The owners of Manchester’s new cat cafe believe they have been targeted by arsonists after a fire broke out in the early hours of this morning.

Sisters Ellie and Sarah Close are convinced the blaze was started deliberately outside the Northern Quarter venue.

None of the 11 resident cats were harmed but Ellie said staff were badly shaken up by the incident.

“The cats are all fine, they were in a completely different room but we’re getting them all vet checked just in case,” she said.

“It could have been so much worse. It’s not just us, there’s a block of flats above us as well.”

The sisters believe somebody tried to smash a window near the reception on High Street before setting fire to a pile of rubbish outside, causing the glass to crack in the heat.

“There are pressurised cans that could have exploded,” Ellie said.

“It might just be somebody being stupid but it feels a bit targeted.”

The cafe has been hugely popular since it opened last month and Ellie said she had no idea who could want to harm the cats.

“It’s scary and very worrying,” she said.

“At the end of the day the cats are the most important thing to me and if they are in danger it makes me not want to do it any more.

“It’s a shame, because people are loving it and the cats are really happy.”

Firefighters were called to the scene at 1.50am and police have confirmed they are investigating it as a suspected arson attack.

Appealing for witnesses, Ellie said: “We really want help finding out who did this. It’s so sad that there’s such nasty people in the world.”