Déli'Cat

Craponne, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 17 mi / 27 km

T'ChaThé is a tea room and cat cafe on Avenue Pierre Dumond, the main street of Craponne in the western suburbs of Lyon, reachable by bus. It describes itself as the first bar à chats in the ouest lyonnais. The cats come from a partner association and most are up for adoption, while a couple have been adopted by the owner and stay on as residents. The 85-square-metre space has a quiet area and a games area, and visitors go through an entrance airlock where the house rules are posted. The menu centres on organic loose-leaf teas, also sold to take home, along with coffee, milkshakes and homemade snacks, and there are board games. Children of any age are welcome as long as they stay calm, which is rare among cat cafes in the area. The cafe is accessible to wheelchair users and runs regular activities.

• Adoptable cats

Lyon, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 17 mi / 28 km

Le GentleCat is a cat cafe, tea room and restaurant on Rue Auguste Comte in Lyon's 2nd arrondissement, in the Ainay quarter a few minutes' walk from Perrache station and the Ampère–Victor Hugo metro stop. About ten resident cats and a rabbit live in the cafe and move freely between its rooms, sofas and mezzanines, so each has its own corner; the owners trained in feline behaviour and keep clear house rules such as not waking, carrying or feeding the cats. There is no entry fee, but every visitor orders something from the menu of teas, coffees, homemade pastries and savoury dishes, with brunch on Sundays. A coworking area is available during the day. Children under 12 are not admitted. The same team runs a boarding hotel for cats nearby on Place Gailleton.

• Booking recommended

Vienne, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 33 mi / 53 km

Le Chat'Puccino is an independent cat cafe and tea room on Rue de la Table Ronde in the centre of Vienne, in the Isère south of Lyon, with a small wooden terrace out front. Its cats include permanent residents and foster cats from a local association that are waiting for adoption, and recently kittens have joined the group of about six. The menu has specialty coffee, selected teas, mocktails and homemade pastries such as cookies and chocolate fondant, with a homemade savoury lunch. On Friday and Saturday evenings the cafe serves aperitif boards, and it hosts game nights, talks and other events; board games are available at any time. Booking ahead is recommended. The cafe works with local producers and is accessible to wheelchair users. It is open five days a week and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Saint Etienne, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 41 mi / 66 km

La Patte de Velours is a cat cafe and tea room on Rue de la République in the centre of Saint-Étienne. Opened in March 2020 by Bénédicte Marabita, it was the city's first bar à chats. Up to a dozen cats live in the cafe, most of them rescued from refuges, associations or the street after being abandoned or mistreated, and some are offered for adoption; dozens have found homes since the opening. Visitors enter through an airlock with house rules and are asked to let the cats come to them. Every guest orders something, including children. The owner cooks everything in house: tarts, wraps, salads and poke bowls at lunch, and cakes such as walnut tart and honey cake in the afternoon, with ice creams and drinks from local producers. Children are welcome when supervised.

• Adoptable cats

Chalon Sur Saone, Bourgogne Franche Comte · 55 mi / 89 km

Caféline is a cat cafe due to open in autumn 2026 on Rue des Poulets in the old town of Chalon-sur-Saône, near Saint-Vincent Cathedral, the first of its kind in the town. Founder Isoline Denet, a trained barista who holds the French certificate for keeping domestic cats, is setting it up over two floors, with a ground floor laid out like a traditional coffee bar and a cosier upstairs room fitted with cat trees, hammocks and wall shelves. Five cats will live in the cafe, fostered for the rescue association Nouveau Chat'pitre 71, and visitors who connect with one will be able to adopt it through the association. Coffee and pastries will be served, and the cats will be free to come to guests rather than being picked up.

• Adoptable cats

Chambery, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 65 mi / 104 km

La Main à la Patte is a cat cafe and tea room on Rue Jean-Pierre Veyrat in the centre of Chambéry. Opened in autumn 2024, it hosts cats from the association L'Arche de Siena, and all of them are up for adoption, so the number of cats in the room changes as they find homes; usually around five to seven are present. The cats wander freely and come to visitors when they choose. There is no entry fee; visitors order from a menu of Illy coffee, Dammann teas, hot chocolates and homemade pastries such as cookies, madeleines and fruit tarts, and the drinks list also has cocktails, local beer and kombucha. Tables can be booked by phone. People come to read, work or meet friends, and families are welcome.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended