All the rage in feline-friendly England, cat cafés are slowly springing up around Budapest. Whereas across the Channel, cat lovers pay a nominal admission fee to sit and commune with man’s best friend over tea or coffee, here in Hungary, drinks prices are set slightly higher. The most central venue, named simply Cat Café Budapest, sits between the Opera House and the Basilica, allowing for a morning’s sightseeing or shopping before a rewarding catpuccino with Kitty, Pötyi and Pongó. Of the ten bewhiskered residents, most have come from rescue shelters.

As if entering a secret members’ club, visitors crossing the threshold of Cat Café Budapest are first handed a short list of rules. Common sense dictates that you close the door quickly behind you. Outside, Révay utca is usually lined with parked cars and patrolled by slow-moving traffic. Within the café, cats should be treated with equal thought and respect.

Depending on the time of day, the cats will be curled up asleep or engaged in play. The best time to come might be early evening, when instinct kicks in and cats embark on their regular crazy half-hour of frantic hunting and chasing around. Scratching posts are put to good use.

The expansive main bar area at street level comprises two rooms, with a spiral staircase connecting with the kitchen downstairs. Here the felines also have their private quarters.

On its website, the café provides a list of cats and their likes, so you might soon recognise Mirci when she’s toying with a ball of tin foil or Pongó and his obsession with sponges for dishwashing.

With all this activity, it’s easy to forget that you’re actually in a café. A varied choice of hot drinks, each priced around 1,000 forints, includes tropical and fruit teas, flavoured lattes and that catpuccino, the house speciality with nougat and cinnamon. Panini (890 HUF) are filled with Parma ham, BBQ pork or Greek-style chicken and a selection of fresh cakes (890 HUF) is placed on the bar counter.

There’s booze too: plum, sour cherry or apple pálinka brandies and themed cocktails (around 1,500 HUF) such as the Cat Island with vodka, rum and tequila.

Cat Café Budapest closes at 9pm, presumably allowing residents to then party like no tomorrow. When the guest’s away…

Cat Café Budapest District VI. Révay utca 3 catcafebudapest.hu

Open daily 10am-9pm