Joybound Thrift Store, Cat Lounge & Adoption Center

Martinez, California · 4.4 mi / 7.0 km

Cat Chillin' Zone is a cat lounge and senior cat rescue on Center Avenue in downtown Martinez, describing itself as the first cat lounge in Contra Costa County. The woman-owned nonprofit takes in healthy older cats at risk of euthanasia in Bay Area shelters, along with cats that would otherwise need hospice care, and lets them live cage-free in a storefront adoption lounge. Visitors pay by the hour, with lower rates for seniors, military and children, and admission goes toward the rescue's adoption costs. Drop-ins are welcome, though scheduling a visit is preferred, and groups of more than six should call ahead. Children under 18 need a parent or guardian, and infants and toddlers are not admitted. Toys and teasers are provided. Adoption follows an application and a meet-and-greet with the chosen cat. The lounge also hosts trivia, karaoke and bunco nights.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Oakland, California · 16 mi / 26 km

Cat Town is a nonprofit cat rescue and cage-free adoption center at 2869 Broadway in Oakland, at 29th Street on the Broadway auto row. It opened in October 2014 as the first cat cafe in the United States. The adoption center usually houses 25 to 35 cats: about 15 roam the Cat Zone, where climbing structures are modeled on Oakland landmarks, and others who need one-on-one time or medical care live in private studios. Cat Town focuses on older, shy, under-socialized and medically fragile cats who struggle in shelter cages. Recreational visits are paid and limited to about ten guests per hour, so booking ahead is recommended, especially on weekends; walk-ins are taken when space allows. Children need one adult for every two kids aged 12 and under. Adopters visit free by appointment. Souvenir Coffee next door serves coffee and pastries, which may be taken into the Cat Zone.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Pleasanton, California · 20 mi / 33 km

Mini Cat Town Pleasanton is a kitten lounge and adoption center inside Stoneridge Shopping Center, the mall beside I-580 and I-680 in Pleasanton. It is run by Mini Cat Town, a San Jose nonprofit founded in 2015 by sisters Thi, Thoa and Tram Bui to rescue neonatal kittens; the kittens are raised in foster homes and come to the lounge once they are weaned, spayed or neutered and ready for adoption. Visitors pay a per-person admission for a 30-minute session in a living room-style room where the kittens play freely. Entry is walk-in only, and a waitlist often forms on weekend afternoons. Each guest signs a waiver and goes through a short sanitizing process before entering, and the last group goes in 30 minutes before closing. Every kitten is adoptable through Mini Cat Town's online application and an adoption appointment.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Napa, California · 26 mi / 41 km

Ella's Cathouse & Adoption Center is a cage-free, no-kill cat adoption center run by the Napa nonprofit Jameson Humane in the Food City shopping center on Old Sonoma Road in south Napa. Formerly Ella's Cathouse & Catnip Bar, it reopened at this location in 2025. Walk-in visitors are welcome during the Friday to Sunday afternoon opening hours to spend time with adoptable cats and kittens of all ages in an open, cage-free space, and some sanctuary cats also live on site. Groups who want the cats to themselves can arrange a private visit by email, limited to four guests with up to two children accompanied by an adult. Adoption involves an application, a home check and an adoption fee. The center is named after the late cat of a Jameson Humane board member and has helped about 100 cats find homes since reopening.

• Adoptable cats

San Francisco, California · 26 mi / 41 km

KitTea is a nonprofit cat lounge and rescue on Valencia Street in the Mission District, about three minutes on foot from the 24th Street Mission BART station. It opened as one of the city's first cat cafes and became a cat sanctuary in 2020. It no longer runs a cafe, but each ticket includes a cold drink or a hot tea or cocoa. The lounge is home to about 14 permanent resident cats and usually 6 to 16 adoptable cats and kittens taken in from San Francisco Animal Care & Control, Central Valley shelters and other rescues. Visits are ticketed 55-minute sessions for up to 14 guests, with shorter walk-in visits when space allows, and booking ahead is recommended. Socks are required, guests must be 9 or older, and outside non-alcoholic snacks are allowed. KitTea also hosts movie nights, Pilates with cats and private events.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

San Francisco, California · 26 mi / 42 km

Whiskerwood Haven is a cat lounge and adoption center on Geary Boulevard in the Inner Richmond, directly behind the University of San Francisco campus. Opened in September 2025 by John Ngo, it keeps around a dozen adoptable cats and kittens at a time from partner rescues including Pink Paws for the Cause, Bay Area Cats and Give Me Shelter SF, with new cats arriving as others are adopted. Visitors pay admission for 30-minute or one-hour sessions, and a monthly membership is available. Walk-ins are welcome, though booking ahead is recommended at busy times because the number of guests is limited. The lounge is shoe-free, with socks and foot covers required and bags left in lockers, and no food or drink is sold or allowed. Staff help match potential adopters with cats. Events include yoga with cats, watercolor painting nights, study sessions, and anime and movie nights.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended