Those who dream of sipping their morning latte surrounded by a litter of furry friends may soon have their wish.

An effort is underway to bring the first ever cat café to Toronto.

The trend first emerged two decades ago in parts of Asia and then moved to Europe. More recently cat cafes have landed in North America, with establishments set to open In Montreal and Vancouver soon.

Now feline lovers in this city are pushing for the same, with at least two parties vying to open the first one here.

“I think it’s because when we realized we could get around the health regulations it became very appealing to people,” Jennifer Morozowich told cp24.com of the sudden competition. “It just took one city to demonstrate that you could do that.”

A cat lover, Morozowich has been following the trend for some time and even created an online group for those looking to open cat cafes.

She’s currently working to open the city’s first cat café, Kitty Cat Café at a location yet to be determined.

Armed with 20 years in advertising and a partner with a record of opening restaurants in Halifax and Toronto, Morozowich says she’s confident she can make the concept work.

“I’m the cat lady and he’s the food guy,” she jokes.

Already she started a crowdsourcing campaign to raise money for the venture.

However she stresses that for her, it’s all about finding rescued cats a good home.

“I’m a business girl first and foremost who also loves to rescue cats,” she says.

That means all the cats at the café will be available for adoption.

On the business side, Morozowich has already partnered with Royal Canin, a pet food company that’s agreed to give her a discounted price on cat food.

She’s also working with a shelter hygienist and an animal behaviourist to try and make sure things go as smoothly as possible.

In terms of health regulations, Morozowich says she’s been working closely with Toronto Public Health to make sure that the food safety standards would be up to snuff.

“They’re working with us through the entire approval process,” she says. “They’ve been great.”

She says there would be one area where people could eat without the cats and another where they could mingle among the roaming cats if they wish. There would also be a set of rules for engaging with the cats to make sure that both people and felines are safe.

With all her planning, Morozowich isn’t the only game in town.

There’s a separate online campaign underway to fund “Pet Me Meow,” another prospective cat café.

Morozowich says she anticipates there will soon be even more competition. While she isn’t sure how many kitty cafes the city can hold, she says it’s a good thing if there are lots of parties interested.

“The cats benefit – that’s the important part,” she says.

@Josh_F is on Twitter. Remember for instant breaking news follow @cp24 on Twitter.