THE owner of Bournemouth's first ever cat cafe is trying to raise £6,000 to make room for four more felines.

Jada Da Costa opened Pause Cafe Cafe in Old Christchurch Road in February, following a £25,000 fundraising campaign, offering pet lovers the chance to book an hour's slot to interact with 12 rescue cats for £5, while enjoying coffee and cake.

She now wants to adapt the building's basement to take in a stray mum and her three kittens, who were found cowering in a bush by a neighbour after the mother cat's owners were reported to have moved away without her.

The neighbour who found them has been looking after the cats, but is hoping the cafe will take them in so they can stay together.

Jaya said: "“We won’t compromise on our cats’ welfare, so it is a struggle just to cover costs even when we are completely full.

“Opening more café seating is the only way we’d be able to make it viable - it would cover the cost of the staff needed to care for an extra four cats downstairs. We really don’t want to turn them away so we are reaching out to our supporters to help us raise the funds we need to keep them together.”

The £6,000 would pay to install running water and waste downstairs, remove existing walls and install another cat care room and isolation unit, as well as redecorating, lighting and furnishing the basement.

The extra seating created would allow the café, which puts all its funds into directly funding the care of the rescue cats, to self-sustain the additional costs involved with taking on the family of cats.

Around 12,000 visitors have been to the cafe since it opened less than three months ago, and regular visitors include those with disabilities and the elderly.

To contribute to help the cats be homed together in the café, visit the Indiegogo page tiny. cc/straytogether, contact the café directly or find out more on the Pause Cat Café Facebook page.