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A self-confessed ‘crazy cat lady’ is opening Kent’s first ever cat café in Tonbridge.

Elaine Lucas, 46, has this week announced the launch of Paws Cat Café in the Angel Walk Shopping Centre.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a coffee and a cake while relaxing in the company of a few furry faces.

She has received the keys to the shop and hopes to open to the public in the next six to eight weeks, once the café is fitted out and the cats have settled in to their new home.

“I just love cats, and my kids have grown up and I need some babies!” Elaine said.

“I have four cats at home, but I have always wanted more.

“I find them really relaxing and they make me laugh. I often spend more time watching them than the TV!

“And I wanted to bring that to others. Some research has shown cats can be really helpful for your health and wellbeing as they can reduce stress.”

She regularly volunteers at Romney House Cat Rescue in Orpington, and seeing just how many stray and abandoned cats there are in Kent sparked the idea for a cat café.

“There are so many cats which need homes – last month we saw about 26 kittens come in to the rescue centre,” Elaine explained.

She said she is working with an animal behaviour therapist to help choose the right cats for the café – those which are more sociable and enjoy being around people.

“The welfare of the cats will be my main priority,” she added.

“They will have their own private quarters for sleeping where guests cannot go, and they can come down and see the customers when they like.

“If they don’t want to be around people, they don’t have to be.”

She also hopes to use the café to educate people about the importance of neutering to prevent unwanted kittens being born.

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Elaine, who lives in Bishops Oak Ride and grew up in Tonbridge, hopes to bring 10 cats to the café to begin with.

She said there will be a completely separate kitchen area where the animals are not allowed to enter, and all cakes and snacks served will be bought in rather than made on site.

“I don’t really like cafés, as they are noisy with the sound of coffee machines and people shouting orders all the time,” she said.

“What I want is to create a cosy, relaxing environment, where people can take a break.

“And I want to share my passion for cats with other people.”

Elaine, who currently works at AXA PPP Healthcare, said the opening of the café will be a family effort – with her two daughters, husband and stepsons all pitching in to help.

Her eldest daughter Lauren, who works in a pharmacy, hopes to become manager of the café once it is up and running.

“She’s a crazy cat lady, just like me,” added Elaine.

The café will have an entry fee and work on a booking system where people book an hour slot with the cats, with capacity at around 20 guests at one time.

To find out more visit the Paws Cat Café Facebook page here .