GREENFIELD — Those looking to kick back with ice cream or a beverage surrounded by feline friends can do so at the Camelot Cat Cafe, believed to be western Massachusetts’ first cat cafe, starting Friday.

The 305 Wells St. business, which received its special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals in June, will operate on an appointment-only basis when it first opens. However, Kelley Goddard, who owns Camelot Cat Cafe and has been working in partnership with building owner Cameron Ward, said she hopes to make that model more flexible in the future, provided that walk-ins can be made possible without creating a chaotic environment.

“I would like to be able to offer [walk-in visits] because we’re off the street, there’s the people that walk by at night and it would be nice to have them come in and get a coffee or get an ice cream, if we can control it,” Goddard said. “This weekend, it’s by appointment, just because we don’t want things to get crazy.”

For $10, customers can spend 15 minutes in the cafe, where pre-packaged snacks and beverages will be available. Appointments can be made by calling or texting 413-824-1118. The business will also sell cat toys and other feline products made by local businesses and artisans.

Six cats and kittens currently roam the roughly 800-square-foot cafe that features climbing furniture and a variety of toys. Goddard said all the cats are currently rescues or “sanctuary cats.”

Ward, who owns the 305 Wells St. building that also houses Absolutely Fabulous Hair, Pristine Orientals and Camelot Carpet Cleaners, said the business plans to partner with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter, which recently received approval to build a new facility in Deerfield that will also take in cats. The Camelot Cat Cafe would house the shelter’s stray cats and put them up for adoption.

Until the partnership is finalized, though, Goddard said the Camelot Cat Cafe is housing rescues, some of whom came from owners who could no longer keep them. The initial six felines are not up for adoption.

“Hopefully down the road, once they have cats in Deerfield, we can make things a little bit easier,” Goddard said. “Right now, we have cats that have come from people who don’t have cats anymore, so now they can still come to see their cats.”

The first cat cafe opened in 1998 in Taiwan, and the concept has gained popularity, as similar businesses 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 years since.

Although cat cafes have been popular in the U.S., there are only a handful in Massachusetts, the newest being the Crazy Cat Lounge in Lowell, which opened in March.

For Goddard, who is also a hairdresser at Absolutely Fabulous Hair, a cat cafe has been a dream of hers for years. She said she simply loves cats and wants people to enjoy their company.

“We’ve been talking about it for about four years. … It’s something that means a lot to a lot of people,” Goddard said. “There’s so many people who love cats but can’t have cats anymore, or people whose family members are allergic. Cats just bring people joy. … There’s proof that cats relieve anxiety and they lower your blood pressure.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.