The bells jingling from each cat’s collar had to go, that much was clear.

Only when the cacophony of tinkling dissipated did the new residents at Howard County’s first cat café settle into their palatial living arrangement. At Luna Cat Collective, it’s the kitties — not the customers — who are always right.

These adoptable cats have used up one or more of their nine lives before landing on all fours at the region’s largest cat café. One was rescued from a storm drain. Another is missing a few inches of her tail. But Luna Cat Collective’s goal is to ensure they enjoy at least one good life.

The Taiwanese-style cat café opened this month in Ellicott City’s Normandy Business Center to much hype from humans and aloof approval from cats. Owners Ruth Wang and Brendan Morrison spared no expense in outfitting their new business with feline-friendly amenities including self-cleaning litter boxes, vertical obstacle courses and filtered water fountains. Custom treadmills are to be installed next week.

They estimate the venture cost $970,000 to open.

The cost of the build-out exceeded their estimates in part because the county required zoning and permits for both a restaurant and a veterinary hospital.

“We can provide a lot for the cats,” Morrison said. “But we’re not a family.”

Patrons who pay to play with the cats are encouraged to take them home. Adoptions are facilitated through the business’s nonprofit partner, Small Miracles Cat & Dog Rescue.

Luna Cat Collective is a passion project for Wang, who opened the cat café to fulfill her Taiwanese mother’s deathbed wish. Before she died from ovarian cancer in 2018, Bridget Wang worked hard to leave her daughter a nest egg and instructed her to spend it only on what brought her happiness.

“She worked herself to sickness and I don’t want to do that,” Wang said.

At the height of her grief following the loss of her mom, Wang adopted two kittens and named them Aurora and Astraea. Taking care of them helped Wang to take care of herself. The idea for the café grew out of that experience, she said.

So far, the business is a hit with older adults, people with special needs and families with kids, Wang and Morrison said. Opening day earlier this month was fully booked with 126 appointments. Some walk-ins and repeat customers also have started showing up.

“It’s cat people,” Morrison said. “They come in all shapes and sizes.”

Humans who visit Luna Cat Collective buy passes starting at $30 for 45 minutes to access the cat lounge, which is separated from Normandy Business Center’s coworking space by windows and air-locking doors. The pass comes with complimentary coffee and tea. Taiwanese pastries from Japong Bakery in Rockville are available for purchase along with cat-themed artwork and other accessories.

Not all of the amenities passed muster with the cats. They rejected premium meals of shredded fish in favor of Friskies kibble. Wang also nixed a faux tree in the center of the room after bumping her head on it and concluding it posed a safety risk to any blind cats.

To protect the cats, visitors are required to wash their hands and swap their shoes for complimentary slippers or grippy-soled socks. Surveillance cameras allow Wang and Morrison to monitor the cats remotely outside the noon to 7 p.m. operating hours.

The staff is trained in cat CPR, which is similar to the emergency protocol for infants. A staffer is monitoring the cats at all times.

Others serve as “cat concierges” who accompany visitors into the cats’ space, snap photos with instant cameras and give 10-minute warnings when time is running out.

Guests must be at least 8 years old and are required to sign a waiver before entering the cat lounge. One woman who ignored the rule against picking up the cats from a standing position ended up with scratches, Wang said.

“I guess the rules are there for a reason,” she recalled the customer saying.

Events such as kitty yoga, craft time and guided meditation are scheduled throughout the week. Other human-friendly amenities inside the cat lounge include coworking tables, couches, plenty of electrical outlets and a library of manga comic books.

“Be on the lookout for kitties nipping at the pages,” a sign near the bookshelf warns.

Steve Matuschek, of Arbutus, booked time in the café Friday with his 12-year-old daughter, Willow. The family already adopted a cat from Small Miracles, but decided to pay a visit to Luna Cat Collective after Willow learned about Japanese cat cafés online.

The two beelined toward a daybed with five dozing cats before realizing there wasn’t enough room for them to join the cuddle puddle.

“We have the same problem at home,” Matuschek joked.

He called the cat café a nice opportunity for prospective adoptive families to interact with cats in a homelike environment.

People who visit Luna Cat Collective seem to leave smiling, Wang said. In a way, she added, it’s a form of self-care.

Wang wandered over toward Gracie, a friendly calico, who purred to receive a scratch behind the ears.

“I was really sad [my mom] wasn’t here for the opening,” Wang said.

Bridget Wang used to dote on her own Scottish fold named Māo, the Mandarin word for cat.

”I think Mom would have loved it here."