Whiskers by Kyra Edwards

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WHISKERS

MAY 2015

ith 11,000 clicks of support, Edinburgh’s newest cat café is causing a stir and it has not even opened up yet. The cat café is already brewing with life and hopes to soon give the same to its customers. As they say themselve. They are an honest bunch of cat

What was the motivator behind Cattitude, The Edinburgh Cat Cafe? In as few words possible: passion, love for cats, coffee and good food. Ever since we can remember cats have been in our lives. Once we moved away from our family homes to study and travel, owning a cat was no longer an option. We craved cat's company so instead we made friends with all the kitties in the neighborhood. We heard about the cat cafés and sanctuaries when they started popping up in Asia. It was such an amazing idea, but we doubted that it could work in Europe as they have much stricter health and safety policies. Still, it proved to work in Paris, Madrid and then London, so why not Edinburgh? We began the venture to bring Cattitude to reality, opened a Facebook page to see what feedback the idea would get and people absolutely loved it! The local press contacted us and the response was overwhelmingly positive! What are your main goals for the near future? At the moment the main goal is to find suitable premises. Then we will aspire to establish a coffee shop that people will come back to, not solely because of the cats. We are hoping to create a place that you will come to relax at, meet with interesting people, and generally feel good. You used a crowd funding website to get the business going, was this an important factor in establishing it? Even through direct contributions we still did not manage to reach the set target, but crowd funding gave us a great exposure to a wider audience. When we opened the campaign we weren't sure if Cattitude would become a reality. It was only until the crowd funding finished that we knew that the café would open. This was because some amazing people who loved the idea contacted us, and decided to support the project financially. So, yes, it was a very important part of our project.

loving people with an appreciation for good quality coffee and food, and a want to see a second chance for their feline companions. I speak to the team to see what got them here, what they want for their new venture and what makes Cattitude - The Edinburgh Cat Cafe different from the rest.

Was it difficult finding premises that allowed pets? Finding premises is very difficult, but not only because of the animals. Not all venues are suitable for the café, as there are several requirements that the premises have to fulfill (the size, layout etc.). On the top of that, generally there is a high demand on this type of venue in Edinburgh. We have found that the greatest factor influencing our property hunt is the fact that we are a start- up business. Landlords weren't generally put off by the idea of pets on premises. They were more concerned with whether the business would sustain on the market. It is a very unusual project and some people may be worried that the café will not last. We are not. Over 11,000 likes and Cattitude hasn't even opened yet. How important is social media for the cafe? These days’ social media is very powerful. It played an important part in the history of Cattitude. The entire project started over a year ago when we opened its Facebook page looking for feedback. All the amazing comments and constantly increasing number of likes gave us a massive kick to start it and most importantly keep going. If not for that, we're not sure whether we would of taken the risk. Social media allowed us to build a distinguishable brand and identity. We really value that we can tell people who we are, what our motivation is, and give them a feeling of what's Cattitude going to be like. Cattitude is the apple of our eves, and it's extremely important for us that the café is going to have great atmosphere. We would love to have a good personal relationship with our customers (for that reason we will both leave our jobs to work in the café). And at the moment the way to do this is to engage with people online. And finally, social media allowed Cattitude to go global. There's no better energy boost after a busy day

attitude

at daily work than an email from Australia enquiring to when we open, because it mean’s someone on the other side of the word is planning their visit to Edinburgh around our opening time. Tell me about the decision to allow customers to adopt the rescue cats? While planning the project we have given a lot of thought, and did some extensive research into how other cafés work. We have decided that fostering rescue cats will be the best option. There are two main reasons for this decision. Firstly, animal welfare and wellbeing. As Cattitude will serve as a foster home only, we hope that our cats will not be affected by the negative impact of the café environment. The atmosphere of a café is very specific, and some cats can find it stressful. Especially if exposed to constantly changing faces for a very long time. We think than even most sociable and playful cat would be affected by the constant demand for his attention. What's more, although cats are solitary animals, they do need routine and established close relationship with their owner. The reality of café will not allow us to build a close bond with all of the kitties. We are aware that busy café environment with constantly changing visitors is not perfect for cats. But neither is a pen in shelter. We also cooperate with a local animal shelter (the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home). Years of their experience and their expertise is a priceless asset for the Cattitude. They will help us to assess cat's personality and choose the kitties that will find the café suitable. Another important factor in making this decision was that we want to make something good and help pets

in need. We are not profit oriented. Animal shelters constantly struggle with the number of cats looking for new homes. Most of all adult cats, and those suffering from health problems. Cattitude will give an opportunity to expose them to the wider public. The cats and new patrons will have a relaxed and laid back place to meet and get to know each other. This coffee shop is not aiming to bring massive earnings, but rather to become beneficial to our local community. We aspire to help many cats to find their new home. What made you choose not to charge an entrance fee? Cattitude is primarily a coffee shop, specialisied to accommodate cats. Introducing an entrance fee/cover charge puts too much unnecessary pressure on the animals. With that added pressure it means people go in and expect quality one to one time with a cat, as this is what they pay for. But because of the nature of cats this won't always happen, and will cause many customers to leave disappointed with their visit. As I mentioned before, we are not profit oriented. We are also not a cat sanctuary or a petting zoo that charges money for playing with pets. The Cattitude will earn their profit in the same way as every coffee shop does- from selling food and drinks. The prices of products will be based on local market research, but will be a little higher than average. This is because we will share our profit with befriended animal rescue centre (The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home). We don’t see the need to charge our customers more than this.

The Edinburgh Cat Cafe 2|

from MAU TO meow

E V OLU T ION T HE

C AT

Bringer of fertility to ruler of the interet

rom fertility and protection, to giver of amusing videos. Cats have certainly gone through a lot of evolution to get to where they are today. When we think of cats, we think of them going about their daily routine, from sitting in boxes, human leg dance routines, to napping. Happiness, content and reliance, it is fair to say that most cats have an easy life now, but this was not always the case. Like many animals in the past, humans have domesticated cats in order to help their own survival. Yet their behaviour has not changed much over the thousands of years that have passed by. Ever occasionally ponder at why your cat seems to be digging at, and artfully placing an imaginary cover over his food, as though they intend to return in a few days time and continue? Or when they arrive with a half chewed animal in their mouth, their eyes full of pride. These are both examples of their previous instincts as wild cats that our tamed cats have descended from. It has been the debate of many archaeologists over the decades as to where and when domestication truly began, but to put it in simple terms, they

can only take from what they find in the ground. Last year, a team of archaeologists from the Royal Belgium Institute of Natural Science uncovered a small burial pit

Neer said that the results, â&#x20AC;&#x153;suggest that the domestication process may have started when humans in the levant became sedentary and their cereal storage attracted rodents, and in turn cats.â&#x20AC;? Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians worshipped a goddess named Bastet. Of all the things she could of represented, it was the domesticated cat (felis silvestris libyca). Her presence in the late dynasties meant that cats continued to play an important role at the feet of humans. It is our current behaviour and worship of them, that was built on the foundations of a time, where pyramids were nothing but the limestone in the ground. Today, we live in a completely different world to how the ancient Egyptians lived, but many of the cat's traits have not changed since the first signs of domestication prevailed. For instance, our reliance on cats for pest control is naturally now nonexistent. Yet the cats are still set in the ways of their years before them, just like humans are. The need for survival was now with each other. With industrialisation, the rise of technology, and relative peace, our lives are not as threatened as they once

Bringing harm, accidental or not was a crime against their beliefs. dating back to the early 4th millennium BC. Taking domestication of cats back 2,000 years before we had originally conceived. The pit contained six cats, one male, one female adult and four kittens, from two different litters. It was a huge step forward into understanding their position with humans in that time period. The bones of the cats clarified that they had been, to a degree looked after and fed, enabling the young adult cats to bring up so many litters at such a young age. This latest find was an extension into the surrounding burial site at Hierakonpolis, one that archaeologists have been working on since it was first discovered in the 1970's. The head of the excavation, Van

were. We live for longer, our values have changed and we have stopped surrendering our pets to the goddesses in hopes of a better life after death. Yet mummification was a huge honour in ancient Egypt, for an Egyptian to get such privilege they had to be of worth, and cats were seen with such amount of awe that during the roman period, when a Roman had accidently killed a cat he was immediately executed. Bringing harm accidental or not was a crime against their beliefs, an attitude we have thankfully brought forward into the present day. The ancient Egyptian's Mau has transformed to the meow we know today. Now a leader of the cute and funny video clip, the approximated four billion cat video's circle the internet like the goddess Bastet once circled her people. Cats have a way of leading us even if we do not realise it. After all, the ancient Egyptians used the cat to find the mouse and now we use the mouse to find the cat.

Animal Assisted

Therapy

OMPANIONSHIP. The word creates a picture of easy Sunday afternoon's with friends or a long term relationship with someone you love. It has this way of creating a positive outlook on whatever you associate it with. But what if we associated the word with physical and mental health? In science we have come a long way with establishing, creating and achieving everything from paracetamol to treating cancer. And one of the most important aspects of this, is that it has allowed for the development of treatments that benefit our most vulnerable in society. The one's with

terminal illnesses sitting alone in a hospital room, an autistic child unable to say what they need to, a person suffering from depression, contemplating suicidal. How do we help them when they are at their most vulnerable? One way Britain are tackling this is through Animal-assisted therapy. It is a holistic approach to our medicine centred science. But it is not as simple as putting an animal into a room with a person. For mental and physical health, a variety of animals can be used to help reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and other illnesses, cats being one of them. Universities and work places have started to use programmes like

this as a way to de-stress their stu staff. The animals that are train companions must go through the a steps with a trainer before they people. After all, it is about havin temperament to help create atmosphere for the person in nee Charities all over Britain o programmes, though some are s dog related, many provide cats as One example is Pets As Therapy founded in 1983, which has hu volunteers all over Britain. Cheryl us what is important about the c why it benefit's people. She says it

udents and ned as AAT appropriate y can visit ng the right the right d. offer AAT specifically s an option. y, a charity undreds of Tissot tells charity and t allows for

the opportunity to 'Enhance lives in our communities by providing companionship and friendship and helps to tackle loneliness.' And do this by 'the visits of trusted volunteers with their behaviourally assessed animals.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Studies have shown the beneficial results from using cats as companions, especially with regards to stroke victims, as it helps lower blood pressure. Research has also shown that spending time with a cat helps with decreasing loneliness and promoting healing, so it is not

surprising that it has become common in hospitals and nursing homes amongst others. It is not just the vulnerable that are now benefiting from the rise of Animalassisted therapy. Hundreds of cat cafe's have opened up all over the world, giving everyone who does not already own an animal, a chance to emotionally connect with one. And it is not just the physical company that helps; a cats purr between 20 and 140 hertz is known to be therapeutic to humans. It makes sense when you consider it properly? You feel the

comfort, an unconditional love between you and this animal, one you possibly may of just met. But it is an easy feeling escaping into. Improving the lives of those who suffer from mental and physical health conditions is at the heart of its policy for Pets As Therapy. And it should be at the heart of ours too, even if it is ourselves we want to help.

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