CAT CAFE
OWNER KAY
ALLEN ON
LIVING THE
ULTIMATE
LEZ/BI
DREAMQueer folk love cats. It’s a fact, right?
Some of us, however, have taken that
love to the next level...
Enter Londoner Kay Allen. The
57-year-old went from being a full-
time psychiatric nurse to following
her dream of owning a cafe. But this
isn’t any cafe – Kay’s comes with eight
(furry) babies.
We met her and her four-legged
friends for a coffee at Whiskers &
Cream in north London to find out
more about the craze for cat cafes,
which originally blossomed in Japan,
and now has a sizeable presence in
the UK, too.
PAWS FOR THOUGHT
It was 2017. Kay Allen had just turned
55 and, after a long career in nursing,
felt she needed a change. “I’m going
to buy a cafe and bake my own cakes
one day,” she told her family on her
birthday. She didn’t think any more
about it – until she went to visit Not-
tingham’s cat cafe. From there, she
had a little bit of an epiphany and
realised she could actually make a
living through creating something
similar. Coffee, cakes and cats? What
could possibly go wrong?
BRICKS AND MORTAR
(AND WHISKERS)
“It took me quite a while to find a
property,” remembers Kay, sipping
her coffee. Frustratingly, once she had
found the perfect space – on London’s
Holloway Road – she ran into a spot
of bother. “[The builders] ended up
being crooks, which financially and
time-wise set me back a hell of a
lot.” Thankfully for us (and the cats),
Kay was able to persevere and, in
November 2018, Whiskers & Cream
came to life, paws and all.
Since then, the cafe has become
a firm favourite with both locals and
visitors: “It’s always challenging [set-
ting up], because we rely on locals,
as well as trying to advertise to the
whole city and increase our presence
on social media.” Thankfully, her staff
have been on hand to help. “Setting
up the team has been great fun! And
they love posting pictures of the cats
to Instagram (@whiskerslondon) as
well.” Check it out – these moggies are
basically local celebrities.SECOND CHANCE
Kay becomes animated as she tells
us about her clowder of kitties – who
are running around in the back-
ground as we chat. The cafe houses
eight cats in total, most of which are
rescues or had to be re-homed after
their previous owners couldn’t care
for them. Some were rescued from
a particularly horrible fate. “Winnie
and Arti, two siblings, were picked up
from Gumtree ads. We were told by
one charity that if we really wanted to
help, we had to pick up cats that were
free, because those are often taken
for dog bait [in illegal dog fights].” It’s
an awful reality, and Winnie and Arti
had clearly been neglected when they
arrived, explains Kay, “But after lots of
TLC, they’re doing great.”A CAT’S LIFE
As we’re chatting, a young family
arrives, the cats playfully running up
to (and all around) the excitable tod-
dlers. Do kids and kitties mix? “We’re
the only cat cafe in London to accept
kids – but we do limit the numbers tomake sure that the cats are comfort-
able. The idea is that it’s a chilled, re-
laxing atmosphere for everyone.” The
cats, however, genuinely seem to en-
joy the company, noise and all. Even
with the option of scampering off to
their hideaway room, they seem keen
to interact and it’s clear a few actively
enjoy the attention. “I was worried the
cats wouldn’t get along or be sociable
but, actually, they just come up and
say hello to people! They love playing
with each other and they love the
customers.” Still, whatever the staff
are working on, the cats are always
their top priority. “If staff think one
of the cats is getting a bit too much
attention, they’ll leave everything and
make sure they are ok first.”PURRRFECT DECISION
As a full-time venture, how much of
her time does Whiskers & Cream take
up for Kay? “My partner and I often
come to the cafe in the evening just to
chill with the cats, because we miss
being with them!” And when she’s
not working in her other job, as a
therapist, Kay’s partner also mucks in.
“She loves the cats. Sometimes she’ll
come in and will tell the customers all
about them – what they like and what
they don’t like. That’s great, because
it also gives the rest of us a break!”
she laughs.
Despite a rocky beginning and the
challenges involved in establishing
yourself as a new business, would Kay
do anything differently? “Honestly?
I’ve never looked back – despite every-
thing. I check myself and ask, ‘Did I do
the right thing?’ I know immediately
I did. The cafe is a wonderful place
to be.”
And, even if she wakes up on the
wrong side of the bed, having eight
cats excitedly greet you first thing
every morning must be a lovely thing?
“It really is, they’re a joy!”They love playing with
each other and they love
the customers”
MEET THE CATS
VANILLA: “Our
chunky boy,
enjoys watching
people, gentle
but likes to show
who’s boss.”
TRIXIE: “Clever,
wants to play only
a specific game
at any time with
a specific toy.
Sassy.”JACK AND JASPER:
“With big paws,
these laid-back
lion brothers love
kids and cuddles- and are always
up to mischief
and interfering in
Trixie’s games.”
ARTI: “Gentle and
cuddly, has the
loudest purr.”WINNIE: “A shy
girl. She likes it
when people sit
by her side quietly
and tickle her
tummy.”MOLLY-ROSE:
“Independent,
loves running
around. Likes to
be tickled under
the chin while
pretending to
be asleep.”AMELIA: “The
sleepy baby of the
cafe – loves to copy
Trixie’s games.”JUST WHO RUNS THE
SHOW AT LONDON’S
NEWEST CAT CAFE?Follow Kay
and her kitties
@whiskerslondon
or plan your visit at
whiskersandcream.
com77WOMEN ON TOP | CAT CAFE