Bring on the cats! I was looking forward to the world premiere of Cat Concerts, relaxing back on cushions, cuddling kittens, and enjoying the promised coffee, whilst listening to live music.

What a great idea, it sounded perfect. I love cats and thought it would be an elegant combination with the beautiful baroque music.

The reality was different, and I felt misled.

I was uncomfortable with the high percentage of children, who took all the cushions, leaving the adults to sit around the edges and I was disappointed the cats weren’t free to wander and play with, or able to sit on our laps, for the concert.

The problem was there were only four cats to pass around to 55 people in 45 minutes. The cat wrangler suggested we could get five minutes each with one of the cats. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, as some people kept them longer, or kept passing them back to the children instead of around the audience.

This constant passing around was distracting, as we were all waiting for the opportunity to cuddle a kitten instead of relaxing and enjoying the music.

I did experience a moment of pure joy though when I managed to cuddle one of the kittens and the music was enchanting.

The Australian Baroque are new, but highly experienced musicians, using traditionally made instruments.

It was a clever marketing ploy joining up with the Cat Haven that unfortunately in my humble opinion missed the mark due to the lack of cats. Some lovely French Baroque pieces were performed, and it raised vital funds for the Cat Haven.