Cozy Cat Lodge A Purr-fect Addition For Kahaluu Felines

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The Schmidt family has been a boon to vacationing cat owners, and now they offer even more for pet lovers on the Windward side.

Island felines are warming up to the Cozy Cat Lodge’s newest location in Kahaluu. Since opening in May, this sister location to a Kailua cat-boarding facility is working out purr-fectly, according to the family. Kailua Cozy Cat Lodge owner Jan Schmidt said she and her husband, Bill, helped their daughter Leinani Busch open the new business at 47-919 Kamakoi Road in Waihee Valley.

“We encouraged her to do it, because we couldn’t accommodate everybody,” Schmidt said, noting that her daughter has been “quite busy.”

Busch managed her parents cat lodging for seven years before venturing out on her own. Though most of the work already familiar to her, she’s excited all the same.

“I love animals in general; cats are our specialty,” Busch said. “(I’ve) grown up with cats. When my parents started Cozy Cat Lodge in 2000 I got involved, I’ve been involved ever since. It’s a great thing, I like to see the clients have assurance. They say ‘I’m so glad I have a place for my cat.’”

Kailua Cozy Cat Lodge is at 1532 Ulupii St. For details about overnight cat care, call 261-1101 or the Kahaluu location, 239-8680.

Schmidt originally opened the business when her family could-n’t find a boarding facility suitable for their own cats. Now, besides lodging cats, Schmidt offers bereavement services through Hawaii Pet Ministry. As an ordained minister in Hawaii since 1985, she already serves as a guidance and bereavement counselor for people. Her true calling, she’s discovered however, is people and their pets.

“I’ve worked with animals for so many years. I did some training last year with Hospice Hawaii with people as a volunteer chaplain. I found I seem to work really well with people and their animals; it was my desire for a long time.

The support group meets from 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays in Olomana, offering a safe, supportive environment to resolve grief and sharing with others. Counseling, memorial services, sacred ceremonies, crisis support, pet hospice support, euthanasia support and pet blessings also are available. All services are free of charge, as Schmidt considers it her community service, and it’s open to owners of all types of pets, not just cats.

“(For) some people it’s absolutely devastating when they lose an animal,” she said, “it’s a family member.”

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