I've known about the cat cafe's opened in Japan and London, England but I was disheartened there didn't seem to be one local to me here in the UK. However, in 2015, a cat cafe opened in Nottingham, Midlands in England - an hours drive away from me!
Introduction:
Kitty Cafe is owned by Kate-Charles Richards and Oliver Richards and officially opened on Saturday, March 28th, 2015. It was funded via a kickstarter campaign and the couple bought cats in from rescue centres in Nottingham.
It is a re-homing centre with a twist - compared to leading competitor centres, it's actually formed as a public cafe. The owners live above the public cafe and foster various cats, although some roaming cats are actually the owner's own pets.
I think it's a fantastic idea regarding putting "fun" into an adoption centre. it allows the public to integrate with the cats in a more relaxed environment as opposed to viewing cats in cages, thus being able to get to know and love them, essentially making the adoption decision clearer. Not only that, the cats have much more freedom by being able to roam the cafe (including staff/owner areas) as they please, receiving plenty of play time with all the toys and people willing to play with them! Not only that, they're guaranteed plenty of fuss.
You MUST pre-book your time there. You can do this on their website - there's a £5 welfare charge (per hour) to pay once you arrive and the fee is for the well being of the cats. You have to understand that it would cost to run a cafe AND cat adoption centre - the charge ensures the cats are fed and watered, so I personally don't mind being charged, there's even a staff and cat donation box, ideal if you need your wallet to shed a few pounds.
So what's it like as a cafe?
I think it's a fantastic idea regarding putting "fun" into an adoption centre. it allows the public to integrate with the cats in a more relaxed environment as opposed to viewing cats in cages, thus being able to get to know and love them, essentially making the adoption decision clearer. Not only that, the cats have much more freedom by being able to roam the cafe (including staff/owner areas) as they please, receiving plenty of play time with all the toys and people willing to play with them! Not only that, they're guaranteed plenty of fuss.
You MUST pre-book your time there. You can do this on their website - there's a £5 welfare charge (per hour) to pay once you arrive and the fee is for the well being of the cats. You have to understand that it would cost to run a cafe AND cat adoption centre - the charge ensures the cats are fed and watered, so I personally don't mind being charged, there's even a staff and cat donation box, ideal if you need your wallet to shed a few pounds.
So what's it like as a cafe?
You enter the vicinity and wait in the queue by the front desk. Yes, there are double doors at the entrance to prevent cats venturing off outdoors. Once the staff identified you from bookings, you're asked to sign a "check in" form and read through the cafe rules. The rules are essentially basic common sense - you must follow these rules or face being asked to leave the premises. You are then allocated to your seats and given menus. You can wander around the cafe anytime you like. The cats are used to being approached and are happy to accept fuss. 15 minutes before your hour is up a member of staff will remind you of your remaining time available.
My personal experience:
I visited the Kitty Cafe with my partner Lee and we pre-booked via email for two hours as it was our 2 year anniversary that week and thought the Kitty Cafe would be a cool way to celebrate it, or whatever you want to call it!
As soon as we entered, a cute cat called Daisy ran up to where Lee was standing - presumingly an attempt to get out the front door. As I entered the established I was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of cats wandering the cafe. I laid eyes on this Chinchilla Persian kitten whilst waiting in the que!
My personal experience:
I visited the Kitty Cafe with my partner Lee and we pre-booked via email for two hours as it was our 2 year anniversary that week and thought the Kitty Cafe would be a cool way to celebrate it, or whatever you want to call it!
As soon as we entered, a cute cat called Daisy ran up to where Lee was standing - presumingly an attempt to get out the front door. As I entered the established I was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of cats wandering the cafe. I laid eyes on this Chinchilla Persian kitten whilst waiting in the que!
There were two white chinchilla Persian sisters, one being more grey toned than the other. Their fur was incredibly soft and luxurious, I have no doubt they'll be getting tons of adoption requests!
When we got to the front of the line, I was disheartened to be told that we may not be able to get the 2 hours due to circumstances regarding it being a busy Saturday. However, I believe since we booked a week in advance, we would be sure to get the full time and luckily we did!
Our seating area was pretty cool. We were next to a huge cat wheel (same exercise contraption you'll see in many hamster cages) and had an awesome sofa to sit on which was super relaxing. I could already see an exotic shorthair cat attempting to steal food from 2 ladies sat opposite to us. Amusing!
So we found the menu to be on the pricey side, however, for most people, visiting a Cat Cafe is not a weekly occurrence and you can justify the costs when there's so many cats to take care of. I ordered a jacket potato, salad and a banana milkshake. Lee ordered a latte and sandwich. To be honest, the food and drinks were of a high quality and there's even a take-out option available!
Once we finished eating, we were provided with cat entertainment. The exotic shorthair tabby named Toffee decided to use the cat wheel and essentially fail in the process. I caught the action on camera as well as some footage of me using the surrounding toys to amuse Toffee.
It wasn't long before she would lay on the floor, taking all the fuss off me and Lee.
We ventured around the other area and were assured our belongings would be safe and watched whilst we were away - a huge reassurance.
Here's more images of the cats we met during our adventure!
Tabby
Majestic cat who loved a fuss
Heathcliffe - the legendary Maine Coon ginger with huge paws.
Black and white
Popcorn, the Persian with ragdoll fur colourings!
Chinchilla persian kitten
Waiting for food!
Beautiful chinchilla Persian!
Hi Toffee!
Gorgeous Ragdoll kitten, Custard. The picture above is Custard having a fuss and nibble with Lee!
Popcorn's spot!
:)
Pros and Cons of the Kitty Cafe
Pros:
Hardworking staff - they're not just serving food and drinks, they're accommodating to both guests and cats as well as keeping watch of their surroundings
It's a rescue centre - enough said!
Ideal for crazy cat lovers - I don't have a cat at the moment so it's a great way to get your feline fix!
The cats have plenty of space to run around and so many toys to keep them fit and entertained.
Constant companionship - the cats come and go aside the owners pets, so there's plenty of company for the animals
Useful for deciding who to adopt - real time interaction in a more realistic environment rather than peeking through cages.
Top quality food
Clean and hygienic environment including the restrooms.
Positive communications from the team, including the owner.
Freedom to roam and say hello to all the cats - everyone else is getting out of their seats so you don't feel obliged to remain seated the whole time you get at the cafe
You MUST book your desired time and date in advance as it's a highly sought "attraction" and Saturdays in particular will be extremely busy.
Obviously with so many cats and customers, not many cats will feel the need to approach you as they're very used to human contact and some are likely to be bewildered by their surroundings. However, all the cats I came across were happy for a fuss - Popcorn received some kisses.
Certain careless children - not all kids will disturb the cats and some children have awesome parents who have taught them how to approach and pet animals. Unfortunately, some of the kids will run around scaring a cat away. Luckily, our particular visit didn't prove to be a child frenzy and staff are mindful that kids will be kids at the best of times. If you bring your child and they are badly behaved, you will be politely asked to leave.
Sadly, one of the members of staff was stand offish and seemed less than enthusiastic to be serving us, however, this is the case for every working environment.
One hour is certainly not enough to relax with rushing your food and drinks to roam the cafe - if you live local this probably wouldn't be an issue but travelers should be sure to book at least 2 hours for maximum enjoyment.
Conclusion:
Overall, I'd say me and Lee had a great time and we have expressed our desire to visit again. Any Cat Cafe is a must for cat lovers and those wanting to include an additional family member!
Thanks for reading this post!
Shez :)
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