JAMES CITY-Nautical Dog, a pet supply store located in New Town, is expanding again, this time with the addition of a new cat lounge that is expected to open over the summer.
Nautical Dog, which is located at 5102 Main St., is taking over another neighboring storefront, which will be home to the cat lounge. Owner Amanda Wilbourne, who shared the news of the new addition on social media on March 2, said she hopes to open the new cat space in mid-July 2022.
“We are super excited about the cat lounge,” Wilbourne said. “The cat lounge will be named Schwartzy’s Cove Cat Lounge. Schwartzy was Nautical Dog’s first shop cat, who was special needs and was adopted from Heritage Humane Society.” Lounge visitors will be able to interact with the cats, who will be adoptable through Heritage Humane Society.
“We will be featuring special needs cats in our lounge such as FIV+ cats and hope to bring education and awareness to the community that just because something has a label on it doesn’t make him or her not a great pet for your home,” Wilbourne said. “We will also be expanding our cat retail selection to about quadruple of what we currently offer. We will be Williamsburg’s first and only cat lounge, and we can’t wait to bring this new venture to the community.”
In the summer of 2021, Nautical Dog, which opened in New Town in 2008, took over an empty storefront and expanded its operations to include a self-serve dog washing station.
The new cat lounge at Nautical Dog is one of two such businesses that is slated to open soon on the Peninsula. In February 2022, Cups & Claws Cat Café announced its plans to open a cat lounge in Newport News.