We checked out Newcastle grad’s new cat café on Quayside

Cat lovers and stressed-out undergrads will purr over this new addition to Newcastle’s Quayside.

On the 27th of September, Catpawchino, Newcastle’s second cat cafe, opened on Quayside.  Headed up by Newcastle graduate Sarah Zong, the cafe is open for anyone to share their lunchtime with seven fluffy felines. We went along to chat to the owner and see what all of the fuss was about.

It was purfection

The cafe is located on the Quayside, directly opposite the Sage. There’s a fee of £5 added to every bill which goes to feeding and accommodating the cats, but the menu itself is pretty cheap – and you get a free drink. Sandwiches are £2.50, wraps £3.50 and you can also sample a variety of Chinese teas for £1.80.

You might imagine it to be a hair-ridden room sprinkled with cat piss, but it was surprisingly clean and pleasant. The waiters and owner were so friendly, and happy to have a chat.

Big chilla

After graduating in 2012, owner Sarah convinced the university’s Rise Up fund to create the business after seeing a similar cafe back home in China.

All of her cats come from cities across the UK: “I’ve got them from London and York before, and I breed them from when they are kittens. They live and sleep with me altogether until they’re ready to come to this environment.”

Sarah feeding the cats

Love me

Their nap time is 2.30-3

Mr fluffles

The cats themselves are adorable. Instead of crawling and jumping all over the place, the cats are calm and gentle. They’ve actually been trained not to steal your food, though Sarah mentioned there were two more upstairs who weren’t yet “ready to be introduced.”

As a rule, nap time for the cats is between 2pm and 3:30pm but when we visited at 2.30 there were still four little fluffballs mingling.

Brb just finding myself

You can like Catpawcino on Facebook.