A FELINE fundraiser took place this weekend, when a pop-up cat café opened in the Island.
The café – set up and run by cat owner Athena Kallias at her home in St Brelade – also hosted a raffle to raise funds for feline shelters in France and Greece.
Mrs Kallias said: ‘The first few sessions were jam-packed, I think about 25 people showed up with their kids, so it was a full house.
‘We had three sessions on Saturday and another three [on Sunday], with the other six continuing next weekend.
‘Afternoon tea was made by Fredericks – Food Made Fun, as we had many gluten-free, vegetarians and vegans to cater for.’
Mrs Kallias and her team, including Fiona Stratford, owner of the Cozy Cats Cattery, and Jo Abraham, head of the Jersey Cat Search Group, came together to raise money for the Association CATS, based in France, which has sent many pets to Jersey for adoption, and the Halkidiki Animal Rescue centre in Greece.
‘Jo and Fiona helped with the raffle and afternoon tea on Saturday’s sessions, and my partner Tobias Gosselin helped me on Sunday with my friend Julie Mallett,’ Mrs Kallias added.
‘Everyone who came said they’d had a great experience, even though at times we weren’t able to chat to everyone.
‘All the feedback has made me cry, the cats have excelled themselves after all the sessions so far, and we are so thankful for the support.’
Once the final amount raised has been calculated, the cat café team will post the result online.
The cat café will open again this Saturday and Sunday, with slots already booked up on both days.
