Please be sure to call ahead before traveling to a cat cafe listed on this site. It is difficult to keep track of when locations close or change their hours.
Cat cafes may be a fairly new concept for the United States, but these cat-loving establishments have been popular in Asia for decades! From the beginning until the current day – cat cafes have always been the most popular in Japan.
The concept of cat cafes first began in Taiwan, in 1998, and was incredibly popular with the Japanese tourists that were visiting the area. There are now 150 cat cafes throughout the entire country, Tokyo alone containing 58 of these locations.
Since then, the United States has also started to pick up on this cute trend. Thousands of cat lovers every year have spent time in cat cafes, and have also adopted many of the cats that were there – cat cafes are a great way to help get former shelter kitties to find loving homes.
Cat cafes have opened the door for many other establishments to begin allowing your furry friends to hang around, such as bars, restaurants, and libraries.
The US has 125 cat cafes across the country (you can find one in your area by checking out our cat cafe locator). There are so many great cat cafe locations across the country. Sadly, some smaller and lesser-known locations have had bad reviews for not complying with cleanliness guidelines or treating the cats poorly.
However, there are many other great cat cafes that have been known for following all rules, treating their cats well, and helping get many cats adopted into great homes. Here is a list of some of the best cat cafes to consider visiting around the United States:
- KitTea Cat Cafe, San Francisco, California. This excellent cat cafe provides high-quality care to their permanent resident rescue felines and fosters. This cafe features cats from rescues in order to socialize and find their homes at each cat’s own pace. Whenever possible, they will go outside of the area to shelters to rescue high-risk cats in euthanasia shelters.
- Eat, Purr, Love Cat Cafe, Columbus, Ohio. Eat Purr Love Cat Café is more than a café, it’s an experience. Guests can socialize with adorable, adoptable cats while sipping coffee and saving lives. Owned and operated by a private nonprofit, Columbus Humane; its proceeds benefit more than 9,000 animals annually and support its mission to fight animal cruelty, help animals in need, and advocate for the cat’s well-being.
- Denver Cat Company, Denver, Colorado. Customers love the cozy atmosphere and note how comfortable and happy the kitties are at this peaceful cat cafe. They love being able to provide a cage-free environment for cat rescues who get a lot of playtime and love while they are waiting to find their forever homes. This cat café allows customers to truly get to know a cat’s personality before adoption, something they are uniquely equipped to facilitate.
- Koneko Cat Cafe, New York, New York. Koneko’s mission is to find loving homes for cats pulled from the city’s “at-risk” list by our partner, Anjellicle Cats Rescue. The at-risk list is the last stand for New York City’s cats – they are scheduled to be euthanized shortly thereafter. At this point, Anjellicle activates its network of foster homes and pulls as many cats as possible from the list. Some of these lucky kitties end up at Koneko, where they’re able to be adopted by our guests.
- Pounce Cat Cafe + Wine Bar, Charleston, South Carolina. Pounce helps shelter cats by getting them out of cages and into a friendly, loving, and comfortable space to be adopted. These kitties live at Pounce until they find their forever homes, and they are never caged or crated. Pounce believes cats are curious, active animals that need plenty of room to play and roam, and are so grateful to be able to provide such an enriching and loving temporary home for them.
- Crumbs & Whiskers, Los Angeles, California. This cafe partners with rescues who save homeless cats and kittens at risk of euthanasia in high kill shelters, and house them in our cafes. Once they are at the locations, they care for our cats & kittens until they are adopted! Crumbs & Whisker’s mission is to reduce euthanasia in animal shelters and to improve the lives of homeless cats.
- Mauhaus Cat Cafe and Lounge, St. Louis, Missouri. This shelter is partnered with Stray Haven Rescue. If you are interested in a cat you meet at Mauhaus you can submit an application to Stray Haven. Once approved you will come back to Mauhaus for an interview to make sure that this is the best cat for you. After the interview, you will pick a date to take your new family member home.
- Give Purrs a Chance, Berkley Springs, West Virginia. Give Purrs a Chance is a non-profit cat adoption center located in Berkeley Springs, WV. They are the largest square footage cat café in the country with the most cats for adoption. Cats are able to free roam in a two-story Victorian house and freely socialize with visitors and each other while they await adoption. To help offset the cost, they charge a low admission fee which gives visitors all day access to get to know the wonderful cats.
- Mewsic Kitty Cafe, Nashville, Tennessee. Mewsic Kitty Cafe is a one-of-a-kind cat cafe that could only happen in Nashville, TN. They pay homage to our namesake city in feline form while providing a vibrant, comfy, cage-free place for our adoptable headliners (that’s the cats!) to meet their forever families. We’re a creative space for cat enthusiasts to work, play, and indulge in a little cat therapy. Enjoy a taste of the local scene with comforting drinks and sweet snacks.
Thanks for reading! We hope this article helped you determine the most popular areas for cat cafes! If you have any questions or anything to add, please comment down below. Also, if you are curious about where to find local cat cafes in your area, check out our cat cafe locator!