When customers walk into vintage store Honeymoon Bungalow in mid-city Baton Rouge, they are greeted with shelves of old-timey collectibles like antique couches, ’50s-style kitchen gadgets and eclectic wall art. But customers are also greeted by another staple of the store — cats. The store is currently running a program through October to find homes for stray cats rescued around Baton Rouge.In addition to providing customers with an assorted collection of vintage household items, Honeymoon Bungalow is in its second year of partnering with organizations Spay Baton Rouge, Cat Haven and Saving Pets One at a Time to help rescued cats in Baton Rouge get healthy and adopted. Honeymoon Bungalow, which opened in June 1999 and is located on Government Street, has become a Baton Rouge vintage fixture along with nearby sister store Time Warp Boutique. Bungalow owner Marsha Rish said the store is an antique store like nothing else in the area.And as customers rack up household collectibles in one hand, they will soon be able to hold a kitten in the other.Rish said the store is expecting to receive 10 kittens within the next few weeks. The kittens will reside in the store during the day, with customers able to hold the cats while they shop. Customers can discuss the potential of adopting a cat at the end of its stay at Honeymoon Bungalow.When the kittens arrive, they will be 4 weeks old, with the intent of being adopted at 10 weeks old after completing “Bungalow Kitty Boot Camp,” according to Rish.The boot camp is a socialization process that intends to introduce the cats to an atmosphere in which they interact with strangers on a daily basis. “We’re making those cats that would otherwise be feral adoptable,” Rish said.And Bungalow’s cat-adoption program has proved to be a draw for customers as well.”We’ve actually had people come in just to hang out with the cats,” said Sara Harrington, assistant manager and University alumna. “They just come in to de-stress and cuddle with the cats.” Customers interested in adopting cats are screened by the rescue organizations to ensure they qualify as responsible pet owners. If they pass the screening, they pay a $35 adoption fee and donate two bags of dry cat food, all of which goes directly to the associated rescue groups. The cats brought to Bungalow at 4 weeks have been rescued by the participating animal rescue organizations, spayed and neutered, treated for fleas and tested for AIDS, leukemia and other diseases. “The cats are total orphans when they come to see us,” Rish said.Rish is proud of Bungalow’s efforts to reach the community. “Many places don’t care about the community,” Rish said. “But we’ve been green since before green was a thing to be.”Harrington said having the kittens in the store brightens the shopping experience for both employees and customers.”It makes everything a little happier,” Harrington said. “You come in, see kittens, cuddle and play with them and know in some small way that you’re helping.”Customers unable to adopt cats can also help by donating cash, litter or cat food or simply by holding kittens while visiting the store.In addition to the outreach program dedicated to the feline population in Baton Rouge, Honeymoon Bungalow sells shoppers interesting knickknacks for household decor. Rish said the store’s primary customers are college students, and about 50 percent of customers visit the store searching for particular items. “I like the atmosphere of the store because it’s different in the fact that the selection is constantly changing,” said Peter Foster, computer science junior. “You never know what you might find.”–Contact Matthew Jacobs at [email protected]