Shoreditch’s favourite Cat Café vandalised with ‘Free the Cats’ graffiti

Who let the cats out? Not Lady Dinah


Angry protestors have vandalised a popular East London café demanding the owners “Free the Cats” that live inside.

Shoreditch is a magical place of bearded cereal lovers, Alice in Wonderland style speak-easies and, as of last year, Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium.

The café on Bethnal Green Road, made possible by a crowd-funded campaign, allowed coffee lovers to escape from the chaos of the city and play with cats.

The vandalised shop front. Credit: Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium

Cat lover’s paradise. The normal frontage

However, it seems some vandals were unimpressed with the use of cats as hipster entertainment and have angrily scrawled their feelings in bright red spray paint on the shutter on Thursday night with the message “Free the Cats”.

The staff at the cafe, which is normally booked up for months in advance, were undeterred by the attack.

Instead they used the event as an opportunity for creativity.

They have invited aspiring artists via their Facebook page, with its 50,000 followers, to design a feline themed new mural for the shutters.

A post said: “Following on from our unfortunate shutter incident, we think it’s time for a mural!

“If any aspiring artists would like to work on a mural with us, our shutter is yours! We’re going to kick off a competition to find the perfect art for our window.”

He doesn’t look like a happy kitty

The competition, and clever marketing trick, will see the winner receive a year’s free VIP access to the Emporium.