. Ideally, she said, she would have no more than 10.
This year, Green said she provided 20,000 meals for cats, 40 to 50 fosters and adoptions and 40 to 50 surgeries, such as spaying and neutering.
“Once you fall in love with a cat, it’s incredible. They’re amazing,” Green said. “It was my destiny to do this.”
Brews and Blessings can be found above Bottega: A Soulful Place in downtown Hickory. For more information about Brews and Blessings, visit brewsandblessings.com.
Adopting a pet is a big responsibility, so it’s important to be prepared for the time, energy, and costs involved.
Billy Chapman is a reporter with the Hickory Daily Record. wchapman@hickoryrecord.com
