When I heard that there was a cat café coming to Birmingham, I was so excited! Not Just any cat café either, it’s party of the Kitty Café group. I love the ones in Nottingham and Leeds! As I was job hunting at the time, I actually applied for a job there – unfortunately, I didn’t even get an interview, but it was certainly worth a try. Kitty Café Birmingham opened in May and I went along in the first week to see how it was. I’ve been twice since – once for my 30th birthday.

Kitty Café Birmingham

Kitty Café Birmingham is the third Kitty Café to open in the UK. The first one is in Nottingham and the second one is in Leeds. It’s located in Grand Central just above Birmingham’s New Street Station, so it’s very easy to locate. When the cat café was announced, there was a lot of outrage across social media. Many people weren’t happy with the location as it’s such a busy area. However the windows in the cat café are fairly soundproof and there’s three doors to get through before you actually get to the cats. There’s no way that a cat could escape!

The cost

As with the other two Kitty Cafés, the entry fee for an adult is £6. I feel that this is completely justified as it goes towards the welfare of the cats. I am happy to pay this and it’s an average price for cat cafés in the UK.

The food and drink is all reasonably priced too. Jacket potatoes start at £5.95, pizzas at £6.95 and all cakes are £3.95. Speciality hot chocolates are only £3.45 which is a lot cheaper than your usual chain coffee shop.

Food and drink

When I’ve visited the other two Kitty Cafés, I have usually just had a drink and a cake. However, I once went on a Monday afternoon, so we chose to go for the meal deal. The meal deal includes a main, a cake and a drink for just £11.95. I chose a wrap, the oreo cheesecake and a rose lemonade.

The hot and spicy chicken wrap was just average – I asked for it without lettuce and tomatoes but it then came without chillies or peppers. As you only have an hour at your table, I didn’t want to have to send it back to be remade as I was worried I wouldn’t have time to eat it.

The cheesecake was very nice and generously sized. At the other two cafés the cakes have always been a slice from a larger one, so I’m not sure if this is just the new menu or if it’s just the Birmingham café that serves individual cakes. I’d definitely go for the oreo cheesecake again!

You’re provided with a cover for your food to ensure the cats can’t get to it. Unfortunately while I was there, I saw a couple of kittens get away with some pizza. As most of the cats are quite young, they are very mischievous.

The cats

There are quite a lot of cats in the Kitty Café, most of them are kittens. There are a couple who have been moved over from other branches such as Whiskas who came over from Leeds. He was one of the cats that I fell in love with when I visited Leeds.

As you’d expect, the kittens are very playful! I like to pick up a toy and play with them until they get bored. There’s plenty for them to do, with tunnels, scratching posts, cat trees and shelves for them to climb up. If they don’t want human interaction then they’re able to escape to a quiet spot through the cat flaps.

Overall, I’d recommend Kitty Café Birmingham if you’re in the area but I do much prefer the Nottingham branch. It seems a lot more relaxed and spacious. I also wasn’t a fan of the wrap, but would recommend the cakes. There were plenty of great gifts in the cafe to treat yourself to, including mugs and custom keychains. A great way to get a souvenir of your day!