Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Sims.
Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
People always ask, “Who rescued who?” In my case, I can say without hesitation that cats helped rescue me.
Several years ago, I was experiencing debilitating mental health struggles and extreme burnout while working as a special education teacher. I felt like I was losing pieces of myself. Sharing my cats on social media became an outlet — somewhere I could be creative, connect with other people, laugh, and find little moments of happiness again.
Then Tom-Tom appeared.
He was a battle-worn neighborhood feral cat who showed up in my backyard just a few months before I was preparing to move. I started feeding him, slowly earning his trust and sharing our journey online. At first, my goal was simply to help this street cat. I had no idea he was about to completely change the direction of my life.
Tom-Tom eventually went from surviving outside to becoming part of my family, but even after coming indoors, there were still little pieces of that guarded street cat left in him. He loved me and trusted me, but he had spent years protecting himself.
Then along came Hallie.
Hallie was one of my foster kittens, and somehow this tiny kitten reached a part of Tom-Tom that even I couldn’t. Watching them together was incredible. She melted away those final layers of a battle-worn street cat and brought out this incredibly gentle, loving “Grandpa Tom-Tom” I had never seen before. He cuddled her, groomed her, played with her and became her protector. It felt like the final chapter in his transformation from feral to family.
Their relationship became so meaningful to me that Tom-Tom and Hallie are now represented together in the Katie Cats Rescue and Sand & Sea Cat Lounge logo. When people see that logo, they aren’t just seeing two cats. They’re seeing the story that started all of this — an older feral cat who was given a chance and a foster kitten who helped him discover one final piece of himself.
Sharing Tom-Tom’s journey also introduced me to the world of rescue. I began fostering, helping community cats, becoming more involved with rescue work, and using the community I had built online to advocate for cats who needed homes. What started as a social-media outlet during one of the hardest periods of my life gradually became a purpose.
After losing Tom-Tom, I knew I couldn’t let his story end there. “Feral to Family” became more than his story — it became my mission.
That mission eventually led me to create Katie Cats Rescue and open Sand & Sea Cat Lounge in Virginia Beach: a place where rescue cats can live outside of cages, show people their true personalities, make connections and ultimately find their families. I also wanted to create a space where people could experience the same comfort and healing that cats have given me throughout my own life.
Today, every time a cat leaves Sand & Sea with their forever family, I feel like another little piece of Tom-Tom’s legacy continues.
Our tagline is “Where every cat finds their safe harbor.” I created it for the cats, but I’ve come to realize it applies to people, too.
I thought I was rescuing a feral cat in my backyard. I never imagined he was quietly leading me toward the life I was supposed to build.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that following a dream doesn’t mean the journey will be easy. Opening and running Sand & Sea Cat Lounge has meant long days, financial uncertainty, learning nearly every part of a new business, and carrying the emotional weight that naturally comes with animal rescue.
From volunteering and researching cat cafés and lounges, I knew a large part of each day would be spent cleaning, monitoring the cats’ health, giving medications, and caring for sick kitties. What I never imagined was how quickly the adoptions would happen. In our first few months alone, more than 50 cats found their forever homes.
That was incredible, and I was genuinely thrilled for every single cat. But I also think one of the biggest misunderstandings from the outside is how little money there really is in rescue. Adoption fees barely cover the basic medical care most cats need before they are ready for a home — spay or neuter surgery, microchipping, rabies vaccination, and other vaccines. I do not receive any portion of those adoption fees. That money goes directly back to Billy the Kidden Rescue, our rescue partner, to help cover the medical care and preparation of the next cats who need a chance.
Rapid adoptions also meant a constant rotation of new cats coming into the lounge each week. Every new arrival needs time to adjust, and that much transition can bring stress and illness into a group setting. So while people were congratulating me on the adoption numbers, behind the scenes I was managing introductions, monitoring health concerns, treating sick cats, cleaning constantly, and doing everything I could to keep the environment calm and safe.
At the same time, I was going through one of the hardest seasons of my personal life. My mom went on hospice in June, and I lost her in August, only a few months after opening the lounge. There have been days when I’ve walked through those doors exhausted, grieving, or completely heartbroken, but the cats still needed me, guests were still arriving, and the business still had to keep moving.
Another challenge I didn’t fully anticipate was the constant cycle of training volunteers. People genuinely want to help, but life happens — jobs change, family responsibilities come up, schedules shift, and sometimes people simply can’t continue. That means training someone new, helping them learn the routines and personalities of the cats, and sometimes starting all over again when circumstances change.
I’ve also learned that some of the people I imagined would be part of this dream from the beginning simply weren’t able to show up in the way I had hoped. That was difficult. But one of the most unexpected and beautiful parts of this journey has been the people I never saw coming. Some of my most dependable volunteers and supporters are people I met because they first walked through the doors of Sand & Sea as guests. New relationships have formed around this mission, and many of those people have become an incredibly important part of keeping the lounge going.
As a nonprofit, we depend heavily on donations, so I am constantly learning new ways to fundraise and create sustainable support. One of my biggest goals is to eventually be able to afford a full-time employee who can help with the daily care and operations of the lounge.
That is why our lounge visits, events, retail sales, donations, and fundraising are all so important. They help keep Sand & Sea operating while Billy the Kidden Rescue continues doing the rescue and medical work that makes adoption possible in the first place.
As difficult as some of these challenges have been, they’ve also reminded me why Sand & Sea matters so much. Cats have been a source of comfort and healing throughout some of the hardest moments of my own life. Now I get to watch them offer that same comfort to other people every single day — and that makes the hard days worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sand & Sea Cat Lounge. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sand & Sea Cat Lounge grew out of the same mission that shaped my social media presence: showing people that cats who come from the streets, cats who have been abandoned, overlooked, or have challenging medical needs are still worthy of love, patience, and a chance.
A large part of what I’m known for is sharing my life with cats online. Across my social platforms, I’ve built a community of more than a million followers, with my largest audience on Facebook. I call them my Cat Family because over the years, they have truly become part of my life. They followed Tom-Tom’s journey from feral street cat to beloved family member, and that story inspired so much of what I do today.
My content can be anything from a day in the life of rescue, to a selfie with one of my cats, to an emotional adoption story, to sharing information about medical conditions, treatments, aging cats, fostering, or what it really takes to care for animals with extra needs. I love being creative, but I also believe strongly in being real. I share the beautiful moments, the funny moments, and the hard ones too.
That authenticity is probably what sets my brand apart the most. I don’t want people to see only perfectly staged rescue stories. I want them to see the work, the worry, the heartbreak, the healing, the joy, and the relationships that happen along the way.
That same feeling carries over into Sand & Sea Cat Lounge. My lounge is not a typical storefront in a shopping center. It is located inside a 1930 home in Virginia Beach, and I think that is a huge part of what makes the experience so different. People tell me every day that the space feels calm, cozy, intimate, and comforting the moment they walk through the door.
Because it is a home turned into a business, the cats are able to live in an environment that feels much more natural. The main living area, called the Seaside Lounge, is where our adult cats spend their time. It has cozy chairs and sofas, lots of windows, cat trees, and places for the cats to relax and interact naturally with visitors. We also have the Sandbar, our kitten room, where kittens can play, socialize, and grow in a safe environment. There is also a separate quarantine and office room for new arrivals, cats who need time to acclimate, or any kitty who needs closer observation or medication.
At the front of the house, we have a small boutique with cat-themed gifts including jewelry, soaps, T-shirts, mugs, toys, and other fun items that help support the nonprofit and the day-to-day expenses of caring for the cats. Sand & Sea Cat Lounge offers 45-minute and 90-minute lounge sessions for guests ages 5 and up, giving visitors time to relax, interact with the cats, and get to know their personalities in a calm, home-like setting. Some people come simply for the experience and a little kitty therapy, while others come specifically hoping to meet a cat they may want to adopt.
What I think sets Sand & Sea apart most, though, is the personal connection. Because the lounge is intentionally small and intimate, I’m often sitting right there with guests. I get to know them. I hear about the cats they have loved, the ones they have lost, why they came in, or what they are hoping to find.
Some people are looking to adopt. Others recently lost a beloved cat and aren’t ready for another one yet. Some rent and cannot have pets where they live. Some simply need a quiet place to sit with a cat for an hour. Those conversations are just as important to me as the adoptions.
I am probably most proud that both my online brand and the physical lounge have become centered around connection, compassion, and second chances. Whether someone knows me from Tom-Tom’s story, follows my cats on Facebook, walks into the lounge looking for their next family member, or simply needs a little comfort, I want them to feel like they have found a place where they belong.
At the end of the day, I want people to remember that every cat has a story, and sometimes the ones who need a little more patience end up changing your life the most.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as making a meaningful difference and building something that can continue doing that for a long time. Of course, adoptions are a huge part of it. Every time a cat leaves Sand & Sea for a safe, loving home, that feels like success to me. But I also see success in the quieter moments — when a shy cat finally comes out of hiding, when a former street cat learns to trust, when someone grieving the loss of their own pet finds comfort sitting with one of ours, or when a child learns how to gently interact with an animal.
I also define success by the community that has formed around this mission. My followers, volunteers, rescue partners, adopters, donors, and guests have all become part of something much bigger than I originally imagined. Knowing that people feel connected to the cats and to each other means a lot to me.
At the same time, I’ve learned that passion alone is not enough. For Sand & Sea to truly be successful, it also has to be sustainable. I want to build a nonprofit that can consistently care for the cats, support our rescue partner, pay its bills, grow responsibly, and eventually provide enough staffing that the mission does not depend on one person doing everything.
So for me, success is not one number. It is seeing cats safe, loved, and adopted, seeing people find comfort and connection, and knowing that what I’ve built is strong enough to keep helping both for years to come.
Pricing:
- $12 adults (45 minute visit)
- $10 adults (45 minute visit) discounted for community hero: teacher, nurse, military, student, firefighter, police, firefighter, and animal rescuer
- $8 ages 5-18 (45 minute visit)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sandandseacatlounge.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandandseacatlounge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588629342844
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOGLI0UYEBY_EX8ANho_NVQ
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/catladykatie/
