A new hotspot has opened in Kyalami, Johannesburg; the Woodrock Animal Rescue has opened a cat cafe which aims to help support more animals, find homes for cats and offer a fun day out for cat lovers.
Kyalami, South Africa (30 July 2024) – The Woodrock Animal Rescue has done a fabulous thing for the cat lovers of Gauteng, opening a cat cafe where one can cuddle and play while giving back to a worthy cause! And not only does the cafe give back to the rescue, it boosts mental health too!
The cat cafe officially opened this past weekend, and it is already a hotspot. There are a total of eight female cats and four males that now call the cafe home.
The cats you can meet include Bibi, Tigerlily, Jelly B, Lyla, Holly and a few more. They are ready and waiting to play, nap, cuddle or straight up ignore you… because cats!
We caught up with Jacqui “Jax” Martheze and Queanne Southwood, some of the amazing minds behind this exciting new cafe, and they shared how it all began.
“The inspiration for our Cat Cafe came from our mental wellness program called Paws@Work, where we go into corporates with 10 therapy dogs. The popularity of Paws@Work started to increase, and people kept asking if we do this with cats! The answer was always no; cats are more tricky to transport as they get stressed quickly. But we had something else up our sleeve for the cat lovers.
We saw the trend happening overseas and thought, why can’t we do this? And do it slightly different… What better way than to have a space anyone can come to, work, chill, eat, drink, and feed their body, mind, and soul there with our cats! There are so many physical and mental attributes when being with an animal.” – Jax Martheze, Woodrock Animal Rescue
Jax confirmed that while the cats living at the cafe will not be up for adoption, they are the ambassadors for all the cats at Woodrock Animal Rescue. A board will be up at the cafe, which will showcase the cats and kittens available for adoption at the shelter, so you can always set up a meeting with a cat you see.
“Imagine you’re sitting in a café delighting in your latte macchiato when you detect something gently brushing against your legs. You look down and discover a purring ball of fur wanting to be loved by you. After all, you’re not at just any café; you’re in a cat café. The tendency, which began in Japan, has now spread almost all over the world and Woodrock has brought it to the people of Gauteng!
Woodrock truly hopes to go above and beyond with this space. Our Cat Cafe, also known as a Kitty Cafe, is a café with the perk of cats! The cats are free to walk about; they have designated sleeping areas, items to play with, and their favourite treats. People can visit to have a relaxing time with the cats, drink a great cup of coffee, indulge in delicious snacks and cakes from Jackson’s Food Market and even put in an application for our cats back at the Woodrock farm.” – Queanne Southwood
Another perk of the cafe is that it is now a space where you can drop off food donations for the animals, either cat cafe residents or the animals back at the shelter.
The cafe revenue will help boost the overall income of Woodrock Animal Rescue as well as raise the organisation’s public profile and create awareness for animal welfare.
“We are based at Kyalami Corner on the upper level. We are open Monday – Sunday, 9 am – 5 pm. All our cats are rescues, and of course, Woodrock is pro-life.
The best part of our mental health pillar, which contains Paws@Work and our recently added Cat Cafe, is that we are raising further awareness and so much attraction to the name Woodrock Animal Rescue, whose ultimate aim is to rescue, rehabilitate, sterilise, and rehome the animals of SA born into lives of neglect or abuse.”
So, if you are looking for a fun spot to host a meeting, need some “me time” and kitty cuddles, or just want to give back to a good cause, this is a fun option. Plus there are lots of fun activities coming… Can you say yoga with cats? Yes, please! Kids reading corner, yay books!
You can find out more about the cafe here. Below, meet the cats who call the cafe home and who you can get the chance to spend some time with.
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