Chattanooga code enforcement officers recently informed the owners of the Naughty Cat Cafe that the mobile sign reading "30 cats inside" it uses to draw in visitors violates city code and must be removed.
Heath Hanson, who co-owns the cat cafe in an old Blockbuster Video at the foot of Lookout Mountain with his wife, Whitney Sickels, said in a phone interview that the couple first heard the sign was in violation of city code when three enforcement officers showed up at the business Wednesday morning.
They were told their handmade rolling sign, similar to those used by restaurants to announce daily specials, had to be taken down. The business relies on the sign for advertisement, and many visitors say they come to the cafe because of the sign, said Hanson, who has rolled the sign out near the road beside the business and back inside every day since it opened nearly five years ago.
The day following the sign's removal, the business had its least-busy Thursday in history. The average number of visitors each Thursday is 55, but last week it was 12, Hanson said.
Labor Day weekend is typically one of the busiest times for the cat cafe, which in addition to being a business is also a platform for finding adoptive homes for cats that would otherwise be in local shelters.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga's Naughty Cat Cafe diverts more than 1,000 cats from shelters into homes)
But the Naughty Cat owners say they have since seen an outpouring of support from the community after sharing their story on social media.
"The support is, of course, coming from what we call the 'Naughty Cat nation' of people who have been with us from Day One and adopted cats from us and follow us already and come and visit all of the time — our heavy petters, if you will," Hanson said. "But we have seen a disproportionate amount of people come down here in person to tell us that they might not be cat people, but they are animal people. And moreover, they are Chattanoogans who support small business."
Among the more than 300 comments on Naughty Cat's social media post about the sign removal was one from the city of Chattanooga's account.
"As a former business owner with firsthand experience navigating the incoherence of the current sign ordinance, Mayor Kelly empathizes with the frustrations that people feel about it," the post said. "He is committed to a common sense update, and work has already started toward a rewrite. In the meantime, our City Code Inspectors are often in the unenviable position of enforcing the rules as they currently are."
The post confirmed that the Naughty Cat Café received no citation or notice of violation.
(READ MORE: The best Chattanooga social media accounts local animal lovers should follow)
"City officials simply engaged the business owner in a professional and courteous conversation, and we always work with businesses to help get them into compliance," the post said. "One thing is certain: there is no targeting or singling-out happening. We encourage anyone who feels they have been wrongfully cited to reach out to the Board of Sign Appeals."
When the cat cafe owners asked the officers about alternative ways to display the sign — including placing it next to the building rather than by the street, or having a person hold the sign instead of having a freestanding sign — they were told those options were also in violation of the code, Hanson said.
He's been brainstorming other options he hopes to present to city officials next week, he said.
"We're really trying to play by the rules," Hanson said. "It's important for us to let the community know that this is not an attempt at a pity party and we're not asking for special treatment. We're not asking for exemptions or anything like that. We just need the city to help us help them."
The cat cafe owners have had many local small business owners reach out to offer their support as well as to express their concern since the business shared their experience, Hanson said.
(READ MORE: Cat cafe trend comes to Chattanooga)
"There are lots of small businesses in this city that utilize lots of different types of advertising," Hanson said. "And a little sandwich board out in front of your small business is an essential tool for so many of these small businesses that I think it sends a bit of a shock wave of anxiety through all of the rest of the small business owners and that they could be next."
Of the businesses that contacted the Naughty Cat owners, none were cited or verbally warned of sign violations at their businesses.
Kevin Roig, spokesperson for Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly's office, did not respond Saturday to questions concerning the enforcement of city codes.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.