Bournemouth’s cat cafe Pause takes its first bookings

Dorset’s first cafe dedicated to cats will soon be opening its doors, letting you into the home of its “furry bundles of joy” to enjoy their affection with your lunch or dinner.

Pause, on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth, has been a long-time project for owner Jaya Da Costa and she is set to open for business in the coming weeks.

Bookings will be £5 per hour to pay for ‘cat care’ charges, which helps cover the costs of full time vet specialists and other facilities in the cafe that ensure the cats have a happy home in Pause.

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You can book tables on their website now, but the opening date of February 17 is provisional as the cats are just getting used to their new home.

Should the cafe open earlier than anticipated, anyone with bookings will be contacted to move their booking forward so they can still be one of the first to experience this new cafe.

De Costa said that the cafe will be “happiness-inducing, inter-species bonding can help others” and hopes it can also help those who can’t have pets due to where they live or being away from home.

Bookings are likely to fill up fast due to the excitement that has been building around the cafe in its crowd-funding and four month building conversion time, with reports of daily enquiries into when it will be open.

Cat cafes started in Taiwan in 1998 and have become popular all over the world for people who can’t have their own pets or just enjoy spending time with cats, with the concept spreading to the UK – Pause will be one of few in the entire country. They are growing in popularity, but not only are they fluffy they are also beneficial to your health to spend time relaxing with.

We spoke to the founder about what inspired her to start this cafe:

The official opening will be on Friday 17th February, with a one off pre-opening event on Valentines Day.