Paw-some news for cat lovers in Manchester as not one, but two cat cafés are set to open their doors in the city in 2016.
Cafés where cat lovers can spend time with some feline friends have sprung up across the globe in recent years and there are currently cat cafes in cities including London, Edinburgh and Newcastle, and now Manchester is set to follow suit.
The owners of Kitty Café, a venue in Nottingham which has been running since March 2015, are planning to open their second site in Manchester in 2016. Kitty Café has a rehoming and rescue model so if you visit and fall in love with a feline friend, there's an opportunity for you to give them a new home. Since their opening earlier this year, they’ve found homes for more than 30 rescue cats.
They’ll be launching in Manchester next year, aiming for a spring opening date.
Meanwhile, sisters Elena and Sarah Close are also planning to open up a cat café in the city, after being inspired by a visit to a venue in Edinburgh earlier this year. This will be a more traditional café set up – although they won’t be serving food – where customers will pay an entrance fee which will allow them to spend as much time as they like in the café, with unlimited hot and cold drinks during their visit. The café’s design will be cosy and comfortable, with features such as Wi-Fi, a TV corner with a games console and a large tropical fish tank.
But the stars will, of course, be the cats. Five of the residents have already been selected and have all been together since they were kittens. The owners say they’ve been specially selected for their individual breeds and personalities to give customers the chance to interact with cats they wouldn’t get to meet on a day-to-day basis.
This venue, named Cat Café Manchester, is also planning to open in the spring and the team have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise cash to kit out the site.
Ygritte claiming the new tunnel as hers! #NorweigenForrest pic.twitter.com/nL1saCV4yh
— Cat Cafe Manchester (@CatCafeManc) November 20, 2015
We'll have more once both venues confirm their sites and opening dates. We're sure they'll be both be purr-fect places to visit for cat lovers.
See more things to do in Manchester from Time Out.