The purrrr-fect place to spend Christmas Day in Auckland

Banksy poses as Santa Clause at Barista Cats cafe in Auckland's CBD. Photo/ Nick Reed.

Forget a kiss under the mistletoe, for cat-lovers there's nothing better than a cuddle with a furry friend on Christmas Day.

Auckland's Barista Cats cafe was open yesterday, catering to anyone needing an emergency feline fix.

Manager and "cat mother" Patty Cavill said the cafe decided to stay open so people in the city who didn't have family or a place to be on Christmas could come.

Staff dropped flyers off at hostels and backpackers in the city, to let travellers know if they didn't have family here they could come spend time with the 14 cats who live at the cafe.

"Just to give people who don't have anywhere to go or don't have plans a place to be."

The cafe was open until 4pm yesterday, and when the Herald visited people were coming and going regularly, with about a dozen people in the cafe at any one time.

Cavill said about 40 had come through today, which was the same amount they would expect on a weekday although weekends were usually busier.

The BaristaCats cafe, seen here at its opening in December last year, was open until 4pm yesterday. Photo / Dean Purcell

She had celebrated Christmas with her family on December 23 and 24 and didn't mind working Christmas day.

"I decided it would be nice to do it."

Cavill has been working at the cafe since it opened last December.

Julia Twist took her 13-year-old daughter Ruby to the cafe as a present.

The pair were visiting from Northland and were both cat lovers.

"We're living up in the Far North and there's nothing like this," Twist said.

"We love cats and I planned for one of [Ruby's] Christmas presents to bring her here."

A bonus of coming on Christmas was that it was easy to find a park in the city, Twist said.

Mikey Kermode was at the cafe because all his family were back home in England.

"I love cats," he said.

He had a few of his own at home but liked to come visit the cats at the cafe regularly as well.

"I'm just a cat weirdo like lots of other people here."

For $15, cat lovers can share the lounge space with tabbies, torties, white cats, fluffballs and more for an hour, with a hot drink thrown in.

There's also human food available if all the cuddling works up an appetite.