Braintree cat café enjoys successful opening weekend

Sarah Fretwell opened the new Whiskers and Paws Cat Café in Braintree at the weekend.

The site, in George Yard, was fully booked on both Saturday and Sunday with visitors streaming in to enjoy fun with felines.

Sarah, who got the keys back in January, has been working around the clock to prepare the site for opening and enjoyed a fantastic opening weekend.

Site - outside the new Whiskers and Paws cat café (Image: Newsquest)

Whiskers and Paws is working with local cat rescue charity Mel’s Rescue, with all the cats available for adoption.

Sarah said: “It’s amazing to see how happy the cats make the customers.

“There have already been lots of adoption requests, which is great.

“The cats can find their perfect forever home once all the checks have been completed.

“They have certainly stolen some hearts.”

Love - two cats saying hello (Image: Public)

Sarah said the site was busy all weekend and she received great feedback from visitors.

“I was overwhelmed by the positive comments from customers,” she said.

“I’ve only been open for a few days and I’ve already had repeat customers.”

Cat cafés do what they say on the tin - serving up food and drink surrounded by four-legged friends.

The menu offers a variety of nibbles, as well as hot and cold drinks.

Décor - the inside is based made to feel homely (Image: Newsquest)

There is licence for up to 20 cats on the site, with a private area upstairs allowing the cats to get away from people if they want to.

This includes places to eat, sleep and go to the toilet.

The inside boasts a homely décor, with Sarah basing it on her front room to make it feel cosy.

Sarah thanked all her supporters after her successful opening weekend.

She said: “I would like to thank my amazing husband and Mum for all their hard work and support, and to my children who have been so excited about our new family venture and helped me every step of the way.”