Despite the huge success in Asia, the cat cafe trend is still picking up popularity in the West. In London, however, excellent examples of such facilities have already appeared, which is a great joy for lovers of these small but very cute animals. In the UK,landlords often do not allow to keep pets, and the very keeping of a cat is quite expensive, imposing a number of financial and moral obligations on the owners. Therefore, in this article we have prepared a list of all London cat cafes specifically for those who adore cats, but for various reasons cannot have their own pet at home.
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, Bethnal Green
https://ladydinahs.com/
This is London’s first catcafe, which opened in Bethnal Green in 2013. Since then, it has become one of east London’s most famous cafes, thanks to its instagramability. Like most such places, Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium asks visitors to pay for an hour’s stay in the cafe to interact with the cats. According to the rules, they can’t be picked up, but if the animals come to you, they can be stroked and cuddled with.
In addition to the usual service in the form of an hourly stay, visitors are also given options such as a traditional afternoon teawith cats, birthday parties with cats, cocktails with cats (the cafe calls it “Happy meower”) and painting on Thursdays, where guests can enjoy a glass of wine while painting in the fun company of cats.
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is not only a catcafe, but also a shelter where the staff helps animals find their new homes. So it’s the perfect place to meet your new hairy friend, and who knows, maybe you would like him to move in with you.
Java Whiskers Cat Cafe, Marylebone & White City
https://javawhiskers.co.uk/
Java Whiskers Cat Cafe in Marylebone is the only cat cafe in Europe where you can play with kittens in addition to adult cats. Earlier this year a second Java Whiskers Cat Cafe opened near Westfield White City and it has already gained huge popularity among all residents of West London. Both cafes are decorated in a minimalist style and differ from the usual coffee shop only by the fact that everywhere you look there are cats!
The story behind the creation of the cafe is no less sweet. The founders, having learned that socialising with cats has an extremely positive effect on people’s mental health, which has been proven by scientists, wanted to combine their love for cats and coffee with the desire to help both cats and people at the same time. Thus, the establishment is not only a catcafe, but also a shelter for cats that have become homeless for various reasons. The staff of Java Whiskers help cats to find a new home and any visitor can adopt their favourite one. The cafe also hosts regular events, including weekly yoga classes with kittens and book club meetings.
Whiskers and Cream, Islington
https://www.whiskersandcream.com/
This catcafe promotes itself as the most luxurious catcafe in London, and for a good reason. In this establishment, in addition to socialising with a gang of four-legged friends, visitors have the opportunity to try a menu of exquisite teas, specialty coffee, different variations of traditional English snacks, as well as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.
But of course the main part of the Whiskers and Cream scheduleis the kitties themselves. At the moment there are 10 cats of different breeds, whose biographies can be found on the cafe’s website. Unlike previous catcafes, this place is not a shelter, so, unfortunately, you can’t adopt a cat you like. Visiting the cafe costs 10 pounds per hour and all the money goes to the maintenance of its inhabitants.
Paws Cat Cafe, Tonbridge
https://www.paws-cat-cafe.co.uk/
“For coffee, for cake, for cats” is the slogan that the founders of Paws Cat Cafe came up with for their catcafe. It is absolutely justified: the cafe has a huge choice of delicious pastries and excellent coffee, as well as cats of all colours and breeds. Despite the fact that the cafe is not exactly in London, it is still very convenient to get to, and there are no problems with parking around the cafe.
The main concept of this catcafe is to provide the “cat therapyexperience”, during which visitors can distract themselves from everyday problems and stress by communicating with the cute animals. At the moment there are 20 cats of different breeds in the cafe, with which visitors can play and cuddle. Despite the fact that all the residents of the cafe were taken from a cats’ rescue home, the owners are not intending to give them up for adoption to other families. However, visitors can sponsor an animal they like, information on which is available on the cafe’s website. It is recommended to book a table in advance, as due to its high popularity in the neighbourhood, Paws Cat Cafe is often full.
