Tucked just a few blocks from the Asbury Park boardwalk, behind a simple glass door on 3rd Avenue, there’s a place where the sound of soft purring replaces the city’s usual rhythm. It’s called Catsbury Park, and for founder DJ Bornschein, it’s the realization of a dream that began with one small act of love, rescuing a single cat. Before there were tea mugs, scratching posts, and photo walls filled with successful adoptions, there was just DJ, a spare bedroom, and a handful of rescued kittens. A lifelong music lover and DJ by trade, he never expected his life to change course because of a cat. “I became an adult in my thirties when I got a cat,” he joked. But that single adoption opened his eyes to the challenges that countless animals face, and he began fostering strays, one litter at a time, determined to make a difference close to home.
By 2017, Bornschein’s quiet mission grew into something larger. Inspired by the cat café movement he’d seen on the West Coast, he envisioned a place where people could meet adoptable cats in a warm, home like setting rather than a shelter cage. Later that year, Catsbury Park opened its doors on Cookman Avenue as New Jersey’s first true cat café. It was instantly embraced by locals and visitors alike. A cozy, sunlit lounge where coffee and compassion flowed in equal measure.
From the start, Boenschein made sure the experience was about connection. “We wanted people to see cats as companions, not just as rescues,” he explained. Visitors could curl up on couches, sip tea, and spend time getting to know the cats in a space designed to feel like a living room. The result was magic. Cats who once hid in shelter corners began to show their personalities. Guests laughed, played, and more often than not and fell in love. Within the café’s first two years, nearly 400 cats found homes, thanks to its friendly, open door approach and an ever-growing network of fosters and volunteers.
But then, in early 2021, the pandemic forced the café to close. For a while, it seemed like Catsbury Park’s story might end there. Yet, like the animals they save, the organization landed on its feet. Rather than fade away, Bornschein and his dedicated team transformed Catsbury Park into a full-fledged nonprofit rescue, keeping its heart and mission alive.
In the years that followed, Catsbury Park evolved from a café into a community anchor. The team expanded its work to include trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs for local feral colonies, foster networks for neonatal kittens, and an adoption lounge designed purely for cat welfare. Today, the organization operates out of 901 3rd Avenue, where visitors can still book hour long sessions with adoptable cats in a serene, living room style space. The mission remains the same, to create a world where no cat is left behind.
The transformation didn’t just preserve the mission it strengthened it. “This experience reminds me why we started Catsbury in the first place,” Boenschein shared after reopening. “It’s about community, compassion, and the belief that everyone no matter how small can make an impact.” That spirit of creativity and care shines through in everything Catsbury Park does. Their annual Catsbury Park Cat Convention has become one of the region’s most anticipated events, drawing cat lovers, vendors, and advocates from across the country. The 2025 convention alone raised
over $30,000 for rescue efforts and found homes for dozens of cats over one weekend. The funds help cover veterinary care, food, and spay/neuter services not to mention the countless toys and treats that make their lounge such a happy place.
Walk into Catsbury Park today and there's volunteers greeting guests with quiet smiles and genuine enthusiasm. Cats lounge in sunny window seats or weave through visitors’ legs, each with a story some rescued from the streets, others surrendered, all waiting for the right person to notice them. There’s a calm energy that fills the space, a sense that something good is always just about to happen.
Every so often, you’ll see the unmistakable spark when a cat and a visitor connect. Maybe it’s a shy kitten who finally curls into a lap, or an older cat who purrs in contentment as someone strokes its fur. It’s those moments that keep Boenschein and his volunteers going. “Adoption days are the best days,” one volunteer said recently. “We cheer every time one goes home it never gets old.”
Beyond adoptions, Catsbury Park’s reach extends deep into the local community. They partner with area shelters, advocate for low cost spay and neuter programs, and provide educational outreach to teach compassion and responsible pet ownership. Their social media pages are filled with heartwarming adoption updates, volunteer spotlights, and the occasional video of a cat trying to climb inside a tote bag. It’s joyful, authentic, and unmistakably Asbury. Catsbury Park’s story mirrors that of the city it calls home resilient, creative, and full of heart. Both have weathered change, reinvented themselves, and emerged stronger. What started as one man’s idea has grown into a community movement, a space where kindness and curiosity coexist, where second chances are celebrated, and where the simple act of sitting quietly beside a cat can restore your faith in goodness.
For those who want to be part of that story, Catsbury Park welcomes volunteers, fosters, and visitors year-round. Book a lounge session. Attend a fundraiser. Make a donation. Or simply stop by and say hello you might just meet your new best friend. Because at Catsbury Park, every cat deserves a home, every human deserves a moment of peace, and every purr is proof that love, when shared, can change lives.
Visit: catsburypark.com
Location: 901 3rd Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ
Follow: @catsburypark on Instagram & Facebook
“This experience remindsvme why we started Catsbury in the first place. It’s about community, compassion, and the belief that everyone no matter how small can make an impact.”
“We wanted people to see the cats as companions, not just as rescues," -DJ Boenschein