The “cat cafe” craze has become a global phenomenon, and now a soup kitchen in Oban is the latest to be feline groovy.
Parsley, the town’s celebrity cat, will start holding court in Hope Kitchen from this Friday.
The wandering moggy has more than 6,400 fans on his Facebook page.
He lives in an idyllic spot by McCaig’s Tower with his owner Fiona Campbell and three other cats. But he chooses to spend his days roaming across the town, often ending up in local bars, down by the boats and even in a builder’s premises.
Ms Campbell, a volunteer at Hope Kitchen, has fitted a tracking device on him, so that she can follow his movements and collect him before he comes to harm. More often than not, in fact several times a week, she finds him charming customers in The Balmoral bar.
She said: “He is just showing off. As soon as he starts getting attention, he starts rolling around on his back, or the tail goes up. You can see he is really pleased with himself.
“He is quite happy. He doesn’t care where he is, he just makes himself at home.
“At other cat cafes, the cafe is the cats’ home. This is different because he goes there. Other cats wouldn’t tolerate it. Parsley is just so laidback.
“He has been in a few times and is quite co-operative at letting people touch him and hold him.
“Some people have no touch at all in their lives. To be able to come in and pat an animal is lovely for them.”
Hope Kitchen provides a warm welcome and hot meals to vulnerable people in the community.
From Friday August 4, Parsley will be there every Friday from 2pm to 3pm.
