Purrfect Paws Feline Welfare unveils new tea room in Waterlooville

Purrfect Paws Feline Welfare has been a charity shop in Waterlooville precinct for eight years, but last week it unveiled its new look. Whereas before it was solely a charity shop, it is now also a tea room serving coffees, teas and homemade cakes.

Tracy Bentham runs the charity alongside her friend, Lynn Hutchens, and she has been delighted with the reception in the tea room’s first week. She said: “It’s been really positive, everyone has been loving it, so that’s really good.

“We decided to go down the route of opening a tea room to bring in more revenue to help more cats. We do lovely scrummy cakes, teas, coffees and cold drinks.”

While the new tea room has had a successful opening, there still is a charity shop section offering books and clothes among other items. The charity helps provide advice and education to cat owners and also helps with neutering.

Tracy said: “We started the charity as we were passionate about cats and wanting to help cats in need. We try to get the word across regarding welfare and how important neutering and basic care is. We are here to help where we can. If people are struggling with emergency operations, as they can be expensive, we will try and step in so that person can keep their cat.”

The tea room and shop opens from 9.30am to 4pm Tuesday to Thursday, 10am to 12.30p on a Friday (hours may vary), and 9am to 3pm on a Saturday (hours may vary).