I Went on a Cat Journey & You Can, Too

Some mornings you wake up already feeling like a spent husk of a human. Then your cat sits on your chest, stares into your eyeballs with unsettling intensity, and purrs like a tiny life coach whispering, “Don’t move. Just exist.”

That was me yesterday. I wanted to stay in bed forever but alas—emails, pants, capitalism. Modern society frowns on “sorry, can’t work today, cat said no.” 

One cup of coffee later, I’d invented a workaround: What if I write a story about cats? I’m editor now, after all. Can’t nobody tell me nothin’. Today, I’m going on a journey. A cat journey. Investigative cat journalism.

I give our cats, Kittencatten and Robot Mac ‘n’ Cheese Monster (named by a 4-year-old, no notes), a goodbye scritch and walk out the door.

First Stop: Scruffy’s Café

If Knoxville has a cat epicenter, it’s Scruffy’s Café. Think coffee shop, but with 20 free-range cats wandering around like they own the place. Which, to be fair, they do.

Owner Talisa Cantrell opened in 2020. Some people got into sourdough during the pandemic; Talisa went full cat lady.

The concept is straightforward. You step in, order up a Calico Cold Brew or a Virgin Meow-mosa, maybe a baked good if you’re feeling frisky, and then you’re free to mingle. Some people curl up in a corner with a book and let a cat claim their lap for the next hour. Others come to do homework … until a kitten pounces on their shoelace and derails their GPA.

No pressure, but should you happen to fall in love, every single one of the cats is up for adoption. In the past five years, Scruffy’s has rehomed over 1,075 cats through its nonprofit partner, Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee. That’s 1,075 lil catloafs relocated from shelter life to someone’s bed, lap or laundry basket.

I want to stay here in this kitty cocoon forever, but alas, my cat journey must continue. 

Know before you go: 

• Where: 1015 N. Broadway
• When: Open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; weekends 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Book your 1-hour session here. 
• How much: Weekday sessions are $10.92; weekends are $13.11. Monthly memberships and private parties are also available. 
• What else: Volunteers and donations are always welcome. Learn more at the website here. 

Next Up: Karel Appel: Cats at McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture

Last week McClung opened a new exhibition: Cats by Dutch artist Karel Appel. On the walls, 17 feline lithographs practically leap out against a backdrop of robin’s egg blue. Imagine if kindergarten finger painting got a Fulbright scholarship — chaotic, bright, a little unhinged, but somehow also refined.

Appel was part of the post-war CoBrA movement, artists who used messy, childlike abstraction to rebel against the era’s authoritarian vibes. (The Nazis had literally banned abstract art as “degenerate.”) Standing there, you realize cats are the perfect muse for rebellion: independent, irreverent, and absolutely unwilling to follow rules. Ask me, or literally any other cat owner, how we know.

One by one, I looked into their painted eyes: “Sad Cat,” “Smiling Cat,” “Frightened Cat,” “Sunshine Cat,” “Fighting Cat,” “Blue Cat,” “Pink Cat,” “Green Cat,” “House Cat,” “Devil Cat,” “Luminous Cat.” A reminder, I think, that we all contain multitudes.

Located in Circle Park on UT Campus, McClung is an absolute jewel; other special exhibitions include Homelands: Connecting to Mounds through Native Art and Masterful Mammals, as well as long-term exhibitions and an engaging events calendar. 

Know before you go: 

• Where: 1327 Circle Park Dr. 10 complimentary parking spaces are available for museum visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
• When: Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Cats is on view through Dec. 7.
• How much: Free and open to the public. Memberships with special benefits are also available and help keep admission free for all. 
• What else:
  • McClung has partnered with Young-Williams Animal Center to promote its great work. If you adopt one of McClung’s Featured Felines, reach out for a FREE one-year dual membership!
  • Family Day: Feline Impressions is taking place this Saturday, Aug. 23, 1-4 p.m. It’s a free afternoon of art and activities inspired by Karel Appel: Cats for the whole family, including yoga, printmaking workshops led by the Museum of Infinite Outcomes, and family-friendly exploration of the exhibition. Learn more at the website here. 
  • Enjoy these photos of McClung staff members’ cats “touring” the exhibition. (Please note that this was a special, closely monitored occasion and visitors can’t actually bring their pets to the museum — apologies to all the culturally adventurous cats out there!)

Grand Finale: CatVideoFest 2025 at Central Cinema

What better way to close out an epic trip through the catverse than a 73-minute medley of the internet’s finest feline YouTube fare, now with upgraded production values?

Full disclosure: the entirety of my moviegoing CV for the past 10 years is Cats (twice), Cocaine Bear (twice), and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (twice). So yeah, my cinematic judgment is flawless. And I’m here to tell you, CatVideoFest is pure joy: 10/10, five stars, two paws up. At least for the 12 of us in attendance on opening night, who could not stop giggling.

Proceeds benefit Scruffy’s Café, so it’s a true full circle moment. Don’t let this one scamper away—only two showings left!

Know before you go:

• Where: 1205 N. Central St. 
• When: Thursday, Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. 
• How much: $7-13; memberships are available. 
• What else: Fun bonus fact – Central Cinema feeds and shelters a dozen feral cats in Happy Holler and has spay/neutered almost all of them. Learn more and view the monthly calendar here.

So there you have it: Knoxville’s unofficial 2025 Cat Trail™. Maybe it sounds frivolous, but IMO spending a day immersed in feline energy is radical self-care. Cats remind us that joy can be found in small moments—a hairball on your favorite rug, a judgmental stare,  a grainy YouTube clip of a kitten falling off a couch.

If you’re a fellow cat person, consider this your permission slip: go forth, pet the cats, watch the videos, soak up the chaos and comfort that only cats can bring. The world will keep spinning; your inbox will still be there tomorrow. But for today? May the cat be with you.