'Cat cafes' need more oversight warns Devon animal rescue centre

Devon's Gables animal rescue charity has joined with the RSPCA and Cats Protection to voice concerns about the growing numbers of so-called 'cat cafes'

They're calling for more oversight of the sector, where people go to interact with cats.

Claire Sparkes is the general manager of Plymouth's Gables, which has been helping the region's unwanted abandoned dogs and cats since 1907.

She said: "cats generally tend to be quite solitary they don't like to be forced to be around other cats. If they do bond with other cats it's normally by choice which ones they like and which ones they want to avoid. In the cafe situations they can't avoid other cats.

"My main concern is that cats are crepuscular, so they are active at dawn and dusk and during the day they like to sleep most of the time so when they're in cafes they are constantly being woken up by people and they don't get a very good rest."

She suggests those wanting to spend time with cats support charities like Gables, adding: "We have lots of volunteers here that come in and help us with feeding and cleaning and then they get to spend time cuddling cats and handling kittens and grooming cats as well so there are other ways that you can get your cat fix."

Today the RSPCA, Cats Protection and Gables are also calling for cat cafes across the UK to be "phased out" over concerns about the animals' welfare.

It follows a surge in openings of the cafes, which allow customers to interact with resident cats and even adopt them, over the last year.

However, the charities said the cafes should not be operating because it was "almost impossible" to meet the welfare needs of cats in this environment, where they were likely to be stressed by enforced proximity to other felines and strangers stroking them.

They fear that the cafes give their cats limited opportunity to hide or escape and no outdoor access to roam and express their natural behaviour, and there was also the risk that competition for resources could lead to some cats not eating enough and not being able to use the litter area as it may be guarded by another animal.

Some cafes left their cats overnight in "incredibly small" pens, which also restricted their natural behaviour, while some were inside shopping centres leaving the animals unlikely to see daylight or breathe fresh air.

There are currently more than 30 cat cafes licensed in England, with 44% of those licences granted in the last financial year, according to a recent freedom of information request to all councils in England and Wales by the charities.

However, they believe that many more cat cafes are operating without oversight or regulation because of unclear legislation.

RSPCA cat welfare expert Alice Potter said: "We adore cats and so we understand the appeal of cat cafes.

"However, whilst cats, cake and coffee might be a happy combination for people, for the cats living 24/7 in these cafes it's likely to be a very different story.

"We don't believe these environments can consistently provide cats with a good quality of life and are hugely concerned that many cats will be unhappy as a result.

"Having descended from solitary, territorial, roaming wildcats, they are likely to find the enforced proximity to other felines as well as unfamiliar visitors wishing to stroke them extremely stressful.

"Generally cats are not sociable and many felines often prefer to live without other cats, or prefer to form social groups with their relations.

"Sharing an enclosed space and resources with a number of unrelated cats can lead to a range of negative feelings and emotions resulting in aggression and behavioural issues, and it isn't always easy to identify whether a cat's welfare is compromised as the signs can often be very subtle, easily missed or misinterpreted.

"But we fear this could be widespread in cat cafes, however well-meaning these places may be."

There is no specific licence for cat cafes.

Those that are inspected by local authorities are licensed under regulations concerned with the keeping or training of animals for exhibition.

However, the rising number of new licences suggests cat cafes - whether regulated or unregulated - are growing in popularity.

The charities are urging local authorities not to grant new exhibition licences or renew existing licences, in order to achieve an eventual entire phase-out of the cafes.

In the longer term, they are calling on the UK and Welsh governments to create a list which explicitly identifies activities that negatively impact the welfare of animals and therefore should not be allowed to operate.

Ms Potter said: "Cats in cat cafes are essentially being used for entertainment - and are often licensed as such - so we are concerned that they are paying the price for this by having a poor quality of life."

Daniel Warren-Cummings, central behaviour officer for Cats Protection, said: "Cats are simply not built to share space with a high number of other cats and it only happens because humans force the matter.

"Although many cat cafe owners start their enterprise out of a desire to help unwanted cats, they will ultimately commit themselves to having high numbers of cats to meet consumer demand, which makes it difficult to run these businesses in a way that truly protects cat welfare.

"Stress severely impacts a cat's physical and emotional wellbeing but unfortunately cats are very stoic when they are stressed and hide the signs.

"For example, some cats adopt a strategy of feigning sleep when they are stressed, leading consumers to mistakenly assume they are simply resting."

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