A self-proclaimed cat lover and owner of four kitties, Tia Wieler was inspired to open the Regal Cat Cafe after watching an episode of The Amazing Race. “The contestants went to a cat cafe in Thailand and I thought, ‘Wow. That’s got to be the best job on earth! How do I be part of that?’ So I started researching and looking for one in Alberta, and realized there wasn’t one,” Tia explains.
At the time, Tia was working in the oil and gas sector and was struggling to find meaning in her work. “I was just working in oil and gas and working in a corporate accounting job. I felt more like a cog in a wheel – like I could continue my career and have no significant impact at all,” she says. “I wanted to have a meaningful contribution to the world and I didn’t feel like working in oil and gas was doing it.” With the support of her husband Kevin, Tia decided to take the leap and open up her own cat cafe.
She approached the local cat rescue and adoption charity MEOW Foundation about a partnership and they happily agreed to come on board and provide her with some cafe cats. By the time June 24, 2017 rolled around, the Regal Cat Cafe was ready to open its doors. “It started as one of those crazy ideas that you think will pass. And it never did,” Tia says. “It just started growing and growing.”
