Black Cat Lounge

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee · 9 mi / 15 km

Smoky Mountain Cat House is a cat-themed gift shop on Old Mill Street in Pigeon Forge, a block from the Old Mill and its restaurants and about a mile from Dollywood. It has been run by the Anderson family since 1985 and sells cat jewelry, clothing, clocks, toys, treats, locally made items and some dog goods. It is not a cat cafe, but the shop is home to a group of friendly resident cats, around eight of them, that roam the rooms and the porch and greet shoppers, and staff happily introduce visitors to them. Entry is free and there are no sessions or bookings; you can simply browse and pet the cats. The owners are involved in local cat rescue, and adoptable kittens are sometimes in the shop. It is open every day and also runs an online store.

Knoxville, Tennessee · 20 mi / 31 km

Scruffy's Cafe is a cat cafe on North Broadway in North Knoxville, a short drive north of downtown and the Old City. It runs a hot drinks bar with coffee and tea, serves snacks and baked treats such as cupcakes, and has a separate living-room-style cat lounge with adoptable cats. The cats come from two partner organizations, Young-Williams Animal Center and Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee, and adoptions go through their application process, which can be started at the cafe. A cover charge gives entry to the lounge for an hour, and booking ahead is recommended to guarantee a place, although walk-ins are let in until the lounge reaches capacity. The lounge has toys and video games, and the cafe hosts local artists and performers and promotes mental-health support; staff can be approached discreetly by guests who are struggling. Memberships are available for regular visitors.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Sylva, North Carolina · 46 mi / 74 km

The American Museum of the House Cat is a museum of cat art and artifacts on US Highway 441 South near Sylva, in the mountains of western North Carolina, about an hour from Asheville. It was created by Dr. Harold Sims, who collected for more than 30 years and also founded the Catman2 Shelter, a cage-free, no-kill cat shelter in Cullowhee; he died in 2024. Exhibits run from fine and folk art, carousel cats, art glass and vintage advertising to an Egyptian cat mummy and a petrified cat found in a medieval English chimney. A small group of resident museum cats lives in the building and greets visitors during their tour. Admission is charged, with reduced prices for children, teens and students and free entry for children 5 and under, and curated tours can be booked. Proceeds support the Catman2 Shelter, and there is a gift shop.

Asheville, North Carolina · 60 mi / 97 km

House of Black Cat Magic is a metaphysical supply shop and black cat lounge on Haywood Road in West Asheville, opened in May 2023. It works with Binx's Home for Black Cats, a nonprofit, and Miss Dixie's Kitten Rescue to raise awareness of black cats, which are often passed over, and every cat in the lounge is available for adoption. The shop sells candles, incense, herbs, books and ritual tools, many sourced locally, and visitors pay a fee to spend time with the cats in a cage-free lounge. Reservations are encouraged but not required, and groups of six or more book a party package. Children 10 and older may visit with a parent at any time, teens 14 and up may go in alone, and families with younger children can use daily kiddy hours, which run all day on Sundays. The building has a ramp entrance and public restrooms.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Asheville, North Carolina · 62 mi / 100 km

Cats at Play Café is a cat cafe, coffee shop and cat-themed boutique on Eagle Street in downtown Asheville, opened in May 2023 as the city's first cat cafe. It is a foster home for adoptable cats from two rescue partners, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and Heart of the Foothills Animal Rescue in Rutherfordton, and more than 600 cats have passed through it. The cafe serves coffee from Kitty Town Coffee, matcha drinks, tea, beer, wine, mocktails and snacks, and anyone can visit the cafe and shop without going into the cat lounge. Lounge visits carry an entrance fee that goes entirely to the cats' care; walk-ins are taken when there is room, but reservations are recommended. Special Kiddie Kitty Time sessions for families with young children run on Saturday and Monday mornings. Some adoption fees are sponsored, and service dogs are not allowed in the cat lounge.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Kingsport, Tennessee · 71 mi / 115 km

Boops & Beans Cat Cafe is a cat cafe on Broad Street in downtown Kingsport, near the corner of Market Street, which opened in March 2025 in a former salon next to Cornucopia. It works as a large foster home for shelter and rescue cats from PetWorks Animal Services, The Bridge Home No Kill Animal Rescue and R U Kitten Me, and the cats live cage-free in the lounge so visitors can see their personalities. Visits carry an entrance fee, which is the cafe's main source of income for the cats' care, and the number of guests is limited, so online reservations are strongly encouraged on weekends and holidays. Coffee, bottled drinks and packaged snacks are sold. The lounge is adults only (18 and over) on Fridays from 6 to 7 PM. Boops & Beans also offers cat boarding and grooming.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended