We implement an entry cost of £7.50 per person per hour. This is an animal welfare charge which goes towards covering the cost of looking after the cats in our care. As you can imagine we get through a lot of cat food and litter! Please note this charge applies to adults and children (aged 8+ years).
We operate a strict age limit on children entering the cat cafe of 8 years and over. We like to create a calm relaxing environment within the cafe for both our cats and our customers. It therefore isn’t a suitable environment for young children. Please note that children must be closely supervised whilst in the cafe and there must be no more than 2 children per every 1 adult.
We encourage you to book your visit via our website. We have to limit the number of people in the cafe at any one time for the sake of not overwhelming our cats, so in order to guarantee your slot, booking is advisable. We do accept walk-ins but this will be subject to availability on the day. Full payment will be taken at the time of booking. Your food and drink will be charged on the day. Please note we do not accept booking via Facebook Messenger, all bookings must be made via the website. If you have special requirements please give us a ring or send us an email.
We cannot accept bookings of more than 6 people in a group. This is to ensure that we can maintain a quiet atmosphere for our cats and don’t overwhelm other customers. If you’d like to book for a group of more than 6 people please contact us to enquire about private hire.
Private hire is also available to any group of up to 12 people if you would like to mark a special occasion, host a work meeting or just experience the cafe all to yourselves. Please note we cannot accomodate children’s birthday parties.
We serve a selection of cakes, brownies and blondies, plus cold savoury pastries and Fairfield Farm crisps. All of our food is homemade by local, Suffolk bakers. Our selection changes regularly, but rest assured there will always be vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available. Our tea and coffee is supplied by Suffolk roasters and tea smiths Butterworth & Sons.
Some of our cats come to us from a local rescue called Mel’s Rescue and some come to us from individuals who are surrendering their pets. Our Finnegan’s residents have been rehomed permanently at the cafe as we feel that the environment suits them and they thrive there. Our foster cats are available to adopt and the cafe provides the perfect way for people to meet and interact with the foster cats so that we can match them with their ideal forever family.
If you fall in love with one of our foster cats please check their status to ensure that they are accepting applications. Our foster cats are given a settling in period at the cafe during which time we cannot accept applications. You can keep a check on their status via our website. Once a cat is accepting applications and you have met the cat at the cafe, please send us an email and we will direct you to the relevant application form. All potential adopters are subject to a virtual home check and lifestyle related questions to ensure the correct match for both you and the cat.
We have a ramp to allow wheelchair users over the small threshold into the cafe. Unfortunately our toilet facilities are not large enough to accommodate a wheelchair, but we have an agreement in place with Caffe Nero, who are 2 doors down, that our customers may freely use their accessible toilet.
We love all animals, but ask you please to leave your own pets at home.
Our staff carry out daily observations on all cats and they are subject to regular vet checks. Our house rules are in place in order to protect the welfare of our cats which is paramount. When the cats are in the main cafe area they are there though choice. If they wish to have quiet time there is a private room always accessible by cat flap and a secure outdoor space. If at any point our cats display signs that they are not happy and relaxed at the cafe, they will be taken into a private foster home environment until they are adopted.
The cafe is our cat’s home. They have free roam of the cafe (apart from the kitchen) 24 hours a day. Surveillance cameras mean we can keep an eye on the cats even when the cafe is closed. We have a team of volunteers who spend time with the cats during the late evening after closing.
We operate a double door entry system at the front and the rear of the premises so that two doors cannot be opened at the same time therefore creating a safety airlock.
Kitten and adult cat adoption fee: £150
Senior cat (10+) adoption fee: £60
Adoption fees cover the costs to vaccinate, microchip, neuter/spay, flea and worm treat all cats.
We always need food and litter for our cats. If you’d like to donate some cat food or litter (paper litter only please) this would be very gratefully received. We also accept cash donations towards our cat care costs. In addition if you’d like to drop spare change or a cash donation into the Mel’s Rescue collection box, this is always on display at our reception.