Kitty Café Reviews 116

I went to the Kitty Cafe in Leeds. Whilst I had a nice time, there were things that could be improved and that absolutely need addressing for the welfare of the cats.

Firstly, several of the cats were underweight. There were also too many people in there, which was distressing for the cats. Some of the cats were jumpy and on edge. There was not enough staff to keep an eye on how the cats were being treated. I’ve been to another cat cafe (not a Kitty Cafe), and they allowed less people in at a time. Kids were running around everywhere stressing the cats out. The music was far too loud for an environment with animals in.

The toilets smelt absolutely pungent. It wasn’t the smell of litter trays, it was the human toilets that stunk of urine to the point that the whole of the back of the cafe stunk. Not great when you are eating.

However, staff were pleasant, attentive, and friendly. I just hope those cats don’t have to spend their whole life there.

I was expecting a chilled out place with a nice atmosphere, good quality food and purring cats happily wandering about. Nope, very hectic, child oriented menu and the cats (if you can see them) are just trying to sleep on the highest ledges away from people or running away from unruly children. And the cost…well it’s literally money for nothing, would be cheaper just to buy a cat!
Will not return.

Overpriced. Had to pay £32 for a family of 4 and then you have to pay more for food and drinks. Drink and food expensive and milkshake not good. Cats stressed out with so many people and didn’t want to be stroked or played with. More about making money than the welfare of the cats. Definitely wouldn’t go again.

I am writing on behalf of my friends experiences and others I have heard online. The cats are stressed out all the time with young children chasing them around and it was very stressful for my friends neurodivergent son. Staff were asked many times to speak to the children but it was shrugged off and clearly they don't care about the animals well-being. I've heard many friends reveiws of the victims about the over priced pizza with a texture like wet cardboard. This place truly disgusts me and I do not recommend a visit especially with any young children who are either very caring towards animals or children who will chase around these poor creatures

We visited Leeds cafe for the first time, with my conscientious, animal loving 7yo. Whilst he had a lovely time and gently managed to interact with a couple of cats, the overall experience as a paying adult was disappointing.
We booked online and must have missed the £8 per adult and £6 per child welfare charge…! Happily paid this on arrival, and sat and ordered coffee, milkshake and cakes. This took 45mins to arrive, leaving us 15mins to gulp it down and get out!
The smell over by the door to the toilets was overwhelming, it smelled strongly of dirty litter trays, and was the area where all the cats would congregate and slip off to hide anytime anyone opened the door. The majority of the cats were skittish and a couple of the smaller kittens (or younger cats) looked dirty, one particularly looked like it had a skin condition. There were one or two toys laid about, but these were dirty strings with a toy on the end, and that was it.
I’m not sure what I expected, but I left feeling a bit sad for the cats and £50 lighter.

I visited the Birmingham cafe for the second time today after having a great first experience a couple years back. Unfortunately today’s visit wasn’t good at all - not at all at the fault of the staff working.

I took my friend for her first time as we both love cats, but due to the place being full of kids who’s parents clearly had no interest in watching them or monitoring them, we didn’t get any chance to interact with the cats at all. Kids were running amok; climbing all over furniture, sitting and pulling on cat furniture, bothering cats even after them turning away or even swiping them, purposely smacking toys in their faces when they’re curled up out the way and very clearly not interested. One kid kept chasing the same cat around the place the entire hour we were there, and when it came over to under my table to get away, the kid actually got between the sofa I was sat on and my table in front of me, which caused the cat the bolt it up the ladder and completely out of reach.
This place would be so so so lovely if it had a some sort of child policy - kids don’t follow the rules and the parents don’t care to enforce them or correct them.
In the end we left having only seen cats from a far distance and definitely not getting a chance to fuss or play with one - my first experience was much more calm; everyone stayed at their tables, cats freely came up to us to have a nose and fuss, a very tranquil visit.
Staff are friendly and can totally understand why they may struggle to deal with unruly kids, this is why there should be some sort of minimum age limit, or at the very least do adult only from dinner time so the cats can actually settle for the evening and not be mithered by rugrats through an entire day.
The place itself is gorgeous and I have seen it be a lovely, calm place when it isn’t overrun by poorly behaved visitors.
The food is lovely - richly recommend the milkshakes.
Would love to return again some day, perhaps some time between 9am and 3pm on a weekday…

I have been here a few times now but this time I was very disappointed I brought my niece and her friend on Saturday and we ordered food and drinks it had just been brought to our table and my young niece went to sit down and her arm knocked my coffee over and my food was covered in coffee and girl came and cleaned up the table and floor and never even offered to replace it they just left it on the table the whole time we were there I myself work in retail and we replace people’s food and drinks all the time when accidents happen I wouldn’t mind but it came to around £30 and then there is the entrance fee

I was extremely disappointed me and my friend were looking forward to this all week.
Upon arrival I was shocked to find out it was 8£ per person for an adult and 6£ per person for a child, I hadn’t seen this stated anywhere so wasn’t expecting to have to pay a fee it was for “welfare of the cats”
we had booked a table however you only get 1hour and it took 45 minutes for the food to arrive and it was shocking cold chips undercooked pizza with cold cheese, no pizza cutter no sharp knives to cut up the pizza.. 50p for a tiny pot of ketchup…
The staff were almost robotic with there customer service it seemed forced & disingenuous
the waitress informed us there was only 15 minutes left on the table whilst we were still eating. The cats seemed really miserable & did not like human contact didn’t want to be fussed or loved, they seemed really disengaged..
Really wanted to enjoy it but there was no atmosphere lots of children and a very challenging environment will not be returning

Visited yesterday and was really disappointed. The idea behind the concept is really good but in practice, it isn’t fair to the cats. I left feeling genuinely upset at how stressed the cats were. The children were chasing and cornering the cats, and the only staff member present didn’t seem to step in or manage the situation.

Instead of being a calm, safe environment for the cat, it felt chaotic and overwhelming and several of them were trying to hide. I completely understand that families will visit, but there didn’t seem to be any real rules being enforced to protect the animals.

I came expecting a relaxing experience where the cats’ wellbeing was the priority, but it honestly felt more like the cats were being treated as entertainment. I hope the business reviews how interactions are supervised, because the concept has potential, it just needs much better management to ensure the cats are comfortable and safe.

We went on a Sunday with our three fairly quiet children ages 9-12. It was my birthday so we had already been out in town for a while. When we ordered our food we asked how long it would take and were told 20 minutes. So we asked how long a tea and a coffee would take. We were told they could bring those straight away. We said "Great, please do. We would like them while we wait for our lunch, not at the same time as our lunch, just while we wait." We then paid our bill by card upfront. Which seemed very unusual at the time but we didn't think too much about it.

Off they went. Ten minutes later, no drinks had arrived. So we found a server and asked how long they would be. We said again that we did not want them at the same time as our lunch. So if they were going to be more than a couple of minutes more to please just cancel them. She said she would go and get them.

Ten minutes later the drinks arrived... A tea and a latte. We had not ordered a latte. Just as the server was taking them off the tray the food arrived. So we said "this is exactly what we didn't want. Please take our drinks back and refund them, and please note we did not order a latte"

The server went to get the manager.

Her response was
"You did order a latte, it says so on the receipt, look."
"We did not order a latte we ordered a coffee. Anyway it is too late now because our food is here"
"What's wrong with that? We've brought you your order"
"We didn't want out drinks at the same time as the food"
"Then why did you order them at the same time"
"We were told that the food would be twenty minutes so we asked how long the drinks would be. We were told they could come straight away so we ordered them explaining we wanted them before our lunch"
"And here they are. What is the problem?"

(Bear in mind, all this time, the kids are gazing at their lunch unable to start eating it because the manager is leaning over the wooden fence and across our table.)

"We do not like to drink hot drinks whilst eating. We would like our money back for our drinks and we would please like to eat our food and give the children theirs."
"We are not set up to give refunds. You have to contact the admin team"
"Whaaaaaaat??? That's ridiculous"
"That's how it works here"
"Right. How do we do that then?"
She gave us a card with the email address on.

After eating our overpriced and very average meal of basically cooked items bought from any supermarket freezer section we went back to check with her....

"So when we email the admin team how do they know we are telling the truth?"
"Because I will confirm it for you"
"Ok thanks. And what is your name please?".
She told us her name. I won't share it here.

It was my birthday treat and I wanted to put it behind us for the rest of the day, but it really stung.

I emailed the next day. I kept it simple. I just stuck to the timing of the drinks. I did not mention the attitude and being made to feel like we were awkward, dishonest customers.

No response.

I emailed again on Wednesday.

No response

I phoned on Friday. I spoke to a man who told me that it had taken a long time to get an answer from the Nottingham branch but he had one now, it arrived just before I called ...what a coincidence... He stated that our stories do not match and the manager said the drinks came out way before the food did.

I could not believe it. I had been polite and patient throughout the whole ridiculous exchange but I cracked

"Are you calling me a liar?"I said
"No I am just relating what they told me"
"But it's not true"
"Well I cannot change what they have said. This is what they said and I can't do anything about it. All I can do is put it in an email and then you can respond."
"This is ridiculous...how can it be ok to treat your customers this way?"

He said...and I kid you not...

"Did you know that we are a charity?"

That made my blood boil! I said

"Of course we do. That is why we did not object to paying £34 between the five of us just to get in through the door for only one hour. Then we spent £70 on our food. I work for many charities and we treat the people we serve with respect and kindness. All of them"

"All you can do is respond to the email. I am just the messenger. I have no power in this at all"

I was physically shaking by this point but of course I thanked him for his help and put the phone down. My 9 year old son had heard the conversation and he said
"But the lady said she would tell them what happened Mummy". My 9 year old had just learnt that not all adults can be trusted. I guess there are worse ways for that lesson to be learnt...

I have been wondering what to do about it for the last couple of weeks. It isn't about the money any more. It's the principle.

I have decided the best thing to do is share the story.

Be careful what you order, have evidence of everything, because if anything goes wrong you will not be treated well.

We've been at Nottingham Kitty Caffè. Place is absolutely magical, a lot of space for cats to play and relax. People were nice, calm and quiet to not disturb all the cats. While visiting the place you can clearly see that some of those cats have suffered earlier in life. I would only recommend it to people who know how to respect such places and animals overall.

I am not a cat lover but went with my daughter-in-law, granddaughter and great granddaughter. I felt sorry for the cats. They did not get a moment's peace. People were constantly teasing them, harassing them, it was painful to watch. It is supposed to be a cat rescue/charity place but I am sceptical. It seems more about making money (albeit for the cats) than protecting the cats. Some of the cats seemed really stressed. There were three cats that hid repeatedly behind the sofa we were seated on. They would poke their heads out, a child would spot them, and then the cats would hide again. I think the charity needs to re-think the way this place is run. The booking is supposedly for an hour but no-one came to remind us our hour was up. I saw other people who were there before us who did not leave when we did. Food takes some time to arrive, even just cakes, so an hour would be tight to be served and finished. Altogether a most disappointing, and even distressing experience. BTW, the corridor leading to the toilet reeks. One wonders why!

Had a lovely time, lots of cute cats and great service. Would recommend

I visited last week with my 4-year-old daughter and unfortunately had a very unpleasant experience with the female front-desk staff member (the one with very thick, long black eyeliner). Her attitude toward my child was unfriendly from the beginning.

Although we fully followed all the rules displayed at the entrance, she stopped my daughter four times in less than 40 minutes, speaking to her in a harsh and intimidating tone. She also added rules that were not stated anywhere, such as telling a small child to “walk slowly like an adult” and not to hold any toys while interacting with the cats.

This made us feel extremely uncomfortable, and it certainly did not feel child-friendly as advertised. If these extra restrictions had been clearly communicated before entry, I would not have paid the admission fee.

Very disappointing experience, especially for families with young children.

A lot of mixed reviews on here but it seems that timing may play a big part - I came with my partner whilst visiting the city, we’ve both not been to a Cat cafe before even tho we are both huge feline fans - with most ‘cat cafes’ being centered around profit rather than the cats themselves. The Rules they had in place were great to see as they were centred around the cats wellbeing rather than the enjoyment of the customers - great service, hot chocolates were lovely! It was our servers first day and they were having great training buy a supervisor who was clearly very knowledgeable about the furry guests! <3

It was my mums birthday and her first time here. We all really enjoyed our time here, as we always do.

Kids loved the cats. However the rest was very poor.
The food was delivered in 3 shifts and was undercooked and of very poor quality. eg 2 Pepperoni pizza, one had 3 pieces of pepperoni, the other non. Both undercooked, as was the rest of the food.
In the area we were seated it was very smelly from the toilets. This area should not be a food eating areas.
Will not return to Leeds.

So firstly the staff were all friendly and nice food and drinks. The cats and kittens we saw were gorgeous,but the issue I have is the parents that just let their kids run around terrifying the cats. Two women today spent the afternoon chatting away while their son chased cats around,he was moving the beds around,there was even a bed on their table and one of them had put an empty glass in it! Whenever any cats came near our table for a fuss they were quickly followed by kids chasing them and would therefore run away,so we didn't get to spend any time with them unfortunately. Even when we were eating kids were running over to our table chasing cats. Alot of the parents seem to treat it like an afternoon off just chatting while the kids do as they please,they were climbing on the furniture doing as they pleased. I dont blame the staff as they were so busy serving food etc that they can't police it. I do however feel really sorry for the cats that were scared,bet they can't wait for the 6 week holidays to be over. Would I return yes at a quieter time,when we can just sit and wait for the cats to come to us for some fuss,which is what you are supposed to do. Pity the parents don't teach their kids this. My two girls sit and wait and don't chase the cats around,even they said it wasn't nice to see.

(Birmingham Branch)
My sister, brother and I went there as a gift for my brother to cheer him up after a stressful week of school. Upon arriving we were greeted by the staff, we were told what we can and can't do, and were given a seat and menu right away. It was very cosy, bright and a very beautiful building. Our food arrived after 15-20 ish minutes of ordering. We ate, played with the cats, and had a very good time.
I didn't dislike anything that happened, and didn't have a bad experience at all, but on the website it doesn't tell you that you have to pay for your reservation. That is expected, but it should say on there because a lot of people that left reviews spoke about this too. It isn't a problem, but I wish it said that on the website (unless it does then it is my bad I couldn't find it). The prices of the food were not too bad, but we did find some things to be a little bit more expensive, but that was not really an issue.
Overall, food was good and extremely filling. We couldn't finish all of it, but it was very good. Staff were nice and welcoming. They were very nice to everyone in the cafe and spoke to just about everyone. I was nervous because we have never done something like this before, but it was a good experience. The man that dealt with us was very informative and very kind. The staff were making sure that the cats were okay and it was obvious that the cats had good chemistry with the staff. It was cute. My brother loved it, so it was all worth it.

We visited Birmingham's Kitty cafe and had a lovely time. The place was clean and the food was yummy. All the staff were really polite! The cats all seemed happy and well cared for.