Having been to the Birmingham cat cafe in the morning, I was told by a regular there of a new cat cafe that had opened three days ago in Solihull. Solihull's not that far from Birmingham, so I quickly booked in for this afternoon.
I wasn't sure what to expect with the cafe being such a new one - would there be teething troubles? Would the cats be friendly? Would the humans be friendly? My worries were for nothing. This is, in my opinion, exactly what a cat cafe should be.
The cafe is at 38 Poplar Road, just down the road from the Touchwood Shopping Centre and right next to the HSBC bank. This makes it very simple to find, added to the convenience of there being a bus stop outside and car parks very close by - as well as a Premier Inn!
There are big plate windows for the cats to relax in on one of the cat trees, and there were a fair few people having a look in at the sleeping or playing felines (more about that later). The entrance is up a very gentle slope, which is easy for wheelchairs. Between the two doors, there is a small foyer area with pictures of the ten kittens and their names - useful for identifying who you've been admiring through the window while waiting to go in.
ENTRY PRICE
A surprisingly affordable £3.95 per person for 1 hour.
FOOD SELECTIONS
The cafe offers a nice selection of foods, from breakfasty things like porridge, to cakes, to afternoon teas, jacket potatoes and ploughman's lunches. There are vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Prices range from £3.95 for the porridge to £12.95 for an afternoon tea.
Drinks on offer are your basic tea, coffee, latte or hot chocolate, along with a few soft drink choices. These cost between £2 and £4 - again, nicely priced.
As it was a very warm day, Adam and I both had juice (apple for me, orange for him), with honeycomb cheesecake (me) and vegan chocolate and caramel cake (him). The cakes are presented very pleasantly, with the cheesecake garnished with a swirl of whipped cream. The vegan cake was unaccompanied, but on being told Adam wasn't vegan, cream was offered if he wanted it.
The honeycomb cheesecake was beautiful. Big chunks of chocolate covered honeycomb on top of a creamy honey concoction, with a crumbly biscuit base, which I had bother controlling. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the slice because I was too busy playing with the kittens!
STAFF FRIENDLINESS
Emma and Denise are amazingly friendly. They're obviously very passionate about the cats, taking them home at night, and putting the cats' welfare above anything. They were happy to answer questions about the cats and the cafe, and were very chatty in general. It's also clear that the two of them are firm friends, which adds to the lovely feel of the cafe - almost as though you've nipped in to visit a friend who just happens to have ten beautiful cats.
During our session, a lady fell over outside the cafe, as seen by another customer, who I get the feeling was medically trained. The lady was welcomed in and offered a drink and a cool place to sit until she felt better. Some places we've been to would have charged entry and for the drink, but here, the lady was the primary concern.
FELINE FRIENDLINESS
All of the cats were out and about on the cafe floor, playing, sleeping or just looking plain adorable! They range in age from 12 weeks to 16 weeks, because Emma and Denise want the cats to grow up with the cafe - a lovely idea, meaning that future regulars will get to see the kittens' development.
Unlike other cat cafes we've been to, you're allowed to pick the cats up, as long as the cats are happy with being picked up. This makes a big change but, again, adds to the feel of the place as a friend's house. You are encouraged to play with the cats and, even though there is no lower age limit, as the cafe's only one room, there is plenty of supervision for the littler kids available - Emma is almost always out chatting to customers while Denise deals with the food.
Emma put one kitten, Thor, on my knee for a cuddle. I have to say, I think that kitten has bees riding motorbikes inside him, the amount of purring he was doing! All the kittens are amazingly confident - no wallflowers here. They were inquisitive and playful, with the hunter instinct there already. The orange fish on a string seemed to be a popular toy, as did my stick.
CATIFICATION LEVELS
Bearing in mind how short a time the cafe has been open, these were very good. As mentioned above, there are cat trees in the window for relaxing or tarting, and there are more of these throughout the cafe. There are also shelves for the kittens to get above it all if they feel like it, and they've got their backstage area with food, water, cat boxes and a comfy bed to snooze in if they want some quiet time. The cats clearly come first here!
DISABILITY FRIENDLINESS
Excellent. The entrance, as mentioned before, is up a very gentle slope, but it's easy enough to push yourself up in a wheelchair. The cafe is all on the same level, which rules out any problem with stairs. The biggest danger is that you might trip over a kitten as they investigate your shoes, chair or stick!
Unlike other places, there wasn't any background music, but I didn't realise the lack of it until after we'd left. This is great, because it means that your attention is focused on the kittens or chatting to Emma, Denise or the other customers.
There was an autistic child in the cafe during our session, and Emma was explaining the best time of day to visit - showing, once again, the compassion that this cafe is run with.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I don't know how many cat cafes there are in the Midlands, but I think we've found the best one already. Three days open, and Emma and Denise have got it right from the off. In some cases, describing your own business as "perfection" is a bit arrogant - not here. Here, the cafe name is also the truth. I've already asked if my Mum's wanting to come down and visit, and it's very rare that this happens.
Emma and Denise, keep doing what you're doing! Absolutely brilliant.
ADAM'S THOUGHTS
The cake was very nice, and a decent size slice for your money - but I was more distracted by the cats to really take notice of the food. The other customers were obviously interested in the cats as well. A sign of a good cat cafe is that the people in there, staff or customers, want to chat about cats.
I forgot to take photos because I was so busy playing with the kittens! This is the best cat cafe in the Midlands, so go visit.
FINAL RATING (out of 10)
10/10. Outstanding!
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