Launch date unveiled for Sheffield's first ever cat café

Tabby Teas Cat Café, Sheffield’s first cat café, has revealed it is set to open in August.

With assistance from city solicitors Wake Smith, Tabby Teas Cat Café will officially launch on Cemetery Road, off London Road.

Solicitors Wake Smith advised on the lease for the new 1000 sq ft café on behalf of landlords Jon and Patrick Yeardley of Sheffield Property To Let, which owns commercial and residential sites across the city.

Entrepreneur Charlotte Pickering and partner Michael Leviston will staff the 30 seater café, which has undergone a full refurbishment to include a cat jungle and chill out zones.

In recent years, cat cafés have popped up in London, Bristol, Newcastle and Manchester.

Charlotte said: “We identified a gap in the market with large numbers of city dwellers unable to have pets of their own due to living in rented accommodation, small flats or financial constraints. There’s also students who have to leave their family homes and pets.

“The café will provide a place where cat lovers can stroke the roaming felines while drinking their coffee and also learn about keeping animals.

“We tried to figure out a solution where the cats don’t get stressed out, which is why we’ve introduced an online booking system for time slots and have built a cat only area at the back of the café.

“That way, people come in and stay for an allocated amount of time, meaning we control the number of guests in the building and allow the cats a little more time to get used to people.”

Charlotte also revealed that she hopes to have a team of seven staff working in the café.

She added: “Everything we have done has the cats’ best interests at heart. I am an animal lover and I want to make sure everything is right for the cats. I’ve contacted various local shelters advice and will have strict rules for visitors so we don’t upset the cats.”

Tom Weightman, solicitor in Wake Smith’s commercial property division, commented: “We were really pleased to be able to advise on the lease requirements for the landlord. The lease had to be specialised to reflect the proposed use of the premises but everything went very smoothly.”

Jon Yeardley added: “This is an innovative use for one of our properties and we are delighted that Wake Smith sorted out any peculiar lease requirements without any problems. We wish Charlotte success, she is incredibly enthusiastic about this project.”

Tabby Teas opens on 1st August from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm.