Halstead mum looking to bring new cat café to town

Rebecca White, from Halstead, is hoping to open her new Meow Cat Café in the town.

As a mum-of-two with six pets, Rebecca is used to being around animals.

“All of my life I have always loved and wanted to work with animals, I just never made the cut to become a vet”, she said.

Rebecca said she thought about the idea after visiting two cat cafés with her family.

She said: “There is nothing like this in the area.

“The nearest one is Southend, so I think this would really benefit the town.

“At the moment it is lots of planning. I have drawn up a business plan and am about to be doing the finances to send off for a start-up loan.

“When I have that, it is about looking for somewhere to do it, but someone has already said yes.”

Rebecca is a mum of two with six pets (Image: Public)

Cat cafés do what they say on the tin, serving up hot and cold drinks with bites to eat, all surrounded by four-legged friends.

They have had some criticism over whether cats should be in an environment with a constant stream of people.

Rebecca said: “We would have anywhere from six to ten cats inside, depending on the size and space, and that would be their home, meaning once the café closes, they are free to roam and have fun.

“They would all be rescue cats too, so we will be helping them with the process of finding new homes.

“We would be constantly monitoring weight and behaviour to watch out for stress and if any don’t like the environment they will be taken out.

“In terms of safety, there will be Perspex screens up alongside a triple locking system, meaning you can’t open one door unless the other one is shut. The third is an extra measure.”

Rebecca also thanked the community for the support so far, saying the early responses and messages have been “overwhelming”.

For updates, keep an eye on the Meow Cat Café Facebook page.