Chateau Marmont asks cat-centric business, Cateau Marmont, to stop using similar name

TOLUCA LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood sent a cease-and-desist letter to a mother-daughter cat grooming business because their company name resembles the popular hotel.

The cat's been out of the bag for more than a year for the feline hotspot called Cateau Marmont, which offers grooming services and bungalows for $45 a night.

But recently, the business received the letter from the hotel.

"The hotel, Chateau Marmont, has decided to send us a cease-and-desist letter, asking us not to use the word Marmont and to change our everything," owner Jennifer Shields said.

That includes the Cateau's logo, shirts and business cards.

The posh hotel, known for its celebrity guests, said the similarity in name causes consumer confusion and dilution of their trademark name.

The women said there's middle ground, and their attorney said they don't have to be perched high to see it.

"People don't even know what Chateau Marmont is," Shields said.

One woman said she would hate to see Cateau Marmont lose its name. She's partnered with the duo to save cats by holding adoption days once a month. They also house cats and kittens that desperately need a home.

Cateau Marmont had to walk a narrow catwalk between business as usual and concern over what could happen to their establishment. There are a few similarities, such as Cateau having bungalows, but it doesn't seem to compare to what humans pay for even the cheapest digs at the posh hotel - $400 a night.

"It felt like someone was trying to not only rob me, but my extended family members of a place to come and feel safe," co-owner MacCaully Shields said.

The owners hope to keep it that way, even outside their territory in Toluca Lake. Eyewitness News contacted the hotel and its attorneys, but did not hear anything back.