Book in at Shropshire cat cafe
A cat rescue centre has come up with a novel way to boost donations.
The public can now book in at Shropshire Street Cats' unique cafe based near Whitchurch.
For a small donation, animal lovers can enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake in the company of some of the rescue's cats and kittens.
Volunteer Maxine Beech said: "We sometimes get people asking to volunteer to spend a bit of time with the cats, brushing or playing with them, or just sitting with them.
"I’ve also seen the rise of cat cafes popping up all over the place, so thought why not invite our supporters round for tea and cake, and give the cats some extra attention."
In January the charity was awarded funding from Support Adoption for Pets to build a new larger pen.
Maxine soon kitted the pen out with a TV, radio, water fountain, and cat-friendly plants.
She also believes it could be the UK's smallest cat cafe but because of its size, it is only suitable for two to three people at a time and will be open on an ad-hoc basis, depending on the cats in the rescue.
"As a rescue we have to put our cats first," she added. "Some cats are desperate for people to visit them but others would not enjoy the experience, so when we have suitable cats or kittens we’ll advertise a session on our Facebook page.
"Usually this will only be once or twice a week, so people will have to get in fast to make a booking."
Cat cafe sessions will be booked on a first come first served basis, and visitors are asked to consider a minimum donation of £5 to go towards running the shelter.
Laura Messenger, Grant Funding Coordinator at Support Adoption For Pets, said: “It is a real privilege to help an organisation that works so hard to care for and rehome pets in need. They are doing a superb job, and the effort the rescue puts in is an inspiration.”
For more information visit shropshirestreetcats.co.uk or search Shropshire Street Cats on Facebook.
