Calls for cat cafe to ban children over concerns animals are being ‘bullied’

Customers at a popular cat cafe in Birmingham have called for children to be banned over concerns they are “harassing” the animals. The Kitty Café in Grand Central, located 40 minutes from Coventry, has spoken out following negative reviews in which patrons called for age restrictions.

The restaurant allows visitors to interact with the felines while they eat and drink. BirminghamLive reported that floods of low reviews on the Google show have worried visitors, suggesting young children are “noisy” around the animals, with some suggesting they run around harassing the “terrified” cats.

However, the Kitty Café says it has a “dedicated and qualified team” to ensure the “well-being of the cats” and who “discreetly” address rule-breaking with adults and children.

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Emma Beckett gave Kitty Café a two-star review this week, writing: “Nice concept, but the reality is that rescue cats (some of whom haven’t had the best experience with humans so far in their lives) are basically plagued by 2 savages. – year olds, while their parents sit there, smiling and drinking their coffee. Cats have more discipline than kids here definitely needs an age limit feel sorry for the cats.

Kiera Gill gave the restaurant one star and said: “When we arrived I saw children running after and harassing the cats, scaring them away. And the staff didn’t even try to stop it. Because of this, cats. We were terrified of them getting close to anyone.”

Kat Parsons added: “Unfortunately, the number of children who were allowed to run around screaming, chasing cats and climbing over me and my friend while the cats hid next to us ruined everything for me. On the one hand, it was the parents’ problem. ignorance, but on the other hand, it was the employee’s lack of responsibility to tell adults to control their children.

“I feel sorry for the cats who have to put up with being cornered, chased and beaten every day and are disappointed by every member of staff who walked past and ignored them.”

A spokesperson for the Kitty Café said most of the interaction between customers and cats is “extremely positive” for the animals and a vital part of socialization for rehoming.’

They said: “We have a dedicated and skilled team who ensure the welfare of cats in customer-facing areas, including discreetly addressing any rule-breaking with customers (adults as well as children) that may occur.

“Even in this extremely difficult economic climate for business, and certainly for us, we continue to invest heavily in providing the best for cats, even with the few infractions we experience. Next week we close at points over two weeks. to redesign floor environments to eliminate “blind spots” and create more human barriers for cats to move through and to eliminate lengths where running can occur.

“We’ve inherited this look and it’s not our usual design, which is why we were keen to get into our usual format which is successful in other venues. We deploy higher levels of technology that is monitored seven days a week remotely to allow a complete view. coverage, something we’ve done at all of our locations.”

The spokesperson added that the branch is investing in going cashless to “free up the team for more monitoring than processing”.

They said: “This is on top of the current cafe design, where cats can move within reach anywhere in the cafe and access cat-only areas on the customer-facing floor without having to walk past people. they can leave the floor whenever they want, which they usually do for more food, and therefore the cats on the floor have chosen to be there.

“We are vigilant about enforcing the rules for all ages and will continue to invest in the welfare of cats.”

Some reviewers loved Kitty Café when they visited. Katie Paxton, who gave it five stars, wrote: “Super cute cat cafe! Well priced and the staff are very friendly and helpful. All cats appear well cared for and have space to be away from customers. The cats are friendly and comfortable and in the busy environment, we also had a lovely afternoon tea, the food was well presented, tasty and arrived quickly.”

Maram Al-Khalaileh said: “We enjoyed our time at Kitty Café. They do a great job taking care of abandoned cats. We had a great time petting all the different cats.”

Jennifer Boyle added: ‘Well worth a visit if you’re a cat lover. The entry fee covers the care/feeding of the cats. Great atmosphere and good range of food and drinks.”

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