THE first cat cafe in Hampshire has thrown open its doors to the public.

Cat lovers flocked to Romsey on Saturday for the official opening of the feline-themed Paws For Thought Cat Cafe.

Owner Emma Blyth and cats Xena, Kiara, Lina, Nala and Krunchie welcomed customers in the new coffee shop in Church Street.

The cafe will home around ten rescue cats who can roam around and mingle with customers downstairs, while having their own home to live in upstairs.

Emma, 30, from North Baddesley, said the opening went really well and she has already received more than 100 bookings for this week.

“ I was not expecting that. The opening ran perfectly and we had very good reviews already,”she said.

When asked why she decided to open the cafe in Romsey she added: “I wanted a quite place where cats would be safe and I felt that a small town and a small community feels more like a home. It think it will also help bring more people to Romsey so they can see how beautiful it is.”

Emma said the idea of a cat cafe came after she lost her beloved cat Louis in 2016.

“It made me realise there are not places for pet bereavement and I thought why not creating a place where people can come and talk about it,”she said.

“I also realised how many cats there are out there to be rehomed and we wanted to help.”

The cafe will act as a place where locals can reminisce about their pets which have passed away.

Residents will also have the opportunity to stick a picture of their pet on the Remembrance Wall in the coffee shop.

“People just want them to be remembered so people can see them and they don’t get forgotten,”Emma said.

The coffee shop will be a booking-only cafe to protect the safety of the cats.

Fundraising events will be run once a month to support charities.