West Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Coffee Cats
Coffee Cats is a coffee shop and cat lounge on 5th Street in Historic Valley Junction, West Des Moines, and has been Iowa's first cat cafe since it opened in July 2020. The coffee shop serves coffee from Grounds for Celebration, tea, smoothies, Italian sodas and baked goods, and needs no reservation. A separate cat lounge houses around 10 to 12 adoptable cats from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, and visitors pay a cover charge for an hour with them. Sessions usually start on the hour and are capped at six reserved guests plus two walk-ins, so booking ahead is recommended; children 5 and under enter free. More than 1,000 cats have been adopted through the Animal Rescue League since the cafe opened. Private hours in the cat lounge can be booked for birthdays, anniversaries and other small events, and the cafe sells its own merchandise.
Before you go
- Booking
- Booking recommended
- Entry
- Entry or time fee
- Children
- All ages welcome
- 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
Kitty Corner Social Club
Iowa City113 mi / 181 km
Kitty Corner Social Club is a cat lounge on South Clinton Street in downtown Iowa City, next to The Airliner and across from the University of Iowa campus. Opened in February 2025 as the city's first cat lounge, it is a living-room style space with couches and a TV where visitors relax with adoptable cats from the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center and other regional shelters. Almost 600 cats have been adopted so far. No food or drink is sold; water and tea are free, and guests may bring their own snacks. Entry is paid in 15, 30 or 60 minute blocks, walk-ins are taken every hour and reservations are recommended for groups. Adoption applications are reviewed weekly. The lounge also hosts private parties and movie nights, and in late 2026 it moves to a larger space at 375 S Clinton St.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
Familiar Cat Café
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Familiar Cat Café is a coffee shop and cat lounge on 6th Avenue in Uptown Marion that opened in July 2026 as the first cat cafe in Linn County. The front cafe serves coffee drinks, non-caffeinated drinks and bakery items and sells work by local artists, while the separate Mew-ion Lounge is home to adoptable cats from Funky Paws Rescue of Buchanan County. All cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and dewormed. Visits are charged in 15, 30 or 60 minute tiers: hour-long sessions are booked online, and shorter visits are walk-in only. The lounge holds about ten people an hour, everyone signs a waiver, children 12 and under need a parent or guardian, and children 5 and under enter free. Free street parking surrounds the block, and the accessible back entrance opens straight into the cat lounge. The cafe can be rented for parties and events.
- Adoptable cats
Felius Cat Café & Rescue
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Felius is a nonprofit cat shelter and coffee shop on Dodge Street near 50th Street in Omaha's Dundee area, and Nebraska's longest-running cat cafe, open since 2018. Its open-concept playroom holds free-roaming adoptable cats taken in from the streets, owner surrenders and litters born in care, all vetted before adoption. Visitors book 30 or 60 minute playroom sessions, with walk-ins accepted when space allows; the coffee bar opens earlier than the playroom and serves coffee, tea and beer. Children must be at least 6, those under 12 need one paying adult each, and everyone signs a waiver. Felius has rehomed well over 1,800 cats and runs a trap-neuter-return program for community cats, a network of foster homes and volunteers, and educational workshops. Regular events include cat yoga, trivia nights at the coffee bar and markets, and the cafe sells its own merchandise.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
Goodwill Cat Connection
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Goodwill Cat Connection is a cat lounge run by Goodwill Industries Serving Southeast Nebraska on O Street in downtown Lincoln, opened in March 2026 as the city's first cat cafe-style space. Visitors book paid time to relax and play with adoptable cats from the Capital Humane Society, whose resident list changes as cats find homes. Since August 2026 visitors can also buy specialty lattes from Ellie's, Goodwill's on-site training cafe, which gives food-service experience to people in Goodwill's job programs. Booking members must be at least 16, children must be supervised, and everyone agrees to the lounge rules, known as the Claws Clause, before entering. Guests who want to adopt can use the Capital Humane Society kiosk on site to request an adoption appointment. The lounge can also be booked for parties and group events, and it relies on volunteers and donations.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking required
Sugar Kittens Cat Cafe & Cattery
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Sugar Kittens Cat Cafe & Cattery is a kitten cafe on Route 291 in Liberty, Missouri, in the Northland of the Kansas City area. Founded by Jeff and Lacey Nielson, it opened in November 2020 and has rehomed more than a thousand cats and kittens across its two locations. The lounge usually holds dozens of kittens along with some adult cats, a few of them permanent residents, and new kittens arrive every week. Visitors book a 50-minute session online, and anyone under 16 must come with an adult. Many guests come just to play; others use the visit to meet a kitten to adopt; applications are filled out on site and usually finalized within two days, and adoptions are limited to residents of the Kansas City metro. The counter sells more than 100 hard-to-find sodas, Fat & Weird Cookies, candy and cat merchandise. A second branch is in Lee's Summit.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking required
Whiskers Cat Cafe & Coffeehouse
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Whiskers Cat Cafe & Coffeehouse is a cat cafe on Southwest Trafficway near 37th Street in Midtown Kansas City, Missouri, with its entrance and parking at the back of the building. Opened in November 2018, it was the first cat cafe in the Kansas City area. It has two sides: a full-service coffeehouse serving Messenger Coffee, open to anyone without a booking, and a separate cat lounge next door. The lounge has a few resident cats along with adoptable cats from KC Pet Project and other local rescues, and staff guide adopters through a matching process; more than 1,500 cats have been adopted. Lounge visits are booked online for a fee that includes a cup of drip coffee, every guest signs a waiver, and regular sessions are for ages 10 and up, with short family sessions for younger children. Yoga With Cats, paint nights and memberships are also offered.
- Adoptable cats