I ate at one of London’s only two cat cafes and was thrust into a battle of wills against a crafty kitten.
It looks like any other cafe, but peering through the front window, I can see the silhouettes of furry lumps perched high and low. The cafe’s front desk is in a separate room to the main area, cut off by a small hallway with code-locked doors at both ends to keep its feline occupants inside. It reminds me of the airlocks you see in sci-fi films.
One of the waiters greets me with a smile and asks if I’ve ever visited. Learning that it’s my first time, she swiftly hands me a laminated sheet, titled “Care & Consideration Leads to Contentment”, also known as the “three Cs” which are the core of Whiskers & Cream.
Like many cat cafes, house rules detailing health and safety and how to interact with the cats are fundamental. Cat cafes originated in Taiwan in 1998 but have since become an international sensation. There are around 20 scattered across the UK, with two in London. Whiskers & Cream in Holloway and Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in Shoreditch.
After reading the rules, I was told to sanitise my hands (I’ll be doing this a lot), before being ushered through the doors that led to cat territory. She took me to my seat, adding that my afternoon tea would be arriving shortly. But in the meantime, she gives me a rundown on the resident cats.
Let’s meet the cats
She points to a tabby on a wall-mounted platform above me, “that’s Amelia”. I crank my head back and spot the cat curiously staring down at me. She then gestures to the far end of the cafe where the cat toys are stored: “This one’s Jack. He’s one of our Maine Coons, you’ll find his brother downstairs.” Then we spot Vanilla in the seat opposite to mine. He’s the cafe’s senior resident and I’ll be sharing my table with him for the duration.
She lists a few more cats and it’s hard to keep track, but I’m determined to memorise the name of every four-legged friend before I leave. Grabbing afternoon tea is already a treat, why not make it better with cats? Nothing else spells an image of relaxation like a warming cup of tea and a cosy feline curled beside you, or so I thought.
Oscar, a 9-month-old kitten Tonkinese kitten joins me on my seat. At a glance, Oscar seems like an extroverted kitty, but I quickly learned that he only wants one thing – food. The waitress tries her best to keep his paws from snatching our snacks and explains that Oscar is currently in his “I want to eat everything” phase of kittenhood. It didn’t help that his breed made him the smartest of the bunch, as he would patiently wait to pilfer from unaware customers. He looks defiantly with his beady eyes. Oscar is clearly underestimating me.
Between bites, I have to remove him from the table. That’s where the hand sanitiser comes in. This is the freshest my hands have been all month. The cafe supplies their own but bringing some yourself saves having to frequently get up from the table. So, if you ever visit, BYOB.
Credit: Caitlin Jordan
One of the visitors, Brav Basker, also had the misfortune of falling victim to Oscar’s ploys. “The food getting nabbed was a bit of a shock, but you couldn’t really be too mad since they were so cute”. He adds that this wouldn’t be something he would do regularly, as he had to travel quite far to visit the cafe, but he can “certainly see the appeal for folks with a wider wallet who are closer by”.
Cat Cafe is an expensive business
There used to be another cafe in East London, but it shut down in 2018. Kay Allen, the owner of Whiskers & Cream, explains that running such an establishment is “very expensive” and “takes a lot more work than running an ordinary cafe”. Allen also has a performing animals licence which has strict standards and regulations to meet.
Anyone wanting to come in for food or drink has to pay a minimum of £10 which includes the price of their order. The extra money is for a “cat welfare charge” that goes towards the cats’ food, health and general care. “You know how much it is to go to a vet and to feed them. They all get fed high-quality food and get their injections. We also need staff. It’s a costly thing and it’s a big responsibility,” she says.
Be the home of rescued cats
Out of the cafe’s nine cats, five are rescues. Allen initially thought about offering adoption but decided against it: “This is their forever home. I don’t have space here, I feel, to do re-homing. I think cats that are going to be turned around and re-homed need to be in a separate part, because the cats here are really happy and this is their home.”
After exiting the café, I look back through the glass window. Oscar runs up to the front, looking at me inquisitively through the glass. For a second I thought we were having a moment, but perhaps he was just wondering where the food was and if I was taking it away with me. Taking one last glance, he struts away and goes back to scratching his pole.
5 of the best cat cafes around the world
- Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium – Shoreditch, London
Enjoy luxury tea in the UK’s first cat cafe. - Mog On The Tyne – Newcastle
Take part in cat bingo, cat colouring and a cat knitting club. All the cats are rescues. - Temari no Ouchi – Tokyo
This cafe merges cats and maids in a Studio Ghibli-inspired interior. - Catmosphere – Chiang Mai, Thailand
A space-themed café, complete with a cinema and popcorn. - Cafe Dogs and Cats – Taipei
Opened in 1998, this was the first cat cafe in the world and a must visit for enthusiasts
