Cat Diary: Croissantcat, Where It All Began

Before there were ten Bakery Cats, or a Halloween squad, or a single Christmas cat, there was Croissantcat. Every bakery has to start somewhere, and this one started with a cat made out of a flaky golden croissant.

6am. The bakery is still dark and quiet. Croissantcat is first in, as the first cat of all should be, and gives the ovens a slow, approving look while they warm up. There is a lovely hush before the first tray goes in, and Croissantcat likes to enjoy it.

7am. The others begin to arrive. Pretzelcat stretches into a knot by the window, Bagelcat settles beside the coffee pot and Pancakecat is already talking about breakfast. Croissantcat greets every one of them with that wide, happy smile, which never seems to get any smaller.

10am. A busy morning. Croissantcat strolls along the counter, pastry layers catching the light, and keeps an eye on everything without making a fuss about it. Being the founding cat is not about being in charge, Croissantcat reckons. It is about being there.

1pm. Browniecat wanders in, still sleepy from a late night, and asks what the bakery was like at the very beginning. Croissantcat thinks about it for a moment. "Small," comes the answer. "Warm. Just one cat and a good idea." Browniecat nods, as if that explains a great deal.

4pm. The light starts to go and the shop windows glow golden. Croissantcat counts the cats curled up around the bakery: the original ten, the Halloween squad and the Christmas cats getting ready for December. That is a lot of cats for one good idea.

6pm. Lights off, ovens cooling. Croissantcat takes one last look around, perfectly content, layer upon layer.

Croissantcat's verdict on the day: a full bakery and a quiet morning. The best of both.

You can meet Croissantcat properly, our founding cat, or have a look around the Bakery Cats Co shop to see everything that started with that first croissant.