A POPULAR Halstead business has said it is “worried” for its future as a new venture of the same idea is looking to open in a neighbouring town.

Meow Cat Café was first opened by town mum Rebecca White last summer.

The High Street business has gone from strength to strength, with residents near and far flocking to enjoy the purr-fect experience with the cats there.

Since its opening, the café has helped rehome lots of cats into the community through its teamwork with Friends of Felines.

Halstead Gazette: Popular - the Meow Cat Café in HalsteadPopular - the Meow Cat Café in Halstead (Image: Newsquest)

Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with the success allowing the business to announce plans to expand to Colchester in the future.

However, bosses have expressed their concerns with a new cat café now possibly coming to Braintree.

Sarah Fretwell is looking to open Whiskers and Paws cat café at the George Yard Shopping Centre next month.

Halstead Gazette: Excited - Sarah Fretwell is looking to open Whiskers and Paws cat café in BraintreeExcited - Sarah Fretwell is looking to open Whiskers and Paws cat café in Braintree (Image: Public)

She dismissed the idea of competition, saying: “There is no competition, we are different in design and feel.

“People will have preferences and I am sure will continue to support both.

“We love it there and have been several times.”

A statement clarified Meow is not affiliated with the new potential business, and added it was “incredibly disheartening” to hear of the news.

A spokesman said: “We in all honesty are incredibly disappointed and worried for our future now.

“The majority of our customers come from Braintree, and despite us raising our concerns we didn’t get a reply and looks as though it’s going ahead regardless.

Halstead Gazette: Concerned - Meow Cat Café owner Rebecca WhiteConcerned - Meow Cat Café owner Rebecca White (Image: Public)

“The cat café business is a niche market, the more it’s diluted the harder it is to survive. We see this all over high streets with vacant coffee shops.

“We’ve gone from having none near us to now having two within ten minutes of us.

"I’ve poured every inch of myself and pushed myself to the limits to open meow and keep it running and it’s incredibly disheartening.

“I always want to be honest and open with our customers which sometimes includes the negative side of this.

“We really hope our customers will continue to support us during these times.”