
A cat café is a theme
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...
whose attraction is
cat
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...
s who can be watched and played with. Patrons pay a
cover fee, generally hourly, and thus cat cafés can be seen as a form of supervised indoor
pet rental.
History
The world's first cat café, "Cat Flower Garden" (貓花園),
opened in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, in 1998 and eventually became a global tourist destination.
The concept spread to Japan,
where the first one named "Neko no Jikan" (lit. "Cat's Time") was opened in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
in 2004.
Due to Japan's land size and population, many residents live in small apartments or condominiums which do not allow pets, making cat cafés a very popular destination for young workers looking for the companionship and comfort offered. Tokyo's first cat café, named "Neko no Mise" (Cat's Store), opened in 2005. After this, the popularity of cat cafés boomed in Japan. From 2005 to 2010, 79 cat cafés opened across the country.
In some jurisdictions, cat cafés allow humans to pet, feed, and play with cats and other domesticated animals. Originally popular in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and Korea, as of 2025, cat cafes exist in
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
Florida,
Michigan,
United Kingdom,
Pennsylvania,
and California.
In Europe, cat cafés took off in places like
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
"Cat café" was added to the online edition of the ''
Oxford Dictionary of English
The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''ODE'') is a single-volume English dictionary published by Oxford University Press, first published in 1998 as ''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''NODE''). The word "New" was dropped from the titl ...
'' in August 2015.
Controversy
In the United Kingdom, animal charities disagree on whether cat cafés are a suitable environment for cats, with the
RSPCA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...
,
Cats Protection and the
Celia Hammond Animal Trust criticizing them for keeping large numbers of cats in a confined space with a revolving population of people. However, International Cat Care, a nonprofit organization, takes a more positive view, saying, "It is a difficult environment to get right but it's not impossible by any means." All the charities agreed that cat cafés need to be properly regulated.
Asia
Japan
Cat cafés are quite popular in Japan, with
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
being home to 58 cat cafés . The first was , by Norimasa Hanada, which opened in 2005. The popularity of cat cafés in Japan is attributed to many apartments forbidding pets, and to cats providing relaxing companionship in what may otherwise be a stressful and lonesome urban life. Other forms of
pet rental, such as rabbit cafés, are also common in Japan.
There are various types of cat cafés in Japan. Some feature specific categories of cat such as
black cat
A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular or mixed breed. Most black cats have golden iris (anatomy), irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Bl ...
s, fat cats, rare or popular
breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
s of cats or ex-
stray cats. Cat cafés in Japan are required to obtain a license and comply with the nation's Animal Treatment and Protection Law.
Japanese cat cafés feature strict rules to ensure cleanliness and
animal welfare
Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...
, in particular seeking to ensure that the cats are not disturbed by excessive and unwanted attention, such as by young children or when sleeping. Many cat cafés also seek to raise awareness of cat welfare issues, such as abandoned and stray cats. Many cafes often 'employ' cats from local animal shelters to help them become accustomed to humans, as well as advertise them for possible adoption. From 2012 the cats could be displayed until 8 pm, but in 2016 the guidelines of the
environment ministry state that they may visit and play with customers until 10 pm.
One café in Tokyo added goats as a way of having a unique element.
Palestine
The Meow Cat Cafe opened in August 2023 in Gaza's
Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood. Owned and run by Naeema Mabed, it was the first cat cafe in Gaza. With most people in the strip living in poverty, the cafe was considered a luxury. The
Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
The Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip is a major part of the Gaza war. Starting on 7 October 2023, immediately after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hamas-led attack on Israel, Israel began bombing of the Gaza Strip, bombing the Ga ...
led to the cafe's closure.
Singapore
The first cat café in Singapore is Cat Café Neko no Niwa (Japanese for 'Cat Garden').
There are at least five cat cafés in the city.
The Singaporean Cat cafés are regulated and licensed by
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and they are all bound to a 'code of conduct'. Individuals having questions with their cat needs can join the Cat Welfare Society, which helps with medical fees and sterilization costs or adopting of the cats. Cat cafés usually have their own specific house rules.
Cuddles Cat Cafe was investigated by AVA in December 2014.
Malaysia
Malaysia has also seen a rise in the cat and pet cafe trend since 2015 any many have popped in cities across the country. Generally, different states have different laws, standards, permits and restrictions for cafes with animals. The Animal Welfare Act requires licence for those having animals for a living to prevent animal cruelty but enforcement has been weak.
In 2017, Penang, where animal cafes are extremely popular, a new ruling required animal cafes to have separate rooms for guests to dine and handle the pets.
Meanwhile in 2024, the unanimous passing of the Protection of Public Health (Amendment) Bill 2024 by the Sarawak Legislative Assembly meant that animals are not allowed in food premises in Sarawak, including cat cafes which affected cat cafe owners there.
South Korea
South Korea has several cat cafés mostly in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
. Cat cafés in South Korea have been very successful among both residents and tourists in South Korea. Customers can adopt a cat at the cat cafés.
Taiwan
Cats are popular pets in Taiwan, with the cat population increasing rapidly in recent years.
The world's first cat café, named "Cat Flower Garden" was opened in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
in 1998,
where there is also a luxurious "Cathy Hotel" especially for cats.
The Taiwanese cat café concept then spread to Japan, and later to most other countries around the world.
Thailand
Thailand has several cat cafés, mostly in Bangkok, such as Cat Cafe by Dome, Cat Up Cafe, and Purr Cat Cafe Club, which were all located in Bangkok. Each serves baked goods with a small menu of main dishes and coffee and tea. Many have special pricing for petting time with a specific cat. Prices are usually a little higher than at most cafés. They all have rules regarding the behavior of guests towards the cats and often have purebred cats.
United Arab Emirates
There is a cat cafe in
Umm Suqeim
Umm Suqeim () is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, fede ...
,
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. It was opened in 2018 by a local businesswoman.
India
India's first cat café, Cat Café Studio opened in 2015, located in
Versova,
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. All the cats at Cat Café Studio are adoptable senior and special needs rescue cats, rescued by their NGO unit, The Feline Foundation. Zcyphher, an independent creative agency, is the parent company, whose founders, Mriidu Khosla, Charu Khosla and Jason Moss in 2010 on a small scale started rescuing stray cats, taking care of them, tending to their medical needs, and offering them up for adoption.
After an overwhelming response to the cat café concept, the founders then established that Cat Café Studio was opened to everyone in 2015. Today, they have become a large adoption center. The cafe is a self-sustaining
social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.
Social enterprises ha ...
, proceeds made from the cafe goes toward the care and facilitation of adoption of the rescued cats in their care. They have an entry fee of ₹200 to visit their 'Cat Area' where one can spend unlimited time with the cats in their care, this fee helps them care for the cats.
Furthermore, they host between 15 and 20 adoptable cats at any given time.
Cat Café Studio also has a dedicated studio space, The Art Studio, where artists can host events. Every year they also have some major celebrations around Valentines Day, International Cat day, Diwali and Christmas along with events that are adoption-awareness, and which also has the potential to pull fundraisers.
Europe
Austria
According to local legend, the world's first cat café opened in Vienna in the summer of 1912 and ceased operation approximately two years later. It is said that
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
was a regular for a period in 1913, finding the feline companionship a comfort during his time of exile. The cat café is known to have ceased operation shortly after the beginning of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, although the much repeated story that the closure was due to its patriotic owner's donating all the cats to a factory making fur-lined boots for the war effort may be apocryphal. In 2012 cat café Neko was opened in Vienna, and reopened as Nekopoint in 2023, as did a second cat cafe called BaristaCats.
Belgium
Le Chat Touille was opened up in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
in 2014, followed by DreamCATchers which opened in
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
in 2017. The cats were rescued from shelters and rehabilitated, if necessary, with the aid of volunteers and a cat behavioural therapist. Customers can adopt these cats. It runs on donations and money customers spend in the café or on other products.
Germany
The first cat cafe in Germany, Katzentempel, opened in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
in 2013 and as of 2025 it has locations in 16 German cities.
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
's first cat cafe Pee Pee Katzencafe opened in 2013. Zur Mieze, which also includes music performances, opened in Berlin in 2015. The cafe Baristacats in Berlin was open from 2016 to the end of 2018. In
Bielefeld
Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region () of Detmold (region), Detmold and the L ...
the cat cafe Miezhaus opened in 2017.
Greece
The first cat café in Greece, ''Cat Cafe Athens'', opened in
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
in October 2023. The café works in partnership with the Ilioupolis Animal Welfare Union and all cats are up for adoption.
Italy
The first Italian cat café was opened in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
in March 2014; at first it hosted six cats. Its name was MiaGola Café, which in Italian can be interpreted as a
language game
A language game (also called a cant, secret language, ludling, or argot) is a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to an untrained listener. Language games are used primarily by groups attempting to conceal their ...
: literally ''mia gola'' can be translated ''my gluttony'', while ''miagola'' (
stressed on the first syllable: miàgola) means ''(he or she)
meows''.
The café was shut down in February 2021 in response to the
financial crisis
A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with Bank run#Systemic banki ...
that followed the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The cats were given up for adoption.
The Neko Cat Cafe was opened in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
on 5 April 2014.
The resident cats were all adopted from animal welfare organizations. The café has since shut down.
Lithuania
The cat café in Lithuania "Cat Cafe Kačių kavinė" opened in Vilnius in October 2014. Cat Cafe is located in center at Gedimino pr. 5. It is one of the biggest cafes with cats in the world; 15 cats lived there in 2014.
Netherlands
The cat café ''Kopjes'' was opened in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
in April 2015. In
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
''Kattencafé Op z'n Kop'' opened in February 2016 and cat café ''Poeslief'' opened in October 2016. The cat café ''Miespoes'' opened in
Den Bosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...
in 2016, as did cat café ''Katdeau'' in
Hengelo
Hengelo (; Tweants dialect, Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the Twente region, in the province of Overijssel. It is part of a larger urban area that also includes Enschede, Borne, Overijssel, Borne, Almelo and Ol ...
. In August 2016 ''kattencafé Ditjes & Katjes'' opened in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. Shortly afterwards Pebbles opened its doors as the first cat café in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
. In 2017, the cat cafe ''Jippies'' opened in
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...
. In 2018, the cat cafe ''De Familie Snorhaar'' opened in
Breda
Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...
.
Poland
"Kociarnia", the first cat café in Poland opened in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
in June 2015. The name is a combination of Polish words ''kocia'' (of a cat) and ''kawiarnia'' (a café).
A second cat café, "Miau Café", opened in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
in January 2016. The café offers coffee, cakes and vegan items for guests while acting as a shelter for homeless cats.
The Miau Café came to life because of the crowdfunding campaign on the Polish platform, wspieram.to, where some 1,700 residents of Warsaw contributed the financial resources to make the idea of the first cat café in Warsaw come true.

In 2016, a cat café was opened in
Lublin
Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
. After one day of activity it was closed by sanitary inspectors. It was the subject of many controversies in the local media. Eventually the conflict was settled and the cafe remains open.
Romania
''Miau Cafe'' was opened in Spring 2015 in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
. The second cat café in Romania, ''La Pisici Cafe'' opened in September 2015 in Timișoara. A coffee house named ''Lady Cat'' also opened in
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
in March 2016.
Russia
The first cat café in Europe and in Russia "Cats Republic" was opened in the center of
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
in 2011. 25 cats live there. A second "Cats Republic" café with a different name (Республика Котов) was opened in 2016.
Other cat cafés in Russia include "Cats and People" (Котики и люди) in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, "Murchim" in
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...
, and many more in other major cities.
Slovakia
The first cat café in Slovakia, ''Pradúce klbko'' (previously as "Cafe Cats klub") was opened in
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
in April 2015. The next one, ''Mačkafé'' opened in
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
in May 2015. The second one in Bratislava, ''Mačinézy'' opened in October 2015. A cat café named ''Mňaukafé'' also opened in
Prešov
Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
in June 2017 as actually fourth in Slovakia. A ''Cat Café Club'' was opened in Poprad in February 2018.
Sweden
The first cat café in Sweden was opened in Stockholm in 2019 named ''Java Whiskers'', with all cats open for adoption.
Ukraine
The first cat café in Ukraine was opened in
Cherkasy
Cherkasy (, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy serves as the administrative centre of Cherkasy Oblast as well as Cherkasy Raion within the oblast. The city has a population of
Cherkasy is the cultural, educational and industrial centre ...
in 2015. After that, more cat cafés were opened in
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
and
Kharkiv
Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine. .
United Kingdom
England
The first British cat café was opened in
Totnes
Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...
, Devon in June 2013. However it closed in May 2014.

In 2014 Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium in
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...
, London, opened, with a two-month waiting list. Newcastle upon Tyne is home to Mog on The Tyne Cat Café, and Catpawcino. Nottingham has a cat café called Kitty Café. In 2015, several other UK cafes were in planning.
The Bag of Nails in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
is a cat
pub
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
, and has had as many as 24 cats. You&Meow, Bristol's first dedicated cat café, opened in February 2017 after a crowdfunding campaign. It has 14 cats.
A cat cafe opened in the Northern Quarter of Manchester on 30 July 2016.
The first cat café in
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
, Pause Cat Café, was opened in 2016. This was funded by a crowdfunding campaign and contains 12 resident rescue cats, in addition to promoting the rescuing of cats.
Paws For Thought Cat Cafe,
Romsey
Romsey ( ) is a town in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The town is situated northwest of Southampton, southwest of Winchester and southeast of Salisbury. It sits on the outskirts of the New Forest, just over northeast of ...
, was opened in October 2018, and was the first cat café to open up in Hampshire. It has eight resident cats, which were rescued in the UK and in Romania.
Kiko's Cat Cafe in
Rye, East Sussex
Rye is a town and civil parish in the Rother District, Rother district of East Sussex, England, from the sea at the confluence of three rivers: the River Rother (Eastern), Rother, the River Tillingham, Tillingham and the River Brede, Brede. An ...
opened in September 2023.
They are a rescue and rehoming based cat cafe, with cats rescued from both the UK and abroad by their partner charity, People's Animal Welfare Society.
Scotland
Maison de Moggy in Edinburgh is the first cat café in Scotland and was opened in January 2015. Purrple Cat Cafe is planning to be Glasgow's first cat café, and was due to open in the summer of 2017 but was delayed due to prolonged works, until it was finally near the end of the year. In early 2017, another cat café had opened called Cats Meow Kittea Café in
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
.
North America
Cat cafés have been spreading across North America since 2014. The goal in North America generally is to help get cats adopted by partnering with local cat rescues or humane societies.
Canada
The first cat café to open in Canada was Le Café des Chats/Cat Café Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which opened its doors to the public in August 2014. Café Chat L'Heureux (also in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
) was opened in September 2014 with 8 cats adopted from local shelters.
On 17 October 2015 My Kitty Café was opened as Ontario's first cat café, located in
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.
The Siberian Cat Café opened in 2015 in
Chelsea, Quebec
Chelsea is a municipality located immediately north of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, and about north of Ottawa. Chelsea is located within Canada's National Capital Region. It is the seat of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality ...
. This cat café had only
Siberian cats, making it the first
hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic, meaning "below average" or "slightly" allergenic, is a term meaning that something (usually cosmetics, pets, textiles, food, etc.) causes fewer allergic reactions. The term was first used in 1953 in an advertising campaign for co ...
cat café in the world.
United States
In the United States, most health departments require special steps to separate the cafe area from area where the cats are housed. In some cases, this even extends to areas that cats pass through only briefly (e.g. an adopted cat must leave through a separate door without passing an area that prepares food).
Gaining regulatory approval can be difficult, as with KitTea of San Francisco. Starting the process in November 2013, KitTea's design was finally approved in August 2014 after extensive negotiation with San Francisco's Health Department. Oakland's Cat Town was the first cat cafe to open its doors to customers, signing a lease in July 2014 and opening just months later in October. These timelines highlight not only the regulatory hurdles for cat cafes that prepare food on premises, but also differences between local governments that are mere miles from one another.
In contrast to Japanese cat cafés, US cafes typically focus on adoptions. Within seven months of being open, Cat Town reported that "the euthanasia rate at its partner shelter has declined from 41 to 21 percent, and 184 cats have made the transition from the cafe's Cat Zone to permanent homes". Similarly, The Cat Cafe in San Diego has facilitated adoptions for more than 250 cats (January 2015 – October 2017) and KitTea of San Francisco has adopted 203 (June 2015 – February 2018).
In June 2015,
Crumbs and Whiskers opened its first cat café in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, where it partnered with the local chapter of the
Humane Society; this café provides a boarding space for around 15–25 cats at a time, all of which are provided by the Humane Society and made available for adoption.
Crumbs and Whiskers subsequently opened its second café in Los Angeles, California in September 2016.
The first cafe in New York City, Meow Parlor, opened in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
in 2014. In September 2015, a second café opened in Manhattan, called
Koneko, supporting cats from Anjellicle Cats Rescue.
A cat cafe in New York City's borough of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
opened in 2016. The first cafe in the New York City borough of
Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
opened in March 2025 in the neighborhood of
Flushing. In October 2015, the Blue Cat Cafe opened in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, partnering with the Austin Humane Society as a cafe and adoption center. After years of controversy surrounding the café's role in the
gentrification
Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
of East Austin and a 2017 interview the owner gave to ''
InfoWars'', a website known for propagating
far-right
Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
...
, the Blue Cat Cafe closed in February 2019. Three years later, the Purrfecto Cat Lounge opened in Austin in partnership with the Sunshine Fund and the Fuzzy Texan Animal Rescue. In December 2015,
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
, opened its first cat café, called Seattle Meowtropolitan. In December 2015, the first cat cafe in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
—The Charming Cat Cafe—opened in
Vista Ridge Mall, showcasing kitties from Kitty Save.
In March 2016, Cat Cafe Mad opened in Madison, Wisconsin,
but was set to close the next year. In December 2016, Ashley Brooks opened "Pounce Cat Cafe + Wine Bar" in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
. Pounce has partnered with the largest animal shelter in South Carolina, Charleston Animal Society.
In 2017, the Cafe Meow became the first cat café to open in Minnesota, Tinker's Cat Café became the first cat café to open in Utah, and The Purrfect Roast became Chicago's first cat café. It has since shut down. In 2018, the Windy Kitty Cat Cafe opened in Chicago.
Also in 2017, in
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
, the Happy Cat Café became the first cat café in
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Unlike most cat cafés, the Happy Cat Café requires that visitors schedule their visits ahead of time, and in large groups. They act as a cat themed party venue, with specialized events like cat yoga parties as well as more traditional events involving food and cats. Due to the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic, Happy Cat Café was shut down for most of 2020, during which they performed renovations, and re-opened on January 2, 2021, but only for one-hour events for small groups.
In
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
the Purr Cat cafe opened in 2017 but closed in 2019 after controversy before and following its opening. A Sanctuary Cafe opened in the Boston neighborhood of
Beacon Hill in 2024.
Two cat cafés, Colony Cafe and The Black Cat Market, have opened in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. The Black Cat Market has experienced several of the regulatory issues outlined above.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
, was home to the Eat Purr Love Cat Cafe, which was open from 2016 to 2020, with Kitty Bubble Café opening in fall 2022.
Naughty Cat Cafe opened in
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, Tennessee in March 2019. They house 30 adoptable cats and visitors can enjoy coffee, tea and beer while spending time with the cats.
Oceania
New Zealand
The first cat café in New Zealand, the Cat Lounge, opened in November 2015.
There are now many cat cafés across New Zealand.
See also
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Animal cafe
*
List of Taiwanese inventions and discoveries
This is a list of inventions by people who were born in Taiwan (officially known as Republic of China) or citizens of Republic of China.
Fashion
Food, food techniques and cuisine
;Bubble tea
:is a drink that contains flavored tea and tapioca ...
*
Petting zoo
A petting zoo (also called a children's zoo, children's farm, or petting farm) features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many general ...
References
External links
{{Domestic cat, state=uncollapsed
1998 introductions
Animals in entertainment
Types of coffeehouses and cafés
Cats in Japan
Culture of Japan
Taiwanese inventions
Theme restaurants
Nekonomics