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Vibrissae

Our story

Act I

A childhood promise

Line drawing: A little girl crouching to look at a cat

At four, Rama discovered cats.

Line drawing: The girl stretching under a parked car to reach a hiding cat

From that day on, she followed them everywhere. Even the ones trying very hard to hide.

Line drawing: The girl dreaming of a kitten while her mother holds up a hand to say no

Her mother, however, had one rule: no animals in the house.

Line drawing: A teenager at her desk, thinking of a kitten and a school report with a tick

She grew up in a home where cats stayed outside. Until high school, when she came up with what she still considers a brilliant deal: top grades for a kitten.

Line drawing: The teenager hugging a fluffy white Persian kitten

It worked!

She finally got a snowy-white Persian named Barbie. And Barbie wasn’t a pet. Barbie was family.

Line drawing: A young woman holding a cat while her fiance stands with his arms crossed

Then life surprised her. Rama was engaged, but with fine print. Her fiancé didn’t like cats.

Line drawing: The couple with a cat and a calendar, he gives a thumbs up

After months of convincing, and right around the wedding, he agreed to a one-month trial.

Line drawing: The couple smiling, each holding a cat

One month became one year. One cat became two. And somehow, she turned him into a cat dad.

Act II

The turning point

Line drawing: A woman at an office desk, daydreaming about her cats

Rama did well in her 9 to 5 finance job, but it always felt like the side quest. Her real work was cats.

Line drawing: A woman working from home at a laptop, with cats beside her

Then COVID hit. Working from home, immersed in her little cat world, gave her clarity.

So she started building the place she had always wanted: a room full of cats, open to anyone.

Rama wanted a place where cat lovers, and soon-to-be cat lovers, could feel the calm joy of being around cats. That’s how Vibrissae was born.

After a year of planning and six months of execution, Vibrissae Al Safa opened its doors in February 2021.

Line drawing: The couple holding cats, she raises a trophy and he holds up a newspaper

People came back and brought friends. The press followed. And some guests walked out as cat people, the way her husband once did.

Act III

The legacy

Line drawing: A tired woman holding a cat care clipboard, next to a no-entry sign and a cat

One branch wasn’t enough for the mission. In 2022, Vibrissae Mirdif was born, welcoming 20 more cats into the family.

Growth brought joy, and a thousand new lessons. Rules changed. Routines changed. The one thing that didn’t: the cats came first. It wasn’t easy.

But Rama kept going. In 2024, she opened the third branch: Vibrissae Creek Harbour.

Line drawing: Three team members at the cafe caring for a cat

Today, after caring for 100+ cats and welcoming visitors from all over the world, Rama still shows up like it’s day one.

Line drawing: A woman sitting beside a little girl with her arm around her

Just like the promise she made herself decades ago.

Still think you’re not a cat person?

We’ve heard that one before.

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