Last year in February, a dream became a reality for animal lover and 2000 MPS alum Dena Rupp. Purrista Cat Café was created after she encountered her first themed café during her travels through Asia, and after some research, she decided to open a cat café in Erie. What is a cat café? It is a themed café whose attractions are adoptable cats that can be watched and played with while enjoying a favorite cup of coffee or tea. Patrons pay a cover fee to enter the Cat Lounge, usually by the hour, which helps support the adoptable cats’ needs and is also recognized as a form of animal therapy.

Purrista Cat Café is located in downtown Erie on West 8th Street. They partner with Because You Care, Inc., a no-kill shelter, 501(c)3 animal rescue and pet adoption organization that works through a network of foster homes and their adoption center in McKean, PA. Because of this wonderful partnership, in addition to having the opportunity to play with the cats in the cozy environment that Dena has created, all the feline friends at Purrista Cat Café are seeking a forever home and are available for adoption.

After graduating from Mercyhurst Prep in 2000, Dena went on to earn a degree in graphic design at Edinboro University, and she quickly got a job as a customer service representative at McCarty Printing in Erie. Her work was so stellar that she was picked up by their sister company and hired on as their designer. Wanting to explore her options a bit more, she traveled to South Korea (where she discovered the themed café concept) and taught English to Korean children for almost two years. After that, she moved to Pittsburgh and took on a couple of different management jobs in the café-bakery industry as well as a popular “Sip and Paint” company. Following her roots, she ended up back in Erie after a couple of years; she returned to the graphic design field, but her love of animals and desire to own her own business were tugging at her heartstrings. On February 14, 2022, after overcoming numerous obstacles and roadblocks, Purrista Cat Café finally opened its doors for business, and to this date, almost 100 cats have found their forever homes because of Dena.

We met up with Dena recently and did a little Q&A to receive some advice for current MPS students as well as discovering some of her favorite memories from being at MPS.

Q: How did Mercyhurst Prep prepare you for your current job, life, and opportunities?

A: I discovered that I wanted to dabble more with art in the last couple of years of high school. I always enjoyed drawing and painting when I was younger, but it wasn’t until Mercyhurst Prep that I decided to take a couple of art classes. I believe taking those MPS art classes helped my college decision to major in graphic design, which has become very useful throughout my life.

Q: What were some of your favorite memories while you were a student here at Mercyhurst Prep?

A: Being a part of the Art Honor Society, my freshman year softball team, and my first birthday at MPS when I discovered students put balloons on lockers to celebrate birthdays are all very fond memories of mine!

Q: If you could give current students one piece of advice for their future endeavors, what would it be?

A: Trust your gut!

You can find out more about the awesome things that Dena ’00 is doing by visiting her website at www.purristacatcafe.com.