East Harlem’s Carrot Cup Cafe pairs coffee with rabbit adoptions
A volunteer-run cafe from the rescue group Bunnies & Beyond opens Sunday, Sept. 27, on Pleasant Avenue, with rabbits and guinea pigs up for adoption.
A cafe with rabbits and guinea pigs in the room opens in East Harlem this weekend. The Carrot Cup Cafe, at 354 Pleasant Ave., holds its grand opening on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 2 to 7 p.m., and will be open every day after that.
The idea follows the cat cafe model. Along with coffee and other craft refreshments, visitors can learn how to look after rabbits, adopt one, buy treats for small pets and spend time cuddling the bunnies.
A rabbit rescue behind the East Harlem cafe
The cafe is an offshoot of Bunnies & Beyond, a nonprofit rabbit rescue that Cindy Stutts founded in 2016. For more than 25 years, Stutts and her volunteers have taken in rabbits that were strays or that nobody wanted. The group promotes the adoption of rabbits and guinea pigs and teaches people how to care for the animals properly.
It also arranges medical care for animals that were abandoned or given up by their owners. On top of that, it offers bonding services, since pet rabbits tend to do better with a companion.
Volunteers will run the cafe, which doubles as an adoption center where would-be owners can learn what the animals need before bringing one home.
Bunny yoga and more on the way
Plans in the works include Q&A sessions with medical and behavior professionals, bunny speed-dating, birthday parties and bunny yoga. Further down the road, the group hopes to open a low-cost clinic.
Quick answers
When does the Carrot Cup Cafe open?
The grand opening is Sunday, Sept. 27, from 2 to 7 p.m., and the cafe is open daily after that.
Can you adopt a rabbit at the Carrot Cup Cafe?
Yes. The cafe doubles as an adoption center for rabbits and guinea pigs and is staffed by volunteers from the rescue Bunnies & Beyond.
