Since our opening in 2014, we have found homes for over 60 cats in our care.
Our East London Cat Cafe serves as a temporary foster home for all of our resident cats- our ultimate goal is to nuture their growth, build their confidence, and ultimately find them the best forever homes that they deserve when the time comes.
Once a member of our clowder graduates, they are not forgotten- our cafe walls are lined with their portraits to comemmorate their stay with us.
Here are a few of our favourite success stories:
Mama Mue & Her Kittens
Mue, affectionately nicknamed 'Mama', was the cafe's first matriarch. On our opening year, we rescued a pregnant Mue and her 1 year old daughter Biscuit. Mue gave birth to her children Indiana, Romeo, Donnie, Petra, Carbonelle and Artemis 6 months before the cafe opened. This little family were part of the cafe's first ever clowder of cats!
Over the years, we have successfully found homes for Mue and all of her children once they were ready to retire from the cafe life. Mue ruled the Lady Dinah's roost was the face of the Lady Dinah's brand for around 4 years before she let us know she was ready for a quieter life. She retired to a lovely calm home in late 2018.
Zelda & Her Kittens
After sadly losing her owner and becoming homeless, Zelda was taken under the cafe's wing and showered with love and care- though after her health check results were back, not only was she found to be FIV positive... but she was also pregnant!
Because of this, it was decided that Zelda would not have benefited from a cafe lifestyle, and was fostered in a trustworthy home so that she could be protected and have her kittens safely. Not only did her foster home become her forever home in the end, but the lovely household also found homes for her three kittens, too.
Wookie
Wookie arrived as a kitten during the cafe's opening in 2014 and quickly shot to fame during his cafe upbringing. Wookie soon shot from a tiny teddy-bear into a 8-kilo cat! A gentle giant and beloved by all (cats, guests and staff alike), Wookie enjoyed his celebrity lifestyle for almost 5 years before retiring to his perfect forever home.
The cafe team had a huge job on their hands when searching for a home for Wookie- we recieved almost 100 applications when his rehoming was announced!
Victor
Little two-month-old Victor was found abandoned by a bin in a local park and brought to the cafe by a concerned member of the public. Growing up, it became apparent that he was a little different to our other cats- he had underdeveloped bones, fur and teeth, but otherwise was more than healthy enough to become a member of the Lady Dinah's clowder.
Having also just rescued a litter of three kittens one month before his arrival, Victor was able to grow up in the cafe with his new playmates Peter, Tink and Wendy. They helped Victor to socialise and flourish in the cafe.
With his short frame, silky soft fur and tiny kitten teeth that he never lost, he wormed his way into the hearts of many before being adopted to a loving home who were well equipped to manage Victor's health conditions and assure the best retirement possible.
Read more about Victor's retirement in our blog post here!
Mimi & Her Kittens
In mid-2017, the cafe team was approached with a request to support a local cat whom was suspected to be pregnant. This cat was Mimi, a mouser- and with her owner's permission, the team housed her safely in the cafe's office. The very next day, she brought her babies Ernest, Salome, Cecil, Sybil and Dorian into the world!
Mimi, whom we also helped to spay, returned happily to her home once her motherly duties were complete, and all five of her kittens grew up to become beloved members of the cafe's clowder. Her daughter Salome stayed at Lady Dinah's the longest before retiring in 2021.
Read more about Mimi's story in our blog post here!
Milly
Little Milly was found surrendered in a box outside the cafe and taken into our care- but straight away, Milly made it very apparent that a cafe lifestyle was not in her future!
Milly was very anxious, and it would not have been our right to push any kind of lifestyle onto her. Millie was fostered in a trustworthy home who understood her great need for personal space, whilst we endlessly endeavoured to find a suitable home for her. After many months, Milly finally found her dream home- a beautiful farm where she now spends all of her days roaming and making acquaintances with the land's horses.
Read more about Milly in our blog posts about her story!