Meow Lounge

 

Hertfordshire's first and only cat café
A storefront window displays illuminated signage for a cat cafe with white lettering against a dark background. Hitchin.
Black and white cat lounges on golden velvet chair beneath neon Meow Lounge, cat cafe sign with lush greenery background.
Meow Lounge: A black and white cat with striking green eyes rests on a couch in soft natural lighting.

 

Photography at Meow Lounge, Hitchin


If you’re a cat lover in Hertfordshire, Meow Lounge in Hitchin is the place to be. This cosy cat café – the first of its kind in the area – offers guests the chance to relax with a coffee while friendly rescue cats roam the space. I recently had the pleasure of capturing venue photography for Meow Lounge, focusing on both the atmosphere of the café and the personalities of its resident cats. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot.

 

Modern cat cafe space interior features yellow sofa, blue accent chair, and indoor plants against brick wall decor.
Modern cat cafe interior with teal blue sofas, floor-to-ceiling windows, and contemporary decor creates an elegant living space.
Modern cat cafe interior with comfortable seating and natural light streaming through large windows showcases a cozy dining space.

 

Behind the shoot


I was commissioned to create fresh photography and video content for Meow Lounge in Hitchin – a mix of venue shots, lifestyle images, and short video clips for their website and social media. The brief was to showcase the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere of Hertfordshire’s first cat café while also capturing the personalities of its resident rescue cats.


Although the café sits within an arcade and has large front windows, natural light inside is limited. For the venue photography, I used a tripod to ensure sharp, well-composed images in the lower light conditions. This allowed me to capture wide shots of the café interior without pushing the ISO too high – a must for producing clean, professional results in low-light venue photography.


For the more candid, lifestyle-style shots of guests interacting with the cats, I switched to a handheld setup and worked reactively. A faster shutter speed helped freeze playful movements, while raising the ISO ensured the images stayed bright enough. Any noise from the higher ISO was refined in post-production to keep the final photographs polished and print-ready.


One of the biggest technical challenges was photographing the café from outside. Being inside an arcade meant the glass frontage picked up reflections from the surrounding shops and lights, making it difficult to see the cats clearly through the window. To solve this, I returned for a second shoot with a polarising filter and my largest black backdrop. This cut out most of the glare and allowed me to produce clean, engaging exterior shots – ideal for marketing use.


On the video side, all footage was filmed in 4K at 50fps, giving me the flexibility to slow clips down to 50% in post-production. This added a calm, almost cinematic quality that fits perfectly with the relaxed pace of the café.


The goal was to create cat café photography and video content that felt natural and authentic while still being visually striking – something that reflects the heart of Meow Lounge and invites both locals and visitors to experience it for themselves.

 

Long empty shopping mall corridor with white skylights and closed storefronts showing signs of vacancy and disuse.
Glowing neon 'Meow Lounge' sign illuminates a lush garden setting with decorative plants at night.
Modern glass-roofed shopping arcade interior with historic architecture and rows of store facades.

 

The Atmosphere


The interior is warm, inviting, and designed with both cats and customers in mind. Cosy seating areas, scratching posts, and climbing frames create an environment that’s relaxing for visitors and enriching for the cats. As a Hertfordshire lifestyle photographer, my aim was to capture that homely feel while also creating clean, bright imagery that works for marketing and PR. Every detail – from the coffee art to the sunlight streaming in – tells part of the story.

 

 

Capturing the Cats


Each of the café’s rescue cats had its own personality – from curious and playful to calm and sleepy. For pet photography in a venue like this, patience is key. I kept my shutter speed high to freeze playful moments and used a quiet shutter mode to avoid startling the cats. These shots work brilliantly for Meow Lounge’s social media, website, and promotional material, helping them connect with fellow animal lovers across Hertfordshire and beyond.

 

 

What I delivered


  • Interior and exterior shots of the café
  • Lifestyle shots of guests enjoying the space
  • Detail shots – signage, drinks, decor, and of course… cats
  • Short video clips for use on their site and socials


Here are a few favourites from the day...

 

Illuminated storefront sign for 'Meow Lounge' cat cafe with glowing golden text and decorative elements.
Large white 'MEOW' lettering displayed in a storefront window with yellow trim and pendant lighting.
Cat Cafe: A person pets a tabby cat while relaxing on a green couch in a cosy cafe setting with lush plant decor.
Meow Lounge, Hitchin: A black and white cat with striking green eyes rests while looking intently at the camera with soft focus background.
Two champagne flutes and a prosecco bottle on a wooden coffee table with a teal velvet couch and black cat silhouette. This is Meow Lounge
White cat lounges on a green couch by a cafe window with coffee shop text visible in the foreground. Meow Lounge in Hitchin.
Hitchin's only cat cafe: A black and white cat with an expressive face rests in various poses on a comfortable couch in natural light.
Inside Hitchin's cat cafe - A black and white cat sits regally on a yellow cushion with golden lights glowing in the blurred background.
A black and white cat peeks out from inside a large white curved tunnel that appears to be a sculptural art piece.
Hertfordshire's first and best cat cafe: People relaxing in a cosy cat cafe interior with yellow sofa, wooden shelves and modern decor.
Hitchin's Cat Café: A black and white tuxedo cat sits attentively on a table with tea service while someone relaxes on a teal couch.
Two cats lounging in a cat cafe interior with decorative lettering and hanging pendant lights creating a cozy atmosphere.
Shopping arcade interior with 'MEOW' signage on a storefront beneath a glass ceiling with natural lighting.
A storefront window displays a large white MEOW sign with a cat logo and yellow moon decoration above.
People enjoying drinks and conversation inside a modern cat cafe, Meow Lounge, with a vertical garden wall and two cats lounging nearby.
Meow Lounge, Hertforshire: A black and white cat perches on a wooden window shelf while gazing at something outside.
Inside a cat cafe, a black and white cat lounging on a teal blue couch cushion with soft natural lighting.
Inside Meow Lounge, A tuxedo cat with black and white fur sits alertly on a wooden table in a bright room with yellow furniture.
Modern cat cafe in Hitchin, with teal sectional sofa, living wall, and gold pendant lights in a bright contemporary space.
Modern interior cat cafe design featuring a yellow velvet couch, blue accent chair, and industrial shelving against tropical wallpaper.
Glowing neon Meow Lounge sign surrounded by tropical greenery and colorful LED lights in cat cafe setting.
Inside Meow Lounge, Hitchin: A black and white cat sits on a yellow ottoman inside a cozy cafe with green furniture and indoor plants.
Meow Lounge, Hitchin: Black and white cat sitting on a pink round cushion while being petted at a cosy cafe with wooden shelves.
Interior of a modern cat cafe with cat climbing furniture, window seating, and framed cat artwork on walls. Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
Cat Cafe Hitchin: A hand pets a large tabby cat sitting on a green couch with yellow throw pillows in the background.
A woman in a floral dress sits in a cat cafe on a blue couch playing with a small black kitten amid decorative home decor.
A black and white cat sits perfectly framed inside a large decorative circular opening on a wooden shelf in a cat cafe.
Modern cat cafe interior with teal upholstered chairs, wood tables, and green plant wall accents in a bright space.
Two people sit together at Hitchin's cat cafe shop sharing warm beverages and conversation at a wooden table surrounded by cats.
Cat Cafe: A long wooden table with staggered view of food takeout boxes, barware, and a curious cat peeking into frame at end.
Cat cafe Hertfordshire: Black cat lies on a dark surface with a green and white feather toy, creating a playful scene in soft lighting.
A black and white cat sits attentively behind beer bottles at a bar with illuminated 'meow lounge' signage in the background.
Illuminated storefront sign for 'Meow Lounge' cat cafe with glowing golden text and decorative elements.
Large white 'MEOW' lettering displayed in a storefront window with yellow trim and pendant lighting.
Cat Cafe: A person pets a tabby cat while relaxing on a green couch in a cosy cafe setting with lush plant decor.
Meow Lounge, Hitchin: A black and white cat with striking green eyes rests while looking intently at the camera with soft focus background.
Two champagne flutes and a prosecco bottle on a wooden coffee table with a teal velvet couch and black cat silhouette. This is Meow Lounge
White cat lounges on a green couch by a cafe window with coffee shop text visible in the foreground. Meow Lounge in Hitchin.
Hitchin's only cat cafe: A black and white cat with an expressive face rests in various poses on a comfortable couch in natural light.
Inside Hitchin's cat cafe - A black and white cat sits regally on a yellow cushion with golden lights glowing in the blurred background.
A black and white cat peeks out from inside a large white curved tunnel that appears to be a sculptural art piece.
Hertfordshire's first and best cat cafe: People relaxing in a cosy cat cafe interior with yellow sofa, wooden shelves and modern decor.
Hitchin's Cat Café: A black and white tuxedo cat sits attentively on a table with tea service while someone relaxes on a teal couch.
Two cats lounging in a cat cafe interior with decorative lettering and hanging pendant lights creating a cozy atmosphere.
Shopping arcade interior with 'MEOW' signage on a storefront beneath a glass ceiling with natural lighting.
A storefront window displays a large white MEOW sign with a cat logo and yellow moon decoration above.
People enjoying drinks and conversation inside a modern cat cafe, Meow Lounge, with a vertical garden wall and two cats lounging nearby.
Meow Lounge, Hertforshire: A black and white cat perches on a wooden window shelf while gazing at something outside.
Inside a cat cafe, a black and white cat lounging on a teal blue couch cushion with soft natural lighting.
Inside Meow Lounge, A tuxedo cat with black and white fur sits alertly on a wooden table in a bright room with yellow furniture.
Modern cat cafe in Hitchin, with teal sectional sofa, living wall, and gold pendant lights in a bright contemporary space.
Modern interior cat cafe design featuring a yellow velvet couch, blue accent chair, and industrial shelving against tropical wallpaper.
Glowing neon Meow Lounge sign surrounded by tropical greenery and colorful LED lights in cat cafe setting.
Inside Meow Lounge, Hitchin: A black and white cat sits on a yellow ottoman inside a cozy cafe with green furniture and indoor plants.
Meow Lounge, Hitchin: Black and white cat sitting on a pink round cushion while being petted at a cosy cafe with wooden shelves.
Interior of a modern cat cafe with cat climbing furniture, window seating, and framed cat artwork on walls. Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
Cat Cafe Hitchin: A hand pets a large tabby cat sitting on a green couch with yellow throw pillows in the background.
A woman in a floral dress sits in a cat cafe on a blue couch playing with a small black kitten amid decorative home decor.
A black and white cat sits perfectly framed inside a large decorative circular opening on a wooden shelf in a cat cafe.
Modern cat cafe interior with teal upholstered chairs, wood tables, and green plant wall accents in a bright space.
Two people sit together at Hitchin's cat cafe shop sharing warm beverages and conversation at a wooden table surrounded by cats.
Cat Cafe: A long wooden table with staggered view of food takeout boxes, barware, and a curious cat peeking into frame at end.
Cat cafe Hertfordshire: Black cat lies on a dark surface with a green and white feather toy, creating a playful scene in soft lighting.
A black and white cat sits attentively behind beer bottles at a bar with illuminated 'meow lounge' signage in the background.

 

Thinking of visiting?


If you’d like to experience Meow Lounge for yourself, you’ll find it in the heart of Hitchin, Hertfordshire. The café is open Wednesday to Sunday, with 1-hour pre-booked sessions available. Whether you’re looking for a quiet spot to unwind or you’re a fellow cat café enthusiast, Meow Lounge is a must-visit. Learn more and book your session via the Meow Lounge website.

 

 

Need photography for your business?


It was a real joy to work with Meow Lounge and create a portfolio of professional cat café photography they can use across their website, social channels, and print marketing. If you run a unique venue in Hertfordshire – from cafés and restaurants to event spaces – and need high-quality photography that tells your story, get in touch with me here.


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Meow Lounge, Hitchin