St. Pete's first cat-friendly co-working space Whiskers Workspace will open this summer

Whiskers workspace is a new co-working space filled with adoptable felines | whiskers workspace

Working the traditional nine-to-five job can be stressful, but what if your coworkers were cute cuddly cats instead of Bob and Joan from Accounting?

Whiskers Workspace, St. Pete’s first-ever cat-friendly co-working space that lets you play with adoptable cats while you work, opens August 15th at 4699 Central Avenue.

"We cannot wait to introduce Whisker’s Workspace to the St. Pete community," said Diane Emery, who owns the two-story brick building alongside other partners.

Whiskers Workspace will have seven rooms, including the Whiskers Oasis room for the public to play with the feline friends. Visitors can reserve the room for $15 per hour for up to three hours.

The Coworking Commons is the main shared room offering high-speed internet, printing services, a kitchen, and one hour of access to the Whiskers Oasis cat room.

Whiskers Workspace will open August 15th at 4699 Central Avenue in St. Pete | St. Pete Rising

Other workspaces include private rooms with webcams and microphones, board rooms, and conference rooms.

Visitors can book the rooms for half or a full eight-hour day with varying pricing. Memberships may become available in the future.

Whiskers Workspace will also host events such as yoga classes where attendees can interact with the cats at least once a month.

Emery purchased the building in January 2020 for her business, Executive Reporting Services - never imagining it would one day be filled with felines.

"I’ve been a court reporter for 40 years and needed office space for attorneys to do their depositions. I got tired of paying rent year after year, so I bought this building on Central Avenue," Emery explained.

The main lobby on the second floor of whiskers workspace | Whiskers Workspace

However, after Emery closed on the building and was set to begin interior renovations, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, resulting in stay-at-home orders and workers fleeing physical offices.

Emery took it upon herself to help the attorneys she was working with transition into the virtual world of online video calls via Zoom and other platforms, which have forever reshaped how businesses engage with clients.

As the pandemic subsided, the attorneys returned to the office. One of the attorneys, who works with Division of Children and Families, created a volunteer and donation-led non-profit cat rescue called CJPaws Inc.

"She was encountering a lot of animals in bad situations and we started finding foster homes for these pets so they didn't have to go to a shelter and potentially be euthanized," said Emery, a board member and president of CJPaws, which has its administrative headquarters in the building.

The rescue is a certified PetSmart Charity and used to have their adoptable cats available at the PetSmart in the Lighthouse Crossings retail center on Tyrone Boulevard and at the Sunshine Kitty Catfe. Both businesses closed in the past year.

"I got a call from the manager at PetSmart who said they're closing because the plaza will be redeveloped," Emery said.

Whiskers workspace has a mix of standard private WORKSPACES and cat-friendly rooms | whiskers workspace

Meanwhile, the Sunshine Kitty Catfe, Tampa Bay’s first cat café that debuted in 2019 at 1663 1st Avenue South, also closed last year to make way for a new development.

"Just like we did for PetSmart and the catfe - CJPaws is going to provide the cats for Whiskers Workspaces, and hopefully we will generate enough funds to start donating to CJ Paws to cover vet bill expenses," Emery said.

"We have a lot of parking at our building and high-speed fiber. Half the space is cat-free, and the other half is full of cats available for adoption. It's really turned out quite beautiful," Emery said.