If you’re like us, you wish you could take your pets everywhere. Luckily, you can find a few feline friends at the local businesses that they call home. Fun fact: VisitLex has a whole campaign dedicated to Cats of the Bluegrass, but we’re sharing a Q+A with a few of our favorites.
Burly, Burl Brew
After having visits from stray cats around the area, The Burl team wanted to do their part + rescue one of their own. Say hello to Burly, a two-year-old from the Lexington Humane Society (LHS) who can often be found scurrying around the pool tables, getting cuddles, or lounging in the production room.
“He keeps getting kidnapped/re-rescued by our patrons, only for them to realize when we pick him up, that he actually lives at The Burl. He now wears a nametag that says, ‘I live at The Burl,’” said part-owner Cannon Armstrong.
“Burly has never met a stranger, he loves anyone + everyone,” said Manager Nina Hayden. She added that Burly often visits his bestie Flynn (you’ll meet him next) across the Distillery District. “The Break Room bartenders always bring him home at the end of the night like a drunk guy getting a safe ride home.”
What is Burly’s life motto? “Where’s the party?”
It’s Flynn’s world and we’re just livin’ in it. | Photo courtesy of @flynnstagram_br
Flynn, The Break Room
If you love premium cat content, The Break Room Bar Cat’s “Flynnstagram” is a must follow. Also a rescue from LHS, Flynn has been hanging out in the Distillery District bar for almost as long as it has been open. This year will he will celebrate his 10th birthday.
“Flynn is pretty tough and can really hold his own,” said Break Room teammember Sara Ahlgrim. “He won’t back down from any big dog that comes to the bar, but he’s terrified of trash bags. Due to his size (he’s a big boy) and his coat, he’s often mistaken for a bobcat or a raccoon.”
She added, “Flynn also holds a grudge; if you step on his tail, he won’t soon forget it. He can regularly be found lounging in his bar side ‘tv’ box keeping the staff in line, roaming around the creek out back, or playing with Burly, his fellow Distillery District feline friend.”
What is Flynn’s life motto? “If I fits, I sits’ — Flynn will sit in any empty box or container he can find.”
Ham, Kenwick Table
If you’ve found yourself hunting down a seat at this popular neighborhood coffee shop, you can almost guarantee one of them is taken by Ham, aka Hambone + Hamathy. Manager Luke Bratcher said Ham has been around the shop for about a year and a half, but called the streets of Kenwick home for around five years.
“I remember three years ago when I began at [Kenwick Table], I’d always see this huge cat slowly striding up the street into the sunrise like a lonesome cowboy,” said Bratcher. “Some days I’d even see him lying in the middle of the road, forcing some morning commuters to drive around him. But one day he just kind of wandered over here.” Fun fact: The team named him Ham because it was the first thing they fed him and what made him stick around. And the rest was history.
Warning: You’re going to want to pull the tissues for this one. “My favorite memory of him is more so just the idea of him; the confidence I’ve seen grow out of him since he first came here is incredible,” said Bratcher.
“He was always so antsy and wouldn’t let anyone near him, but gentleness and support slowly chipped at his walls and now he confidently strides into Kenwick every morning to pick out his napping spot. For me, Ham truly shows what patience, love, and support from a community can do. Whether it be animal or human, patience and love has the ability to help anyone.”
What is Ham’s life motto? “Sometimes you gotta be a little vulnerable to let new love in.”
Don’t worry dog lovers, we didn’t forget about you. Find dozens of places to take your four-legged friends in our dog-friendly guide. If we missed your favorite local shop or business pets, let us know.
