June 01, 2016

A Cat Cafe for Belfast? YOU Can Help Make Kittywinkles Cat Lounge Happen!

June 01, 2016/ Claire Spence

Caitlin McClelland emailed me this week with quite possibly the most exciting news of 2016 so far- the prospect of a cat cafe for Belfast. What's that? What does it entail? How can we make Caitlin's dream a furry reality? We had a chat about the best animal in the world, the cat.

What's a cat lounge?

Well, it's a comfortable space where friendly, pampered cats live. The cats roam around and do as they please while visitors relax and socialise. There are already 9 cat cafés in the UK but I want Kittywinkles to be something different. It will be a calm, open space.

Your visit is booked so you don't queue or wait, your seats are ready for your arrival and you can spend your time there doing whatever you like. Bring a friend for a chat, bring your laptop and study, bring a cat-lover along for an amazing surprise - it's up to you.

Why Belfast?

I feel like we should try to bring new ideas and opportunities to Northern Ireland. Cat cafés already exist in London, Edinburgh, Newcastle, etc. and I think Belfast deserves one too. Belfast is changing and lots of new small businesses are popping up regularly, I think we're ready for Kittywinkles Cat Lounge.

What can we expect to see when Kittywinkles opens?

I want Kittywinkles to be something new and different for Belfast. I love the quirky style of interior decorating that is becoming more popular around Belfast these days. Reclaimed furniture, funny and eye-catching artwork, up-cycled oddities… Originally this was my vision for the cat lounge, but during the planning stage I started to feel that maybe that wasn’t new anymore, I could give Kittywinkles a style that doesn’t exist in Belfast.

The cat lounge will be based on Japanese cat cafés - over-sized floor cushions, little tea-tables, squashy beanbag seats and soft throws and pillows. The cat lounge will be tailored to helping our visitors to relax and feel at home, so I want it to be like their second living-room.

The cats will live in this space and their experience will be quite different. I plan on installing walk-ways along the walls and windows and hidey-holes for cats to peek out from. I’ve seen some fantastic furniture for cats such as mini bunk beds, cat-sized rope ladders and little fabric hammocks for cats to laze on. The style I’m aiming for is quirky, comfy and welcoming.

The café area will be separate, of course, to maintain high levels of hygiene when we’re serving drinks and snacks. On the Kittywinkles menu you’ll see lots of varieties of locally-sourced tea and coffee, as well as a few fun additions like bubble-tea and milkshakes. I’d like to serve mainly dessert-style snacks like flapjacks, macarons and cupcakes. Cats can’t taste sugar so you won’t have to share your treats with a kitty!

Kittywinkles will bring a new style to Belfast then?

Yes, starting with the branding that you can see in the Kittywinkles logo, it is a style called ‘Kawaii’ which means ‘cute’ in the context of Japanese culture. For instance, brands like Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma and Molang are considered kawaii; they’re adorable, chubby and based on cute animals. Our mascot is an attention-seeking brown cat called Kwinkle.

Who do you expect to see visiting the Kittywinkles cats?

I think that Kittywinkles is a place for all (unless you are allergic to cats!). It might look like a place for kids because of the cute brand but the cat lounge is for anyone who wants to spend time with cats.

Our visitors might not be allowed pets in their home or have never owned a pet before and want to try it out by visiting. I imagine that most people who like animals will want to come and see Kittywinkles Cat Lounge because it’s a new kind of space they haven’t used before. It’s not like a bustling café or a noisy pub and I’d say Kittywinkles won’t be the only cat café in Northern Ireland for long once people experience it for themselves.

Kittywinkles Cat Lounge is currently raising start up funds on Kickstarter. Backers can choose their reward from the project and pledge an amount to bring Kittywinkles to life. The project will run until 24th June.

November 25, 2013

a) Clear Out Wardrobe b) Get Cash for Clothes at MusicMagpie.co.uk c) Purchase Tremendous Cat Print Sweatshirt

November 25, 2013/ Claire Spence

Some how, even when I don't buy new clothes, my wardrobe space seems to get more & more bunged. Every six months I do a clear out. I'm pretty ruthless too, and then I'm left with just what I actually wear; which somehow expands itself over another six months until it's time to clear out again.

It's not the worst household chore, I can think of many more tedious ways to spend a morning, plus you often come across a dress or jumper you've totally forgotten buying. Like a summer skirt you've bought in the sales thinking you're the bee's knees and bargain savvy. Then you do a clear out in September & find the floaty skirt, labels still attached and summer fleeting fast. Not so clever. So a clear out is sometimes as good as a mini shopping spree.

Here is another plus point for you. You can get cash for your clothes on Music Magpie. You don't pay postage to send them the items either. And your reward payment? Well, you can spend it on clothes of course.

How do you fancy these insane cat sweatshirts? Tie dye, sea punk, lightning bolts and pastels. I think my cat would run away if she saw me coming in one of these.

November 02, 2013

We Literally Just Had a Caturday

November 02, 2013/ Claire Spence

Mrs Meow has lived with us for three years now. Where she came from, I do not know. She turned up three summers ago and spent day and night, rain or shine, under the same bush in our back garden. My husband is allergic to cats, so bringing her inside wasn't an option (ahem). She was happy enough to take food, once we had gone back indoors, and slowly, she would eat with me sitting a few feet away. By the end of the summer she surprised me by jumping up on the garden bench beside me.

As autumn came around that year, we made a shelter box for her inside our boiler shed. It had a duvet and she could crawl under the door and keep warm. By that winter I had started letting her into the kitchen ("just the kitchen, I promise!") and at night she slept on an old coat, inside from the cold. My husband resigned himself to taking anti-histamine.

By spring, Mrs Meow had extended her kingdom to include the whole house ("but definitely not the bedroom, and she goes in the kitchen when you get home, I promise!"). By summer 2013, Mrs Meow now sleeps beside me on our bed during the day (I sleep a lot due to M.E.) and is in the house all day, even when my husband is there.

He had a love/hate relationship with her. He hates cats, he hates her fur everywhere, he hates when she poos in the corner of the kitchen instead of the litter tray. Secretly though, I think he does love her. He witnessed her catch a mouse that ran under the washing machine one weekend morning, and their relationship changed from there. No longer just a sleep machine, she now was a cruel, mouse teasing beast. Plus I've caught him sneaking her chicken in the kitchen.

Mrs Meow is here to stay. I love her to pieces. So I decided it was about time I looked after her completely and made sure she was getting her yearly vaccinations. To get her to her first vet trip (with us anyway) I had this super duper fancy deluxe cat carrier from Swell Pets.

It opens at the front, like any carrier, but also the top swings open, which makes it so much easier to pick up your cat, set it down into the box, rather than trying to push it in the front door. Mrs Meow was in it before she knew what was happening! There's a removable double dish at the front which can be accessed without the cat escaping. This would be more for long travel, or air travel. There's lots of room and ventilation too. We were able to put a seat cushion that Mrs Meow likes to sleep on inside with lots of room left for her to turn around.

here is Michael demonstrating the flip top access!

quite blurry, but I didn't want to hang around once she was in

Mrs Meow seemed happy enough travelling in her carrier. She miaowed her annoyance, but she wasn't stressed, or scared. At the vets she poked her head out the door when we opened it, then sat back down on her little cushion. I was expecting her to make a dash for it. Altogether a very successful trip.

We found our she is about six years old, which means she was three when she turned up as a stray with us.

Caturday continue with a trip to Bangor's Cat Show. Easily a hundred cats of all breeds to admire. My son and I had a fabulous time. My husband didn't attend, one cat is enough for him.

May 12, 2013

Star Wars Cats, the best of Both Worlds. A bit of a Memesy Sunday Post.

May 12, 2013/ Claire Spence

My husband hates cats. He admitted a tiny sliver of affection toward our cat Mrs Meow the other week, but quickly rectified his slip up and said he hated her again. I often catch him throwing bits of roast chicken into her dish when he doesn't think I'm looking though, I reckon he has a sort of respect for her as she's a secret killing machine.
Anyway, Michael this blog is for you, a mash up of your hate - cats, and your love - Star Wars.

February 20, 2013

World's Oldest Living Two-headed Cat

February 20, 2013/ Claire Spence

December 16, 2012

Cat Shaped Buildings

December 16, 2012/ Claire Spence

Dogs too...

And fish!

November 23, 2012

Lego Cats. Good, Bad & Terrifying.

November 23, 2012/ Claire Spence

November 16, 2012

Get Your Cat a Giant Strawberry Shaped Bed

November 16, 2012/ Claire Spence

What are you doing this evening? Me? I'm just coaxing my cat into a giant strawberry with bits of chicken.

She sleeps in the kitchen at night and its bloody freezing down there so I've upgraded her from normal cat bed to giant strawberry castle. For heat benefits, obviously. Not just so I can see a cat inside a strawberry house.

I got mine on worldwide eBay so it was dirt cheap. Here's the link.

3 Size Soft Strawberry Pet Dog Cat Bed House Kennel Doggy Warm Cushion Basket