Meet Deborah Cedar

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deborah Cedar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Deborah, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I grew up in a household without pets. I just wasn’t allowed to have any. As an adult, this changed when my boyfriend found a stray puppy. He brought him home & he ended up being my best friend for 14 years. He passed & it lead me to a deep depression. I had never felt unconditional love from an animal before & his absence left a hole in my heart. Although I was still sad, I knew I never wanted to live without a pet ever again. However, I wasn’t ready for another dog so I decided to try a cat. I started to volunteer with a small local rescue and became of foster for a litter of kittens and my guest room became a cat room. Potential adopters would come over to my house to meet them & fill out adoption forms. I knew that I wanted to somehow work with animals but didn’t know how. I did stints working as a groomer, doing some trap neuter & return in my neighborhood, etc… While on a trip visiting Miami, my daughter & I visited several cat cafe’s there and she told me that she would love one in our city & suggested that we open one. Two years later, we did & that’s how I found my purpose & why I do what I do.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

At the DeLand Cat Cafe, we work with several local rescues, trappers and animal services by fostering cat & kittens until they are adopted from our facility. We specialize in socializing outdoor strays, as well as housing cats that have been in the shelter system for more than 100 days & are just not presenting well. Basically, we take the one eyed, deaf, three legged, no tail mean cat that is about to be euthanized & help socialize them, no matter how long it takes until they get adopted.

We are not a non-profit, or any funding from the city, county or state. This is completely self-funded by the owner & supported by community members who purchase gifts via our Amazon Wishlist & visit our community cats. We were nominated the “Best of Florida” in 2024 & again this year in 2025. Since we opened two years ago, we have had 400 adoptions!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The most important thing is that before I even opened my doors, I was already actively working in my field. Once I made a decision of what I wanted to do, I was out there networking, volunteering, trying different jobs within the field. I took my time to speak to people involved in the field and learn what each of them do, how they help, etc… So many people I have met love the idea of opening a cat cafe but have never worked in the field & some don’t plan to. Cat Cafes are adoption centers & if the cats are not the main priority, then it’s not going to do well.

Also, I had a brick and mortar business before. I know how much work it takes to find a good location, get the permits, the licenses, do a build out, have a solid business plan & gather funding. Having failed before, I also understand the risks. This was a huge advantage for me & why my cat cafe is so successful. One thing is to find an idea you like and another is to actually do the work to make it a reality. You need to really ask yourself if you are willing to sacrifice some things in order to commit to a venture?

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Shelters are full. I know, I frequently visit them. I receive calls every day from people asking for help. I quickly understood that I am only one person, trying my best but still unable to do it all. I have limited space & funding, I am also not a rescue so I cannot help everyone. There have been many instances where I have been very depressed & worried to have to turn away a cat or kitten. As a result, I created a very detailed FAQS page on my website with answers to all of the questions I get. I also share all the knowledge that I have on there such as all the contact information to all the reputable local rescues, information on how to report animal abuse, contact information on mobile vets, information on how to get low cost vaccinations, etc… I still try my best to always pick up the phone or call back & help by sharing information. It is the best way to help people & encourage them to also get involved. We are closed two days a week, which is when I do not pick up the phone and rest. My mental health is extremely important & in order to keep doing what I do, I limit my time on social media and keep it as simple as possible & stress free. I try my best to check out on my days off to solely focus on myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.delandcatcafe.com
• Instagram: @delandcatcafe
• Facebook: @delandcatcafe
• Youtube: @delandcatcafe
• Other: we have tiktok @delandcatcafe

Image Credits

Rachel Siegel