It's a dream come true for London-based animal lovers - a Tokyo-style 'cat café' could open in the capital if a crowdfunding campaign is successful.
Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium, founded by Lauren Pears, looks set to bring the craze which pioneered in Taiwan and has since spread to Japan, China and Austria to British shores.
Pears set up an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign in order to raise money to open the business. She is looking to raise £108,000 by February 15.
Interested parties can receive perks depending on the amount they donate, ranging from popping in for a pat to high tea and even VIP lifetime access.
If the campaign is successful, the café will open in East London in March.
Cat cafés allow customers to enjoy drinks and sweet treats with a twist - they get to play with and stroke resident cats.
Pears says: 'A cat café is just like a regular café.
'It sells coffee, tea, cake and snacks... but with a difference. It's full of cats.'
She adds that cat welfare is 'important' to her. 'In particular, we want to make sure we can house cats who don't have a home to go to. We're also working with the Mayhew Animal Home to choose cats that will be happy in the environment that has lots of people in it, and we're working with them to define a really solid care plan to make sure they're cared for.'
Approval for the café has already been granted by the Food Standards Agency, animal wardens and licensing offers.
What do you think of the plans to open a cat café in London? Would you go there? Let us know in the comments below.
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London could be getting a Tokyo-style 'cat café'
By Natasha Wynarczyk - Thursday 3 January 2013
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