Desperate fight to save South Melbourne strip club Kittens from being redeveloped

A catfight is underway to save a popular strip club eyed by developers as a prime piece of real estate.

The owners of Kittens in South Melbourne have launched a desperate battle to keep the doors open rather than being demolished and converted into high-rises.

Kittens is informally known as the South Melbourne Ballet by AFL stars and socialites who frequent the venue, which is considered 'the last good strip club in the city'.

It is understood the owners and management are in “fierce negotiations” to extend the lease and not fall into the same demise as other strip clubs on King Street in the nearby CBD, which have since closed.

This included Goldfingers, which was destroyed by a raging fire last year.

Regulars hailed the club as 'the last good one in town' after it revamped its reputation when it was named 'Best Gentlemen's Club' in Australia at the Adult Industry Awards.

Kittens has revamped its image to suit a sophisticated clientele after winning Australia's 'Best Gentlemen's Club' at the Adult Industry Awards.

A regular customer says the women who work there feel more comfortable with their customers after all the “old guys” moved elsewhere.

'It's not all old guys who leer at chicks on a post at Kittens. The girls like to hang out more,” they said the Herald Sun.

Other customers offered similar praise for the ladies known to provide the “girlfriend experience.”

The thought of a Melbourne without Kittens confused another when he thought 'this was the only place' [left] where you could touch skin to skin'.

Transactions are discreet and appear as 'trade invoices' on bank statements

Kittens advertises “white water fights” and “girl-on-girl shows” on its website.

It also describes itself on social media as Melbourne's 'number one gentleman's club' and the 'purrfect place to party'.

The thought of a Melbourne without Kittens often confused someone thinking that 'this was the only place' [left] where you could touch skin to skin'. The photo shows ladies from Kittens

The strip club has come a long way since being targeted in a series of drive-by shootings in 2015-2016.

A bouncer was shot and wounded in one of the shootings that police say were the culmination of an 18-month gang war by Comanchero bike gang members against the security industry.

A second Kittens strip club in Caulfield South has been permanently closed since 2016 after the site was bombed and destroyed.

Kittens is considered Melbourne's 'number one gentleman's club' and the 'purrfect place to party'.