Lauren Pears stands out as an inspiring entrepreneur who has successfully blended her professional expertise with a deep passion for feline welfare. Formerly a Senior Project Manager in the fast-paced world of video games and web technology, Lauren took a significant leap to establish the UK’s first cat café, Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium. Her journey is a testament to determination, hard work, and the power of a unique idea.
Driven by a desire to create a space where people and cats could connect, Lauren embarked on a crowdfunding campaign that captured the hearts of thousands. Raising over £100,000 in donations, she brought Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium to life in March 2014 in the vibrant Shoreditch area of East London. Named after Alice’s cat from ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the café quickly became a sensation, spreading rapidly across social media among London’s cat-loving community.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Lauren to delve into her experiences of running a café with a feline twist and to understand the intricacies of ensuring animal wellbeing in such an environment. While the concept of pet cafés can raise concerns, Lauren’s unwavering commitment to the cats’ welfare at Lady Dinah’s provides reassurance and sets a high standard for ethical animal businesses.
Lauren, thank you for sharing your insights and allowing us to feature your beautiful photographs.
What sparked the idea of opening a cat café?
I first encountered the cat café concept during a visit to Japan in 2008. After moving to London, I particularly missed having animals in my life, and I realized I couldn’t be the only one feeling that way.
Crowdfunding played a crucial role in launching Lady Dinah’s. Can you elaborate on that aspect?
After exploring various funding avenues, crowdfunding emerged as the most logical choice. I wanted to avoid the pressure of generating substantial profits for a traditional investor. Given the somewhat unconventional nature of the idea, it also served as a valuable gauge of public interest. Lady Dinah’s has the distinction of being the world’s first fully crowdfunded cat café, and our success in early 2014 has inspired many others to follow a similar path.
Were you confident from the outset that you would reach your funding target?
Absolutely not! It was a leap of faith.
Who were your primary supporters during the crowdfunding phase?
My family, friends, and my fiancé were incredibly supportive. Beyond that, we quickly gained a wonderful community of fans from the public. One of our initial VIP supporters has become so deeply involved with Lady Dinah’s that they are now a part-owner of the business.
Did you need to consult with animal welfare organizations before obtaining permission to open the café? Did you seek advice from groups like the RSPCA or International Cat Care?
I engaged in discussions with numerous organizations, not necessarily for formal permission, but primarily for education. My priority was to ensure that running a cat café while truly safeguarding the animals’ wellbeing was feasible. There are diverse perspectives on housing cats in a colony environment, for instance, and I wanted to comprehensively understand the factors that contribute to colony harmony, along with the necessary medical and contagion management protocols to ensure their safety.
Did you encounter any negative feedback? If so, who raised concerns and what were they?
Certainly. The concept was novel and somewhat unusual. Some animal charities, in particular, expressed concerns that profit motives might overshadow animal welfare and that the café environment could be detrimental to the cats. These were and remain valid concerns.
In my view, the ethical integrity of a cat café hinges less on the concept itself and much more on its execution. I firmly believe that it can be a positive experience for both cats and people, but it can easily become harmful if the operator’s motivations are misguided. Opening a cat café should not be driven by a desire for quick wealth or market dominance. It worries me to see individuals announcing plans for rapid expansion and franchising before they have even successfully launched a single café or fully grasped the complexities involved.
Rapid franchising of cat cafés is a trend that concerns me. I value knowing each of my cats intimately and being attuned to their individual needs at all times. I fear that with rapid expansion, I would lose that personal connection, and standards could decline. This concern extends to cafés with high cat turnover rates. I believe it would be difficult to develop a deep understanding of each cat’s well-being with a constantly changing population. Successfully integrating cats is a delicate process, and managing it with numerous cats from diverse sources raises significant challenges.
What kind of positive feedback did you receive?
People were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the cats, of course. However, with Lady Dinah’s, much of the excitement also revolved around the strong sense of community that we were fortunate to cultivate from the beginning. Crowdfunding played a role in this, and we also made a conscious effort to keep people informed and involved through social media. Over time, people came to understand and support our values as we worked towards opening the café.
Where do the cats at Lady Dinah’s come from?
Our cats come from various sources. Many are relinquished to us by their previous owners, some have been found abandoned on our doorstep and, after passing health checks, have joined the colony, and others are adopted from shelters. They are all domestic shorthairs or longhairs; we do not support breeding for specific appearances.
How do you ensure that the cats will get along in a colony environment? Are there ever any conflicts?
We invest considerable time in carefully introducing new cats. We have never experienced serious fights, although occasional swats and playful pounces do occur, often when playtime becomes a bit too enthusiastic. We strive to provide them with everything they need to minimize any competition or conflict. Typically, many of our cats are raised together from a young age. We rarely adopt solitary cats, except in cases where a cat is left in our care. We prefer to adopt cats in pairs or family groups so they have familiar companions when integrating into the larger colony. This helps prevent a cat from feeling isolated as the ‘newcomer’ and reduces anxiety.
Do you primarily adopt cats of similar ages?
Many of our cats are from the same litters and are naturally close in age. When we introduce new, younger cats, it’s generally to minimize any potential disruption or challenge to the established older cats in the colony.
How extensive was your research into keeping cats in this type of café environment?
It was exhaustive! I dedicated a significant amount of time to research and sought advice from numerous sources.
What criteria do you use to select cats with the ‘right’ personalities for a café environment?
We focus more on psychological imprinting than strict personality selection. Sometimes, cats arrive unexpectedly, and we don’t have the luxury of choice. In those cases, we conduct thorough medical evaluations and assess their general level of fearlessness. If a cat appears comfortable around both people and other cats, we then concentrate on imprinting them with positive experiences. This involves gradual introduction to increasing numbers of people, scent familiarization, and brief exposures to the larger group of cats. We also apply similar techniques with the resident cats, providing them with comforting scents and positive associations with the new arrivals.
If a cat consistently displays fearfulness, we seek a more suitable home for them. Placing a scared cat in a café environment would be detrimental to their wellbeing. Stress is contagious among cats, and some stress-related illnesses can also spread. It is neither kind nor responsible to put a nervous cat in that situation.
What measures do you take if you observe cats that are not getting along or seem to desire outdoor access?
We offer them a trial period in a staff member’s home to observe any changes in their behavior. In some instances, cats have seemed significantly happier in a home environment, and we have proceeded with rehoming them. Others have become distressed and needed to return to the café, where they then settled back in.
How did you obtain health and safety clearance, given regulations that typically prohibit animals near food preparation areas?
We simply ensured full compliance with all relevant regulations. That’s the key – adhering to the legal requirements.
Does Lady Dinah’s receive visits from feline welfare officers or behaviorists for ongoing monitoring?
Yes, regular inspections are a condition of our operating license.
What are your thoughts on the proliferation of animal cafés worldwide, including owl cafés in Japan and others?
I am more comfortable with the café concept when applied to animals with a long history of domestication and adaptation to human environments, such as dogs and cats. I have less understanding of the needs of animals like owls or hedgehogs, which seem inherently more wild and timid. I am less certain about the ethical considerations of those types of cafés. However, I also recognize that there are likely cat cafés that I would not personally endorse. Ultimately, it depends on how well the individual needs of each animal are met in any café setting.
Did you draw inspiration from other cat cafés when you initially conceived Lady Dinah’s?
Yes, I did look at examples of cat cafes around the world.
Do the cats live at the café permanently, or can they be adopted at a later point?
If a cat indicates a desire to leave the café environment, adoption is an option. We look for behavioral indicators such as consistently soiling outside of litter trays, aggression, withdrawal, lethargy, or excessive grooming. To date, withdrawal has been the primary early indicator in all cases where we have considered rehoming a cat. We prefer to intervene at the withdrawal stage, before stress escalates into physical symptoms or more pronounced behavioral issues. We are usually very attuned to when a cat is not behaving in its typical manner.
Lady Dinah’s is located near Brick Lane in Shoreditch. What was the local community’s reaction when you first opened? Have their views evolved since then?
The local community has been incredibly supportive from day one. They have been absolutely amazing.
Who has been the most notable visitor to Lady Dinah’s?
We’ve welcomed several well-known guests! Chris Robshaw, Richard Curtis, James McVey from The Vamps, Giovanna Fletcher have visited. There was also a rumor that we denied Katy Perry entry, but that is not true – or if it is, it was certainly unintentional!
Do you have plans to create an outdoor space for the cats in the future?
Currently, planning regulations, considerations for our neighbors, and a persistent pigeon issue that poses sanitation challenges make building an outdoor space on our designated area quite complex. We remain committed to this idea, but it is proving to be more challenging than initially anticipated.
What are your thoughts on keeping cats exclusively indoors?
Every cat is an individual with unique needs. We believe in providing choices for them whenever possible. Our general philosophy is to offer options that cater to their potential needs and allow them to choose whether to participate. To date, none of our cats have shown a strong interest in going outdoors. They receive ample mental stimulation as café cats, with abundant opportunities for play and affection within their indoor environment.
Do you have cats of your own outside of the café?
Given my demanding schedule, I wouldn’t want to have a pet cat right now. I wouldn’t be able to provide them with the level of care that I consider appropriate.
What do you appreciate most about cats?
A happy and healthy cat possesses a remarkable sense of self-awareness and knows what they want. I truly admire their self-composure.
Are there any new projects or ventures on the horizon for Lady Dinah’s?
Our current focus is on continuously enhancing the spaces within the café for both our human guests and feline residents. We aspire for Lady Dinah’s to be recognized as the global benchmark for cat cafés.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in life, and what is your personal philosophy for living?
That’s a difficult question! I don’t typically pursue something to emulate a specific person. I believe we gravitate towards individuals in our circle who embody qualities we admire and aspire to develop ourselves. Inspiration can be drawn from everyone around us.
To experience the charm of Lady Dinah’s Cat Cafe firsthand, you can book a table for lunch, high tea, or even coloring sessions through their website: Lady Dinah’s Cat Cafe.
Address: 152-154 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, London, E2 6DG.
