Animal welfare charities have joined forces to express serious concerns about Bristol’s first cat cafe.

You & Meow on Denmark Street is now home to seven cats and hopes to soon have nine, with two at any one time available for adoption.

But the RSPCA, Cats Protection and Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue now join Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary in Barrow Gurney, which last year refused to give their animals to You & Meow, in their criticisms of the business.

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Veterinary manager at the RSPCA Bristol branch clinic, Dr Mandy Stone said: “The RSPCA shares similar concerns as other animal welfare organisations, such as the Cats Protection and Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue, about the growing trend in cat cafes.

“We believe that it would be quite a challenge to meet the welfare needs of cats in this type of environment.

“As an animal welfare charity we are concerned about the welfare implications of having a number of cats in a limited space with groups of people unknown to them coming and going throughout the day.”

Alice Potter, RSPCA cat welfare expert, said: “We believe this kind of environment is not suitable for domestic cats because they have evolved from solitary animals and many of them are happiest living on their own.

“It is possible that some or all of the cats involved may experience stress as a result of being in a confined space with other cats and a continually changing group of people.

“We also have concerns about the intention to have cats available for rehoming through the cafe. This would create an unstable population of cats and the introduction of new cats into the group could create even more stress and further compromise feline welfare.

“However, we do appreciate that spending time with animals and interacting with them can bring people a lot of joy, so would encourage people to volunteer at their nearest rescue centre, if they can’t have a cat themselves.”

Bristol & Wales Cat Rescue chairperson Margaret Brittan said that if instead of a business, the cafe were a family home with the same conditions, it would be a home with up to nine cats, on a busy road, close to one of the most congested areas of Bristol, with no outside space and up to 100 strangers passing through every day.

“There’s not a single foster cat we would be happy to rehome in this situation,” she said.

You & Meow owner Ewa Rukat declined to comment.

Read more: Bristol’s first cat cafe is now open