Kitty Cat Café embrace community involvement as they cause quite the stir!

Written on behalf of South Ayrshire Ambition Programme.

Many people dream of turning a personal passion into a successful business. In the case of Amy and Laura from Ayr’s Kitty Cat Café, they made it happen!

The idea seemed obvious. Having loved visiting other cat cafes in the UK and beyond and both being cat lovers with children of the same age, the two senior NHS workers began that ‘what if …’ moment that grew and grew.

The deciding factor was meeting Business Gateway Advisor and fellow cat lover Lorna who was equally enthusiastic about their idea, leaving the pair motivated to take the next steps.

Kitty Cat Café received a range of support through South Ayrshire Council’s Ambition To Start programme. This included expert finance support to create a business plan and forecasts, expert marketing support and an Ambition start up grant of £1,000.

In addition they were given support from two South Ayrshire Council environmental health officers, one specialising in the food service side of the café and another who advised in the process of applying for an animal activity licence.

The café opened within a matter of months after securing premises in South Harbour Street and the hard work began of renovating the interior to suit. Eighteen cats have found a happy new home there either having been rescued, through rehoming or having been gifted to the café.

Locally sourced coffee and cake is on the menu and customers book a slot to visit with many booking double slots and travelling regularly from further afield. The café itself is warm and welcoming, beautifully decorated with a cat theme and even has a range of cat themed gifts carefully curated to offer pocket money value.

Kitty Cat Café is going from strength to strength. They have captured the attention of the press and the public with their quirky TikTok videos and in this case, the personalities of Amy and Laura behind the brand really shine through. You might be wondering how on earth as NHS workers with young families they find the time? Amy explains

“At the point we decided to go for it we knew the initial months would be super busy but we have been blown away by the public support and interest. Our meeting with Business Gateway Advisor Lorna was the turning point for us. We knew we had to make our idea real before somebody else did and we left that day inspired to start our journey. We feel lucky that lots of people who have supported us have been cat people and have genuinely believed in us each step of the way.” 

Heading towards their six month opening anniversary Amy and Laura are looking to an ambitious future with the community at the heart of their business. With a partnership already developed with The Ayrshire Hospice and some themed evenings on the cards such as quizzes and yoga, the Kitty Cat Café’s purrfect adventures have only just begun! 

This case study was written on behalf of https://www.ambitionprogramme.co.uk/