Cat cafes are pretty awesome… but you know what sounds even better? A cat cinema. And it looks like we're in luck, because these magnificent-sounding places might be the way of the future: Cat lovers Paula Siedlecka and William Piper are currently crowdfunding to launch Great Kitten, a cat cinema that will (hopefuly) take up residence in London's Crouch End sometime soon. Cats, cinema, and a cuppa? Yes please!
Like many who have opened up cat cafes (and dog cafes, and owl cocktail bars, and so on and so forth), they first got the idea while traveling. According to their IndieGoGo video, Siedlecka and Piper stopped at a cat cafe while they were in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam — and when they arrived back home, they thought, “Gee, wouldn't it be terrific to be able to have a cup of tea, cuddle with a cat, and watch a movie, all at the same time?” Thus, Great Kitten was born.
As is also the trend with cat cafes, the plan is for all of the felines at Great Kitten to be adoptable rescues. According to the Telegraph, Siedlecka and Piper will be working with local animal shelters; the cats who will make their way to Great Kitten will be sociable and friendly ones who enjoy both large groups and people — which means they'll all be comfortable in this particular environment. So as to prevent the cats from getting overwhelmed, Siedlecka said there will also be “rules around not disturbing sleeping cats, not picking them up, and not playing too aggressively”; furthermore, the cats will have their own human-free room they can go to whenever they want. Said Siedlecka, “Our key mission for Great Kitten is to find a forever, loving home for rescue cats of London.”
What kind of movies will be shown? Piper and Siedlecka say they anticipate holding “a minimum of five movie screenings per week,” with the likelihood being that more screenings will arrive on the schedule later on. They plan to show… well, pretty much everything: Hollywood blockbusters, classics, and British and international independent films. Not only that, but the customers will actually determine which movies will appear: Great Kitten will hold polls on social media geared towards that purpose.
Typically a visit will cost between £5 and £15 depending on the length of the film being shown; however, Siedlecka and Piper also have plans to give back to the community. According to their website, they'll open their doors one afternoon per week to children and adults suffering from health issues that might benefit from animal and pet therapy. The visits will be “entirely funded by our guests' donations and our profits,” and will involve “the full Great Kitten service, including hot drinks, cakes, and refreshments” — and, of course, a film screening.
Not going to lie: Their IndieGoGo goal is ambitious — perhaps a little overly so. They hope to raise £55,000 (about $83,760) over the next 38 days; so far, though, they've only got just shy of £2,000 in the pot. They've chosen the Flexible Funding model, however, which means that even if they don't hit their goal, they'll still get whatever funding they do manage to raise.
Want to kick in a few pounds? Head on over to Great Kitten's IndieGoGo page. Because a cat cinema sounds amazing. Am I right?
