Frequently Asked Questions
CURRENTLY MOST ASKED QUESTIONS
As we get ready to open, we have received an overwhelming amount of inquiries (over 100 so far!) about employment opportunities. Unfortunately, while we love the enthusiasm, as a brand new small business it is important that we do not expand our team too quickly before we know what our ability to support that team will be. We hope that as we see the community's response and assess our areas of need we will be able to continue to add more members to the Critical Whiskers team.
We may have a couple part time positions focused on general customer service and maintaining a clean and organized space to fill as we open, if you have not already, you can submit an interest form to be notified when applications will be accepted.
We were hoping to open before the end of May but due to unexpected delays during our renovations, we have had to push back our timeline and now expect to hold our Grand Opening by June 20th. If everything falls into place and we can open earlier we will post on our social media accounts (so be sure to follow us) any preview or soft opening announcements. *Updated 5/28/26*
Visiting Critical Whiskers
Our cat lounge is a large foster location for our non-profit rescue partners. The lounge is set up to be similar to a home, so it is both comfortable for humans and cats alike. This lets the cats live in a home-like environment, while providing them with opportunities for socialization and meeting a potential forever family.
Guests will be able visit the lounge and meet the cats after checking in at the front counter and taking care of any required waivers and entry fees. Special themed events and nights may have additional items to take care of before participating. The lounge has a maximum capacity and time limits (which vary depending on entry level and events) will be in place as needed to prevent exceeding it.
While we want all our guest to feel comfortable in the lounge, maintaining a calm and cat friendly environment is our priority. The cats in our care have been entrusted to us and it is our job to make sure we provide them with the best environment we can.
Due to the way our building is set up and that we are housing animals in it, we can not offer a full service cafe and don't want to cause confusion by using the term "cafe." We do however have a drink and snack area where you can purchase prepackaged items to enjoy in the lounge areas, but please do not feed the cats human food and we ask that all trash be throw away when you are done.
Outside of the cat lounge, we offer a full retail boutique full of board games, hobby kits, books, gifts and more. Many with a cat theme! We also offer a second lounge area and a board game library, where visitors can sit at tables and play games while watching the cats through the viewing windows. Our games with a large amount of small pieces will only be able to be played in this area, while other games, if you want to try, can be played in the cat lounge. This second lounge area also allows us to host special events and markets without disrupting the cats' environment too much.
To visit the cat lounge, children must be 8 years or older. Each child must be accompanied by an adult (18+ who has their own paid entry and can sign the waiver on the child's behalf) The adult must agree to monitor the child's behavior to ensure they also follow all of the rules.
We know that every child and cat is different, but to ensure that both safety is a priority and to minimize stress for the cats (some of who came from difficult situations and may not be able to handle meeting multiple young children throughout the day), we have put this rule into place.
The minimum age for entry may be reevaluated or limited to designated times if we see that this is still too stressful for the cats. We thank you for your understanding that the care and comfort of the cats is our number one priority.
The Cats
All of the cats in our cat lounge come from our local non-profit rescue partner, South Plains SPCA.
All of the cats are vetted and assessed before coming up to the lounge to make sure that they are healthy and suited for this kind of environment. We may from time to time have shy cats or cats who needs a little extra time to settle in, but if the lounge proves to not a be good fit for a cat, we will work with the rescue to help find them a better suited foster arrangement.
All adoptions and adoption fees are handled through our non-profit rescue partner, South Plains SPCA. When you are ready to adopt, you will submit an application and they will contact you to make arrangements to meet and go over their adoption contract, before finalizing the adoption.
Let us know if you are submitting an adoption application and we will mark down which cat you are interested in so that we can inform other visitors which cats already have applications submitted.
No we cannot. For health and safety reasons, all cats need to go through a thorough vetting process before they can enter the lounge. No outside animals or personal pets are allowed in the lounge area. We are not a rescue and not equipped to take in animals from the public. Please contact a local rescue or Lubbock Animal Services, if you have a cat you need to relinquish.