BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Kelli Steward, the owner of Alabama’s first-ever cat cafe Gatos and Beans, has reportedly died according to social media posts made Sunday morning.
An initial Facebook post was published on Steward’s page at 8:54 a.m. on Sunday and accompanied by three pictures of Steward with cats and a dog said:
Kelli is gone from this world. I don’t have the words to convey the loss of one like her. Things didn’t matter much to her. People and pets and lost animals were her passion. We need very little in this world. Like Kelli we can give back to those who are in need. Please give to your charity of choice rather than flowers and cards. The world is a sadder place today. I loved her.
Kelli Steward, Facebook
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Just an hour later, Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital posted on Facebook, saying that Steward had died after “a short fight with a very serious illness.” According to the post, Steward had been an employee at the hospital.