Clawing to stay: The fight to keep London’s first cat cafe in Bethnal Green open

Bethnal Green’s Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is set to close at the end of June, but a possible saviour might be waiting in the wings.

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in Bethnal Green – the first cat cafe in London – is set to close its doors 23 June, but staff are fighting to keep it open. 

The cafe, which opened on Bethnal Green Road in 2014, is under a month away from closing after facing a combination of rising costs, an unsuccessful restructuring, and a fall into ‘uncontrollable’ debt after COVID. 

After the trio of fatal factors, the current owner of Lady Dinah’s, Lauren Pears, took the ‘incredibly hard decision’ to close the cafe.

However, there may be hope for the feline fans of the East End. Freyja Hides-Westwood, the cafe’s current Cafe Manager of six years, is fundraising to buy the cafe’s assets, aiming to make a fresh start with a smaller operation.

For Hides-Westwood, the venture is a project of the heart.

‘Myself and the team at Lady Dinah’s are all so passionate about keeping the cafe going, we’ve all never worked anywhere like it and would be heartbroken to see it go,’ Hides-Westwood told the Slice. 

The Save Dinay’s Cat Emporium crowdfunder set up to fund the acquisition is at £34,415, over halfway towards its £50,000 target with the help of more than 950 donors. Hides-Westwood says the cafe would remain largely the same, perhaps moving to a new location or differing layout, but retaining its ‘wonderland’ aesthetic and keeping care for cats at its core. 

‘We have a lot of regulars who come as often as they can, some come multiple times a week and they would all feel the loss of Lady Dinah’s. We do all our own cat rescuing and often these cats come from people in need in the community.’

Since its opening, the cafe has rehomed over 100 cats, modelling itself as a temporary foster home for felines in need. The 20 cats currently living at Lady Dinah’s are to be rehomed before 23 June in case the cafe closes for good.

In recent months, cat cafes have come under fire. In March, the RSPCA and Cat Protection argued that cat cafes should be phased out, citing animal welfare concerns. 

In response, founder and current owner of Lady Dinah’s, Lauren Pears, told ITV, ‘I believe it is appropriate that the RSPCA and Cats Protection raise concerns, but I don’t agree that cat cafes should be phased out entirely. 

‘Cat cafes seem like fun businesses to run, but should be taken seriously.’

Lady Dinah’s has a series of rules aimed at protecting the well-being of the cats in their care, including no picking the cats up, no disturbing them while they’re sleeping, grooming, or eating, and no visitors under the age of 12 years. 

Pears said she’s sad to see the end of a cafe that’s been part of her life since 2012, but would be ‘delighted’ if Freyja took over, and is deeply proud of the cafe.

‘Cafe team members have forged lifelong friendships that will persist long after my time at Lady Dinah’s is over, all of our cats have found new families and homes, and we have been privileged to be part of anniversaries, milestone birthdays, proposals and first dates,’ she told the Slice.

In their latest crowdfunding update, the cafe claims other parties are interested in buying the cafe, and have implored for further donations to counter any competing offers. 

Regardless of how it ends, Pears looks back fondly at the cafe’s achievements. 

‘There are a lot of people all over the world who hold cherished memories from our cafe and that is a legacy to be proud of.’

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