The controversial Canberra "cat cafe" that lost its kittens shortly after opening is back in business, operating from its owner's home.
Owner Felicity Banks announced a soft re-launch of Tabby Time Cat Encounters (formerly Tabby Time: Cat Cafe and Child Care) on her personal Facebook feed on the weekend, before posting on the business's Facebook page on Wednesday. Both advertised "trial sessions in preparations for the opening".
Similar to the original premise, Ms Banks plans to run the cafe out of her Macgregor home - this time in the converted garage, not her living room - three days a week, charging visitors (in groups of two, minimum) $20 per hour for adults and $25 for children.
"I just want to take it really, really slowly so that we can deal with the trolls when they happen and not have to shut down again," she said.
The reopening comes almost three months after a public firestorm triggered investigations into the business by animal welfare groups.
It resulted in the animal welfare organisation Paws for More seizing four of the six kittens it fostered out to Ms Banks. The Canberra Times understands that the two remaining kittens, who were not removed from Ms Banks' property, already had new owners lined up and have since been rehomed.
Domestic Animal Services and RSPCA ACT also conducted a joint investigation into the cafe at the time. It is believed this investigation has concluded.
Finding foster kittens
While Ms Banks had originally been connected with Paws for More during her original Tabby Time venture, the Macgregor resident said she was fostering her current litter of 12-week-old kittens independently of an animal welfare group.
She has also continued to approach cat welfare organisations but they have declined or been unresponsive to Ms Banks' requests to foster their animals.
Ms Banks says her four foster kittens came from a woman she met online.
"She got the kittens because their mother is a stray and the mother literally brought her kittens dumped them with this human and left and refused to interact with them again," she said.
"She was just desperately looking for anyone who could foster kittens and I had fostering experience and was willing."
Ms Banks declined to disclose who this woman was and The Canberra Times was unable to verify the kittens' origins.
Ms Banks said she wants to continue helping homeless cats find their forever families through Tabby Time with the four kittens up for adoption. The Tabby Time owner does not know how she will acquire more kittens to foster once these four have been adopted.
She believes more kittens "will come through from somewhere".
"Whether it's just from Twitter ... or someone going 'Help, I just found the orphaned kitten in my yard, what do I do?" she said.
"If I don't have any foster kittens, I can still run the cafe with my friend's two cats that visit here quite often for fun."
Rules and regulations
Ms Banks maintains she did nothing wrong during the initial Tabby Time venture but said she has since taken further measures to ensure her business was compliant with relevant regulations.
That includes purchasing public liability insurance prior to reopening and consulting with ACT Health on registration requirements for selling food in the ACT.
"I'm as confident as I can be [that I have everything required]," Ms Banks said.
"It's a bit like when you're driving and you see a police car. You immediately feel guilty. I do have that paranoia.
"I have always done everything I can think of and I've spoken to more knowledgeable people and done everything they've suggested."
Ms Banks said she was applying for a multiple cat license, but did not believe it would be needed in her current situation.
According to the City Services website, registration is compulsory for all cats over the age of eight weeks old, who have been in the ACT for 28 days. A multiple cat licence is needed when there is an intention to keep four or more cats at one residential premises except when they're younger than 12 weeks old or are being kept for less than 28 days.
"Business owners who use animals must comply with animal welfare codes of practice, the Animal Welfare Act 1992, and Domestic Animals Act 2000," an ACT government spokesperson said.
"This includes ensuring their cats are registered, microchipped, de-sexed and that they hold a multiple cat licence if they are keeping four or more cats."
In January, Tabby Time also saw criticism for not serving coffee or other refreshments with customers asked to bring their own. Ms Banks said she will now have an assortment of sealed drinks and packaged snacks available for purchase.
"As long as I'm not preparing food myself ... preparing a coffee myself, I am exempt from registration," she said.
"The goal here is not to have the best cafe food in Canberra. The goal is to let people play with cats."
ACT Health confirmed that as long as the food and drink are packaged, and does not need to be temperature controlled, a food business registration is not required.
According to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, anything other than this would not be allowed due to the presence of non-service animals.
"A registered food business is only permitted to have an animal in an indoor service area where they serve unsealed food or drink if the animal is a service animal," an ACT government spokesperson said.
"The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code only allows a dog to be within an outdoor food service area.
"Generally, a café would not be permitted to serve food in an area where cats were unrestricted. Any cats would need to be contained in a separate area to the food service area."
In January, Ms Banks also came under fire after suggesting that people could use their National Disability Insurance Scheme funding for "babysitting services" at Tabby Time.
When asked if she still believed that was the case, Ms Banks said: "The simplest answer is no".
"I don't think any NDIS plan would be used for [Tabby Time] Cat Encounters," she said.
"I think as a babysitter, that I can be useful for people NDIS services that they need, but not as a cat cafe."
Ms Banks also works as a professional babysitter for people who use their NDIS payments for her services.
Open for business
Ms Banks said she was now also consulting with two business people and has engaged a retired foster carer as her "personal animal inspection unit" to ensure the welfare of the cats.
She said the animals currently in her care were "well-looked after" but added that she would also be adhering to "fairly common" cat cafe rules, which include breaks for the animals and providing the cats with an escape route.
When asked if she was confident in relaunching the business, Ms Banks said: "yes and no".
"I know didn't actually do anything illegal or harmful in the first place but I still got shut down," she said.
"Although I'm confident in caring for the cats, I am a little bit once bitten, twice shy about Reddit, mostly. It'll take time for me to feel safe online again."
RSPCA was contacted for comment.
Tabby Time is currently taking bookings via the email TabbyTimeCanberra@gmail.com.
