Cat-loving couple Oliver and Kate Charles-Richards are planning to open a cat café for animal lovers in Nottingham, based on similar concepts in Tokyo, America and London. But they still need to raise £5,000 towards the finishing touches.

Two floors at the Kitty Café would be dedicated to 15 to 20 cats, afternoon tea and big comfy sofas. The ground-floor Edwardian-style café will be a cat-free zone.

Former social worker Kate, 27, and salesman Oliver, 37, hope to open by the end of January.

Kate said: "The health and wellbeing of the cats is our paramount concern. We are giving a lot of consideration to how they are going to be safe and well. We are working with a team of vets who are devising a health care plan.

"The kind of cats we are looking at are house cats. We'd have a section built outside where can go out with playthings but they won't be able to go out into the city."

The couple are visiting rescue centres: "They have cats that are older and not necessarily easy to rehome so it's giving them somewhere to go in their twilight years.

"But we'd also have a few of our own kittens. My husband had three Persians before I met him.

"He's adamant if we're getting kittens they've got to be Persians," said Kate, who used to have a cat called Leo.

The couple, from Bestwood Village, is talking to Nottingham City Council and Food Standard Agency over hygiene.

Kate said: "I'm in conversations with cat cafés that have recently opened in America so they are passing on their advice and experiences they've had."

The café is aimed at cat lovers, city dwellers, students and people whose landlords don't allow pets.

"And there's a lot of quirky people in Nottingham so I think it will appeal to them as well," said Kate.

Up to five cat sitters will be employed, plus ten café staff.

The couple are hoping to raise £5,000 towards the finishing touches through online fund-raising platform Kickstarter.

For more information watch Kate on Youtube by clicking here