South Bend, Indiana, United States
The Cat Lady Cafe
The Cat Lady Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge in the Commerce Center on the East Race in South Bend, just east of downtown across the St. Joseph River. Owner Kim Sult opened it in March 2023. All the cats in the lounge come from the Humane Society of St. Joseph County and can be adopted. The cafe serves coffee, lattes and glittery lemonades and is free to enter, while the lounge is booked per person and reservations are strongly encouraged because walk-in space is limited. One adult is needed for every two children aged 12 and under, every child needs a paid admission, and the cats should not be picked up. Free two-hour parking is available off Colfax and LaSalle, and longer stays can be validated. The cafe runs a membership, holds events such as bingo with cats and organizes the Midwest Meow Fest cat festival.
Before you go
- Booking
- Booking recommended
- Entry
- Entry or time fee
- Children
- All ages welcome
- Food & drink
- Drinks and snacks
- Adoption
- Cats available for adoption
Based on the cafe's website and visitor reviews, checked October 2026. Policies change, so confirm with the cafe before you visit.
Reviews
Cat Cafes Nearby
Catitude Cafe
Goshen, Indiana22 mi / 36 km
Catitude Cafe is a cat lounge and cat-themed gift shop on South Main Street in historic downtown Goshen, and the first cat cafe in Elkhart County. Owner Brenda Summers, a longtime Goshen teacher, opened it in September 2025. Around 15 to 20 cats from Here Kitty Kitty Rescue live in the lounge, and all of them can be adopted, with fees going to the rescue. Besides the main lounge there is a book room with cat books to read or borrow, a meeting room and a study room. Visits are booked online in half-hour or hour blocks, with longer stays and a day pass available, and adults get a free drink with an hour or more. The cats cannot be picked up, and young children have shorter visits. Events include storytime with cats, yoga with cats and Cats and Canvas, and groups can book the lounge outside regular hours.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking required
Kzoo Cat Cafe and Rescue
Kalamazoo, Michigan52 mi / 84 km
Kzoo Cat Cafe and Rescue is a cage-free cat cafe on South Westnedge Avenue in Kalamazoo, now on the south side, away from its original West Michigan Avenue home near Western Michigan University. It opened in July 2017 after a Kickstarter campaign and became its own nonprofit rescue in 2018; more than 900 cats were adopted in its first five years. Admission covers time with the cats plus complimentary coffee, tea, soda, water and small snacks, with a lower rate for students and under-18s. Booking online is recommended, and walk-ins are taken every day as space allows. Everyone needs a waiver on file, signed by a parent or guardian for minors. Cats may not be picked up and guests are asked to remove their shoes. All cats are spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated before adoption. Private bookings, weekday lunch visits, cat coaching and a nine-visit punch card are offered.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
The Region Cat Cafe
Merrillville, Indiana58 mi / 94 km
The Region Cat Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge on West 80th Place in Merrillville, in Northwest Indiana. The café side serves coffee, drinks and desserts to anyone, while the separate lounge holds adoptable cats from Second Chance 4 Pets Network, a foster-based rescue the cafe works with to ease the shortage of foster homes. Lounge visits are best reserved online, and walk-ins are admitted when there is space. The cafe passed its 700th adoption around its fourth anniversary, and its fees and donations help pay for the cats' care. It runs regular events in the lounge, including an adults-only book club, bingo and coloring nights, paint-your-pet classes, plush-making sessions and reading to the cats for children. Visitors who do not plan to adopt are welcome, since time in the lounge helps socialize the cats. Hours are shorter in the fall and winter, and parking is free.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
Black Forest Cat Café
Fort Wayne, Indiana69 mi / 111 km
Black Forest Cat Café is a family-run coffee shop and cat lounge in the JoAnn Plaza shopping center on Coldwater Road on the north side of Fort Wayne. A mother and daughter opened it in June 2022, and in August 2025 it celebrated its 1,000th adoption. The cafe serves coffee, specialty drinks and house-made pastries, with plant-based milk options, and anyone can use the large cafe area without visiting the cats. The woodland-themed cat lounge is separate, and its adoptable cats all come from Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control. Lounge visits are booked online or taken as walk-ins when there is space. Adoption starts with the shelter's application form, and the cafe handles the meeting and paperwork on site. The lounge can also be booked for events, and the cafe accepts donations of food and litter for the cats.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
The Catcade
Chicago, Illinois74 mi / 120 km
The Catcade is a nonprofit cat rescue and lounge on Belmont Avenue in Lakeview, Chicago, a short walk from the Belmont 'L' station. Opened in 2017, it combines a home-like lounge of free-roaming adoptable cats with free-play arcade cabinets, so visitors can play classic video games while cats nap and wander around them. The cats are rescued from life-threatening situations, often from under-resourced shelters, and are rehomed through the Catcade's own adoption process. Visits last just under an hour, include a soft drink, and are best booked online because sessions often sell out. Guests must be 12 or older, with one adult for every two minors, and groups of more than six must book a private hour. In line with Chicago rules for animal cafes, no food is served. The lounge also hosts cat yoga and private parties and sells its own merchandise.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
The Catz Den
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The Catz Den is a nonprofit community space and small cat cafe on South Main Street in downtown Wayland, about 15 minutes south of Grand Rapids. It partners with The Country Cat Lady, a rescue that raises its rescued kittens to become emotional support and therapy animals, and the resident therapy cats spend time with visitors in the main room. A separate adoption room houses cats and kittens available through The Country Cat Lady and can be visited for a donation. Coffee and low-cost snacks are served during coffee and kitty hours on weekday mornings. The Den focuses on teens and families: during the school year it runs a VIP Teens after-school program, and it rents out the space for meetings and private events. Hours vary by day.
- Adoptable cats