GREENFIELD — A proposed cat cafe at 305 Wells St., believed to be the first in western Massachusetts, will have to wait until June for a decision from the Zoning Board of Appeals on a special permit.

Applicant Cameron Ward, who owns the building where the proposed cat cafe would be located, made his case to the ZBA Thursday night at City Hall. The building, in the General Industry Zoning District, also houses Absolutely Fabulous Hair, Pristine Orientals and Camelot Carpet Cleaners.

“It’s just a really tranquil, peaceful sort of environment,” Ward said of the cat cafes he’s visited before with his children in South Carolina and eastern Massachusetts, adding that he plans to offer pre-packaged snacks and drinks for purchase while people visit with cats in a cafe and lounge. Wearing a jacket with a cat cafe logo on the chest, he continued, “It’s a unique opportunity. There’s nothing like this in western Massachusetts.”

As questions and discussion went on, board members expressed their intrigue, but asked to be excused of any ignorance of the phenomenon of cat cafes. Ward was eager to help fill in any gaps.

“If I start laughing about this, it seems kind of fun and silly, but it’s not ridiculing,” board member Mark Maloni said before asking Ward his questions.

Historically, the first cat cafe to open was in 1998 in Taiwan, and the concept gained more popularity as cat cafes emerged in Japan in the 2000s. The first cat cafe in the U.S. opened in April 2014 in New York City, with more cropping up across North America and the rest of the world in the years that followed.

Although these businesses have been popular in the U.S., there are only a handful in Massachusetts, with the most recent one to open being the Crazy Cat Lounge in Lowell. The business has appointments booked out for the next six months after opening earlier this month, according to its website.

Although the business has no name yet, Ward explained the idea is for the cat cafe, in a 28-by-38-foot space, to be open four days a week with evening hours. It would house eight to 10 cats that are spayed or neutered and that undergo routine veterinary care. The cats would be available for adoption, a process that would be handled by a shelter partner. Paid appointments to visit with the cats would be required.

Ward expressed interest in event opportunities like birthday parties, and said he is open to any conditions the ZBA feels are appropriate for the unique business.

Some of the ideas he shared had paperwork to accompany them, including a commitment letter from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter for its assistance in acting as the shelter partner that would handle adoptions for the cats. Business abutters on Wells Street and Greenfield Veterinary Clinic owner Cindy Cole attended to show support.

Even with documentation provided and an in-house show of support from the public, ZBA Chair David Singer said he had some concerns that prompted him to suggest extending the hearing until June, which Ward agreed to.

“I have a general feeling from this board that we all like the idea,” Singer said. “It’s in a perfect zone, it’s in a perfect spot for it, but I have concerns.”

Some of these concerns, Singer and other members of the board shared, entail wanting to be certain about the dog shelter’s commitment to the cafe; being sure that state regulations are followed; making sure other city entities, like the animal inspector, are involved in the approval process; updating a site plan for a designated quarantine spot for a sick cat; ensuring the business has proper insurance coverage; and detailing staffing and hours of operation within a business plan.

Maloni said one reassuring element of this plan is that there is Massachusetts oversight on these cafes, as he mentioned a Google search of a location in Peabody displaying the regulations clearly, noting that while the business model might be new to Greenfield, it is not to the state.

“I’m not saying they have to push this through tonight, but it is reassuring to see that this isn’t the first time this is happening in the commonwealth,” Maloni said. Ward agreed, adding that he’s reviewed the regulations that are specific to the state of Massachusetts.

With these requests from the board listed, Singer said he’d provide a checklist for Ward to review. The board unanimously approved continuing the hearing until June, given that upcoming meetings will be focused on Viridi Wireless’ cell tower application.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.