The House of Mews is a cat lover's dream. The cat adoption agency/gift shop opened Oct. 23 in the Cooper-Young business district, a result of nearly two years work by a Germantown woman with a soft spot for neglected felines. The business at 944 S. Cooper offers cats for adoption; an adoption registry for people seeking homes for their cats; cat rescue service; cat food and other pet care products; and cat- and animal-themed craft items. A cat named Socks sprawls on shop counters, display tables or the storefront window, presenting his arched back to customers as if to say, "I'm Socks. Feel free to pet me, but don't even think about taking me home. I'm spoken for." Socks is one of five mascot cats who belong to the shop. Elain Harvey, founder of a group called Puddy Tat Protectors, said The House of Mews is designed to provide an alternative to neglect, abuse or abandonment of unwanted cats. None of the Puddy Tat Protectors is paid, and all shop proceeds support the care and feeding of some 50 cats living in the 2,500-square-foot space, said Harvey, 50, of Germantown. Harvey was a frequent visitor at Goodwin's Greenhouses in Germantown, which had s sizable population of cats and other pets.

"I was just a customer of Goodwin's. I love cats. I've got 11 of my own," said Harvey. "I noticed they (Goodwin's) were in trouble as far as caring for them. It was very sad, and I just couldn't walk away." That was in February 1994. Harvey got permission to come in and care for Goodwin's cats, using food and supplies donated by concerned customers, and she worked by herself for about four months. "I was going crazy, because I realized I wasn't going to have any time if I didn't do something," she said. She asked friends to help and she put out a call for volunteers. Puddy Tat Protectors was born. The organization had 21 volunteers at one time, although the number is down to 12. Harvey said the group adopted out more than 900 cats operating part-time at Goodwin's. Puddy Tat Protectors started looking for a new location after Goodwin's changed ownership this year. Harvey learned through a friend that Kirk Pamper was moving his Botanica florist across Cooper, to a space vacated this year by photographer Frances Doggrell. Harvey moved quickly to lease the early 20th Century commercial building, sandwiched between Maxwell's restaurant at 948 S. Cooper and Second Time Around Flea Market at 942 S. Cooper. Harvey found an enthusiastic ally in Nina Wingfield, 41, of East Memphis, a board member and 12-year volunteer for the Humane Society. Wingfield had served as fund-raising chairman for the society. "Elain needed a safe place for the cats from Goodwin's and a gift shop to support them," said Wingfield. "I was really encouraged by Elain's vision, because my primary goal is to spay or neuter every cat and find a good home for the little cats out there. As you know, this takes a lot of money." Wingfield is associate director of Puddy Tat Protectors, a private, nonprofit corporation. Harvey is director. Puddy Tat Protectors took over the former florist shop Sept. 1, and Harvey enlisted volunteers to install cages, counters and display areas.

"We've gotten help where we needed it, when we needed it," Harvey said. Harvey said her original idea was to offer crafts for sale on consignment. Because the shop opened at the start of the local craft festival season, she didn't get the response she wanted from crafts makers.

For now, the shop is offering a line of natural pet care products: food, litter, herbal and homeopathic remedies and product-sampler gift baskets. It has a supply of whimsically decorated bird houses and other cat-related crafts such as a flying cat wind chime. A large cage in the middle of the shop is Kitten Paradise. Individual cages for larger cats line the walls. Harvey said she doesn't want to accept more than 50 cats because the organization isn't large enough to care for them. Thus, she is compiling a waiting list of people who want to place their cats with new owners or with The House of Mews. Cats are adopted out for a suggested donation of $55: $45 for spaying or neutering and various medical costs; $10 for a Puddy Tat Protectors identification tag. Volunteers come in each morning to clean cages, feed and dispense medication, change litter and love the cats. "We need volunteers to just come in and love on a cat: Brush it, pet it, just love it," said Harvey. She said the group also needs volunteers to care for cats, raise donations and per- form other tasks. Grace Alexander, 28, of Midtown started as a volunteer in the summer of 1994 "just because I love the kitties. It's a real peaceful thing to do. I didn't have four cats at that time." Alexander, a student who offers pet-sitting services, said she adopted one of the Goodwin's cats and took others home for "vacations," giving them a break from being caged. "I had to quit doing that because I wanted to keep them," she said.

Harvey said some of her neighbors in the Cooper-Young business district were initially wary of her shop. "They just didn't understand what we were doing," she said. "They thought we were going to be a pet shop. Cats don't have the same requirements as dogs. I could never do this with dogs." Angie Kirkpatrick, owner of Maxwell's, said, "Before they came, people had anticipated problems, but we haven't had any problems. I think the more business and the more diverse businesses come to Cooper-Young, the better it is for everybody."