Cat Village North

Sadly it doesn't look much like the photos it was smelly and dirty it needs a really good clean inside and out. The people were very friendly as were the cats. It's a great idea and I'd love to see it succeed, my son loved it and is keen to go back but it needs sprucing up.

I went with my children and my mum last week thinking it would be a nice afternoon out for coffee and food. We walked through the door to a smelly room. We had to sign a form to say we wouldn't pick the cats up etc. We then went into another room where all the cats were, it was smelly and dirty, cat biscuits all round on floor and benches. Most cats were asleep. I sat on a bench next to a sleeping cat, I stroked her head. She then moved her head and sank her 4 fangs in my finger drawing a lot of blood. The owner cleaned it up for me but since then I have to have tetanus and double strength antibiotics and a trip to hospital for an infection, I am only just being able to move my finger from the swelling.
I will not be returning to the cafe .

Stayed for 3 hours, the place was very nice and the cats were adorable and very friendly. The owner and the volunteers were incredibly welcoming, the food was amazing, and the place was very relaxed. Couldn't recommend it more.

Edit. It's approx 30+ cats, the staff have a big clean every morning but there might be the odd misshap. Seen a review saying the place smelled - its 30+cats lol. The area for eating is away from the Cat area and very clean and comfortable.

Some of the cats are timid, some cuddle you to death. If you're not familiar with Cats, don't stroke the belly, and always let them sniff you first before having a good stroke

We first visited Cat Village North (CVN) in September 2017, and have been returning on a semi-regular basis ever since (pandemic notwithstanding).

In that time it has transformed from a “traditional” cat cafe (ie. a cafe with cats in it), to a multi-use space that includes a sanctuary for the cats, and a separate cafe/bar area.

Having experienced the difficulty of trying to prevent the cats from swiping our food (which has always been excellent), I can certainly see the benefits of this set-up!

Aside from the cat & cafe visits, CVN offers a multitude of different groups for the local community, from crafting to support groups to movie nights, and lots else between.

Sadly we are no longer local to CVN, and so we stick to a weekly trip to see the cats. It’s usually quiet, and visitor numbers are controlled so as not to overwhelm them.

In the five years that we have been visiting, we have befriended many cats. Some of them are long term residents who were present on our very first visit, but many of them have been taken in or rescued by CVN for a variety of different reasons. This has included many different breeds and leg-lengths of cat (who knew "sausage cats" were a thing?!?!).

Some of them go on to live in the Village, whilst many of them have been temporary residents, who go on to be adopted.

Most weeks the cats are excited to see me - wanting a fuss, a lap to sit on, or to play. However, there are days when I show up and the cats are far more interested in snoozing than they are in me, and I am ignored for most of my visit. That’s just the nature of cats, and always a risk that I’m willing to take.

It’s worth bearing in mind that any visit is showing just an hour of time out of the lives of the cats, and one of the many hours that are put into the place both for the cats and for the community by the CVN team.

It is our experience that the cats are well cared for, and much loved by the owner and the volunteers. It’s worthy of note that the owner runs the place single-handedly (and possesses some sort of Jedi-like ability to calm even the most feisty of feral cats).

Why do we continue to visit regularly? They serve excellent coffee (with or without milk) and it is always such a pleasure to visit. Despite being a cynical misanthrope, I never fail to leave CVN without feeling a little better about the world.

Nice decor, nice food, pizza highly recommended, very friendly and helpful staff, cafe separate from cat area and organised booking system - works very well and you get to spend a lot of time with a lot of cats, some of which are very friendly and really want your time and attention !
Highly recommend and I will be back….

All the surfaces were wet from constant spraying, far too many cats for such a small space. A very overpriced experience especially since the drinks I'd ordered were left to go cold.. it was just a very wierd experience that left me feeling so bad for all the cats.

First visit today with my 2 young children and we all loved it. The staff are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The cats are so adorable, every single 1 of them. Many of the cats were happy to approach us and sit on our laps, most of the others were happy to be approached and stroked. Only a couple of cats were shy but were more than happy with us being there. The hot drinks and pizzas were incredible. We will definitely be returning in the very near future. Thank you so much xx

A heaven for cat lovers, all the cats and kittens are super friendly and gentle, and they love getting attention and being stroked ❤️