If there is one thing I am a sucker for, it is a cat café. I obviously want to make sure that they are an ethical establishment before I visit, but once I am satisfied that the cat welfare is the main priority, I am all for it! There is nothing better than a coffee, cake, and cat cuddles in my opinion. I have been to the Java Whiskers branch in Marylebone in Central London and am always impressed by how healthy and happy the cats are, as well as how calming and relaxing the entire establishment is, so I was keen to see their newest branch in Shepherds Bush.
Java Whiskers are a company that rehome all of the cats that are in the café, and upon speaking with one of the employees, all of their cats are rescued by a charity in Romania, and the cats are sent to the Java Whiskers branches to be treated, socialised and rehomed. I do think that cat cafes that operate this model are a wonderful way for prospective adopters to get to know the different cats and the different personalities. It also seems to be a far more natural environment for the cats than a rescue centre, as the cats can come and go from the main café room as much as they please. There were also so many different ledges for them to perch on, different levels for them to climb upon, and lots of toys around for them to play with.
I visited the Shepherds Bush branch on a weekday and I think it was actually a lot nicer due to that. Not only were the cats very relaxed, for the hour long visit, I was only joined by one other couple the whole time. Due to it being quieter, it also meant that the staff weren’t as busy, and were able to tell me all about the different personalities, the different routines, and just in general chat about what it was like to work in a cat café (which I think might be my ideal job). If you do want to visit and are also very much looking to adopt a cat, I would recommend trying to visit on a week day so that you can have as much private time with the cats as possible.
They do offer food and drink which is of course kept separate from the cats. I decided to try the chocolate brownie and the raspberry and white chocolate cookie. Both were tasty, but they were very much your standard café quality of food. They were both slightly dry, but I guess that’s what you want so that you have to have a hot drink to go with them. I tried an oat latte, which was a bit too strong for my liking but was otherwise very tasty. Nothing that a few teaspoons of sugar couldn’t fix! I thought the food and drinks on offer were reasonably priced, and there is a wide selection to choose from which is always nice to see. But in all seriousness, you don’t visit a cat café for the cake. I would say though, if you do get anything that has cream on it (even if it is vegan cream) I notice that there is always one cat in the café who will literally climb you for a sneaky lick of cream, so be prepared!
The actual cat room was larger than I was expecting, and was decidedly bigger than the cat room at the Marylebone location. The room is filled with cat related art works and there were even some cat related board games that you could play if there was a group of you, which I always think is a sweet little touch in any café. The room is also decorated with multiple climbing posts and ledges for the cats to climb and lounge upon, and all seemed to be covered in scratching material too to keep their nails nice and healthy. All oft he cats were of course adorable, but I was very much impressed by how healthy every single one of them looked, all with very soft and shiny fur and bright eyes. You would never believe that these cats used to be street cats. One of the staff members also told us that they tend to get cats sent to them in twos, most often siblings, and they do try their best to advertise when a cat has arrived at the café as a pair in the hopes that they can also be rehomed together.
The staff were all incredibly knowledgeable about each of the cats which was also lovely to see. They knew all the different personalities and were very open about which cats were likely to need more space, and which cats were more cuddly or playful. This really helped the experience as we knew which cats we could easily approach and which ones we should wait to come to us, meaning there were no ‘back off’ swipes or hisses. I imagine it would also be very helpful if you wanted to rehome any of the cats, as you could easily ask a member of staff to tell you about the cat’s favourite treats, their habits and routines, and just their overall temperament. It was also helpful for them to point out who was related to who and which came in pairs, as well as which cats were closets to one another. it was nice to see that the staff who worked there clearly cared about the cats in their care, and were so excited to talk about their personal favourites and share little stories about their time at the café.
Needless to say, I had a lovely time here. It was a much needed break from the rush of life, and it was so nice to be able to enjoy an hour of pure relaxation, with some yummy food and very relaxed cats around me. It is also in a very quiet area of Shepherds Bush, being on the other side of the huge shopping centre. There were a few people who walked by the windows, but no where near as many as the central London location likely has. Granted for the Marylebone location the cat room is located towards the back of the building, so is away from the main high street facing windows, but I imagine the central location is far busier than the Shepherds Bush location.
Taylor Talks Vegan 