World Premiere in Milwaukee

Wisconsin native Katy McHugh turned her love for cats into a business after a trip abroad, where a stray cat inspired the idea for Sip & Purr Cat Café in Milwaukee. Sip & Purr is a space for community members to drink wine and be surrounded by cats. Even with some skepticism from others, doors to Sip and Purr opened in June 2018.

It was just six months later when a Milwaukee woman adopted a cat from Qatar (a country in the Middle East) and later donated it to Sip & Purr, where she told owner McHugh about the country’s cat crisis. That interaction inspired McHugh to rescue cats from Qatar and bring them to Milwaukee for adoption.

The documentary 25 Cats from Qatar, directed by Mye Hoang, follows McHugh’s international cat rescue mission. 25 Cats from Qatar will have its world premiere at the Milwaukee Film Festival on May 3, 2025.

According to the documentary, Qatar has a street cat population that is continually growing. Cats were brought to the nation to help with a rat problem, but it quickly grew out of control. In Qatar, there are many cats without homes because there are little to no adoption options and resources to solve the issue.

As a flight attendant of 26 years, McHugh visited Qatar, where she saw the cat problem up close. From there, she made a plan to rescue cats.

“I saw the situation for myself, and I couldn’t turn my back,” said McHugh.

McHugh said she has found homes for around 1,400 cats locally and internationally in over 11 countries since the opening of Sip & Purr.

Animal Lover

McHugh recalls being five years old and asking for a cat for her birthday. Her parents gifted her a gray kitten, which she named Fluff,y who lived to be 18 years old. McHugh recently named one of her foster cats after Fluffy.

Along with being a cat parent, in her youth, McHugh rescued squirrels and had a horse, among other animals, but cats have her heart.

“They just make wonderful companions,” said McHugh.

Hoang discovered McHugh’s story after screening her documentary, Cat Daddies, at the 2022 Milwaukee Film Festival. Hoang visited Sip & Purr and talked with McHugh. Although she had just done a cat documentary, she felt McHugh’s story would be a great one for the big screen.

“I made it for the cinema. I made it so we can gather together as cat lovers,” said Hoang, who adopted a cat.

Hoang wanted to show the entire process it took to get the cats from Qatar to Milwaukee. She said it felt like an adventure. The journey involved long flight rides, 100-degree weather, sourcing cats, and even attaining cat passports.

“One of the messages in the film [is that] it’s not just a cat, it’s a whole life,” said Hoang. “A lot of people look at animals as just animals…there really is an individual soul there.”

Grand Re-Opening

Sip & Purr closed its original location a year ago. It recently reopened on April 30, 2025, located at 833 E. Brady St. in Milwaukee.

“Everybody can do even one little thing,” said McHugh. “We think we can’t, but we have the change hidden inside of us.”