I haven’t felt a countdown to the opening of a cafe or restaurant quite like this. I have had dozens of people (especially my sister) bugging me day and night about the opening date for Catte Latte.

Dozens of cities across the world already have cat cafes, and the idea is pretty simple: a cafe that serves drinks and sweet treats, but with dozens of cats! Nothing brings out the best in people quite like animals, and I must admit, even I was excited to see how this would work in practice.

Ticket Prices

For a similar comparison, The Cat House in Norwich charges £10 for an hour and £13 for 90 minutes. This even includes a drink within the cost of the ticket. Here in Cambridge, it is £14.49 for a weekday booking and £17.99 at weekends…for just one hour. All drinks are extra too, but at least prices are about standard for the area. Granted, this is central Cambridge right in the heart of Mill Road, so prices are expected to be a little steeper but I will leave it to you to decide whether that represents good value for money or not.

The Café

Entry is managed through double doors where only one door is allowed to open at a time to prevent any naughty cat trying to escape onto the busy road. The café itself is on the smaller side, but the cats have plenty of space to get away from guests, if they want to. Most of their spots are raised beds attached to the walls, with some mounted so high up they practically touch the ceiling.

They also have their very own dedicated room to retreat to if the cats get stressed out, meaning the they aren’t trapped in the café with us humans if they aren’t in the mood. Despite this, all the cats were out, curious, and wanted to say hello.

All the cats are rescues, and your entry ticket goes directly towards their care and upkeep. Tickets must be booked in advance online, allowing you to pick your exact seats on a floor plan while giving the café complete control over headcount. Only a set number of visitors are allowed in at any one time to keep things calm and relaxed for the animals. Naturally, this means you need to plan days or even weeks ahead to visit – swinging by on the off chance will have you turned away.

Pro Tip: make sure you book a table towards the middle or back of the café. This is where the cats mostly gravitate towards due to their private room being in the back. The folks sat right by the front window during our visit didn’t get anywhere near as much cat action.

While your ticket buys an hourly slot, you actually get closer to 50 or 55 minutes inside because the tables need to be sanitized between sessions. Each table is asked to leave individually at the end to prevent the cats from getting spooked. While most people picture a cat café as a slow, cosy environment, this exit procedure introduces a somewhat militant and sterile feel to the end of the visit, though I completely understand that the cats wellbeing and safety comes first.

The cats all seemed happy and were allowed to come down and say hello in their own time. Some preferred to watch the room from a safe distance, while a few of the braver cats and kittens came straight over to socialise. We were lucky enough to visit during feeding time, which meant every single one of them popped out for at least a brief moment.

Oh yeah, the food! 🤣

The menu keeps things simple, focusing mainly on hot drinks alongside a few sweet treats like cookies and brownies. To be fair to them, the coffee was very good. They use specialty beans from Hot Numbers which may explain it. The cookie also had a nice crunch and was complimented by a sweet glaze that really made it pop.

Catte Latte is a welcome and unique concept for Mill Road, offering a great space for rescue cats to socialise while giving local cat lovers a fix of feline company. The booking process and strict exit routine feel a bit regimented, but knowing the money goes toward rescue care makes it a worthwhile visit for anyone looking for something a bit different in Cambridge.

Thanks for reading!