The Kitty Cat Café

Stop here for coffee, cake and cat cuddles

Maggie Morton

Pop into any local café these days and it’s not unusual to see a canine customer accompanying the more traditional human ones. You probably wouldn’t expect to share your coffee break with a cat or two, though. This concept, however, is very familiar to NHS nurses Amy Anderson and Laura Harvey, who have brought such an experience to Ayr through the recently opened Kitty Cat Café. I met Amy there a couple of weeks after opening, and was soon settled in a comfy chair, complete with cappuccino and friendly sphinx, ready to chat all things cat café.

“Both Laura and I have loved visiting cat cafés in various cities across Scotland with our children,” begins Amy. “We would discuss having our own café one day, but never looked further into it. Recently, one opened in Falkirk, and that’s been just as popular as those in the city centres. We suddenly realised, if we didn’t open a cat café here in Ayrshire, someone else would beat us to it.”

Decision taken, Amy and Laura developed their ideas into a proper business plan, sought further advice from the local Business Gateway, and turned their dream into reality in the form of the Kitty Cat Café.

“I had recently lost my mum,” continues Amy, “and that made me reflect on what was important in my life. It certainly made me think ‘just do it’ about the café, that I’d rather try, even if we didn’t succeed, than always think, ‘what if’. To be honest, we thought Business Gateway would just dismiss our ideas as something silly, but everyone we spoke to loved the idea of a cat café and told us to go for it.”

Located in the former gaming café premises on Ayr’s South Harbour Street, the Kitty Cat Café opened at the end of November 2024, and is home to ten rescue/rehomed cats, including an elegant older calico called Nina, fusspot Luca, the heat-seeking sphinx cats Brahms and Jupiter, and cheeky wee youngster Woody. Another four adult moggies and two kittens will be joining the current furry residents over the next few months.

Amy is the first to admit opening the café has been a steep learning curve. The cat side was easy; as pet owners both Amy and Laura were familiar with their care and just needed to brush up on the different breeds. The building and catering sides, on the other hand, were alien territory.

“We took over the premises at the start of November. I think many of the fixtures and fittings were still from when it was a tavern,” remembers Amy. “We’ve completely refurbished the place. Laura and I still work in the NHS, so we’ve been doing our day jobs then coming here evenings and weekends with our friends and family to get the café sorted. It’s been tough, but when things have gone wrong, or there’s been a delay with the builders, the thought of having the café as we want, with all the cats, has got us through.”

The cats are very much the focus of the café, and that’s reflected in what’s available food- and drinks-wise. Neither Amy or Laura wanted to spend much time cooking in the kitchen, and they felt customers would prefer to spend their sessions interacting with the feline residents rather than eating a proper meal. The menu is thus a pared back affair, offering hot and cold drinks and a selection of cakes and pastries, all provided by local suppliers. Ordering has been another trial and error.

“You learn quickly when you’re on the job,” confirms Amy, “what needs ordering when, and how long fresh food lasts! The cakes have been popular, though, and we’ve made sure our suppliers include allergen-free and vegan options. We also got our barista friend in to teach us to make coffee using the machine, and I’ve been asking all our customers if their coffee is okay. I don’t know if they’re too polite to complain, but so far, everyone has said yes!”

There will have been plenty of customers to give feedback. Open four days a week – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday – the sessions on the first two weekends were fully booked, much to Amy and Laura’s surprise.

“We really didn’t expect that right from the opening weekend,” Amy confesses. “We set the maximum number at 30 people per session, which was a little too high for both cats and customers. We’ve decided to trial things for a bit with a maximum of 24, see how that goes. Our customers have been fantastic, though, so supportive and enthusiastic about the cats and the café.”

Not ones to sit on their laurels, Amy and Laura are already thinking about plans for 2025. Ideas being considered include movie nights, craft nights, and quizzes. It’s obvious from our conversation how keen they are to link in with local businesses and other community organisations – it’s most definitely a watch this space!

So, what can you expect from a visit to the Kitty Cat Café? Booking is required, with each session lasting an hour, and there is a small entrance fee which goes towards supporting the cats. You may get seated in the front room where the serving counter is complemented by a couple of low tables and some comfy chairs – fabric covered for cat-scratching delight, of course! Or you may be seated at a more traditional small dining table in the main room at the back, surrounded by cosy cat beds and scratching post trees to encourage a furry companion or two. Order something from the menu, then sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Judging by my coffee and cat experience, you won’t be disappointed – just watch out for a sneaky paw or two trying to steal your cake!

www.kittycatcafe.co.uk
Instagram: @kittycatcafeayr
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