Welcome to the UK's first cat café: Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium.
«Lady Dinah's owes its genesis to a bad day at work,» founder Lauren Pears explains in the book London Pubcats. Lauren was a senior project manager working in computer games who, after a miserable day at the office, had her mood lightened on the way home by the affections of a stray cat. «It made me realize that everything seems better when there's a cat. I wrote my business plan the next day.»
The idea was to create a place where people who didn't have a cat of their own would be able to come and enjoy some feline company.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised almost £110,000, the café opened its doors in March 2014.
Even though there are many pubs in London where you can enjoy the company of one or two cats (The Charlotte Despard and the Old Eagle's pub, to name a few), Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium has become the place to be for cat lovers visiting the capital.
Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium has become so popular that you usually can't get in without a reservation, not even on a weekday afternoon outside of the holiday season.
A reservation costs £10 (to be paid in advance). For that price, you get one non-alcoholic drink and 90 minutes in the company of the cats.
You can also opt for High Tea. For £25, you receive 90 minutes with the resident felines, two drinks per person, and a high tea tier to share (which will be more than you'll be able to eat).
The basement floor of the café is decorated like the magical forest of Alice in Wonderland. This is also where the name of the café comes from since Dinah is Alice's kitten.
The top floor has a more neutral setting.
The wellbeing of the cats is of utmost importance in Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium. There are more rules to follow than in most other cat cafés (wash your hands before entering, don't pick up the cats, don't wake them up, etc), but that is a good thing.
Guests are more than welcome to play with the cats, and there are plenty of toys to assist with that.
All the residents are rescued/adopted instead of bought. If the staff notices that one of the cats is not enjoying café life anymore, they will rehome it.
The café also helps spread awareness about the benefits of spaying and neutering, especially for female cats who are at reduced risk of uterine disease later in life if they are spayed.
Address: 152-154 Bethnal Green Road, London, England
More info here.
P.S. Some other interesting cat cafés: Tokyo / Ghent / Brussels / Amsterdam / Seoul / Nice / Seattle
Love it and wish I could visit. I love the picks especially the one with the paws stretched out hanging over the couch
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea. That it's so popular is no surprise. It looks really cat-immersive.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place and such beautiful cats! Thanks for sharing the pictures!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a great place! I wish there were cat cafes nearer me.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is very Awesome and mind blowing. Thanks for sharing this beautiful pictures and this blog.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos, the cats look gorgeous and the cafe looks lovely but as much as I'd love to visit London is just too far for me. However there's a cat cafe at Manchester within a short travelling distance of home so I'm looking forward to going there later in the year.
ReplyDeleteLooks like cat lover's heaven! #pocolo
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun place, especially for people who cannot have cats. Great photos.
ReplyDelete(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Hello, looks like a great place. Love all the kitty photos. Thanks for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day! Have a great new week ahead!
ReplyDeleteIf I still loved in London I would be there every weekend!!
ReplyDeleteThis place is amazing and I love all the cats!
ReplyDeleteI finally made the trek to London from New York last October and I stayed in Shoreditch just so I could be close to Lady Dinah's! It was my favorite part of my trip and I can't wait to go back again.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cats and you shared good information about cats. Thanks for sharing this post with us.
ReplyDelete