I do not have an issue with cat allergies, but our DS does, to the extent that he rarely visits because we have a cat. That said, I don't really have an issue with a cat in a quilt shop, perhaps the shop is in an area where mice are present and the cat serves a very real purpose. However, cats can be trained to not go onto tables or any other surfaces where they are not wanted, although we had one cat who would jump onto the kitchen table whenever I had a floral arrangement with baby's breath; for some reason Princess loved baby's breath.