Le Chat Noir Bookstore & Cat Lounge

Upland, California · 27 mi / 43 km

Cats and Comics Rescue is a comic book and trading card shop in downtown Upland that doubles as a nonprofit cat rescue. Behind a door at the back of the store are two cat rooms where adoptable rescue cats live, and visitors can pay a small fee to sit with them for as long as they like. Sales of comics, Pokemon and other trading cards, board games and handmade accessories help pay for the cats' food and veterinary care, and the shop also buys comics and cards. All the cats can be adopted through the rescue after an application. The shop moved to its current address on North 2nd Avenue from East 9th Street. It also runs adoption events, takes volunteers and points pet owners to low-cost spay and neuter services.

• Adoptable cats

Wrightwood, California · 33 mi / 54 km

The PurrGround is a cat arcade in the mountain community of Wrightwood, in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino County. It is a family-run space where adoptable rescue cats roam freely among old-school arcade and video game machines, so visitors can play games and spend time with the cats in the same room. The owners ran an animal rescue for years before opening it, and the arcade is presented by the local pet shop Wrightwood's Littlest Pet Shop. The cats have cozy nooks, cat trees and toys around the room, and a bulletin board introduces each one. Entry is a paid visit charged by the hour, which covers both the games and time with the cats, and all the cats can be adopted. It opens on Friday afternoons and on weekends, which suits day-trippers coming up to Wrightwood from the valleys below.

• Adoptable cats

West Covina, California · 41 mi / 67 km

Meow Tea is a bubble tea bar with a cat adoption room inside Miko's Pet Supplies in West Covina, in South Hills Plaza next to Tokyo Central Market on South Azusa Avenue. Visitors who buy a drink, or give a small donation instead, can go into the cat room and spend time with the cats without a set time limit. Most of the cats are rescues available for adoption through a partner rescue, and a few are permanent residents, including a large orange shop cat. The shop sells milk teas, fruit teas, slushes and smoothies, and the attached pet store stocks food, treats and supplies for cats and dogs. The cat room is small, so it can get busy at peak times, and children need to be supervised. The business also holds weekend adoption events. It is open every day from late morning to evening.

• Adoptable cats

Tustin, California · 42 mi / 68 km

Fluffy Tail Cafe is a cat cafe on Newport Avenue in Tustin, Orange County, split into a coffee shop open to everyone and a separate cat lounge where foster cats live while they wait for adoption. The cats are placed through the foster rescue Tiny Paws and Whiskers, and apart from a few resident ambassador cats, all of them can be adopted. Lounge visits are paid sessions of 30 minutes or an hour that include a free drink; one-hour sessions can be booked online at a lower price, and walk-ins are taken when there is room. Guests sign a waiver and remove their shoes. Children 9 and under need one supervising adult each and groups with children up to 14 need an adult present, and teens 15 to 17 may visit alone with a parental waiver. The coffee bar is known for its matcha pour-over.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Palm Springs, California · 44 mi / 70 km

Frisky Business Palm Springs Cat Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge on East Palm Canyon Drive in south Palm Springs, and the first cat cafe in the Coachella Valley. It opened in December 2022, founded by Claire and Sonny, known to regulars as Mrs. and Mr. Frisky. The cats come exclusively from the Palm Springs Animal Shelter and live in a mid-century modern lounge separated from the coffee bar by large windows, so guests with allergies can watch from the cafe side. Visits to the lounge are paid, timed sessions of 45 minutes that include a handcrafted drink, with shorter sessions also offered; booking ahead is recommended, though walk-ins are accepted when space allows. Staff help visitors complete the shelter's adoption application on site. The cafe serves coffee, tea and pastries, sells Palm Springs cat artwork and merchandise, hosts community events and is a recognized neurodiverse-inclusive workplace.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Yucca Valley, California · 44 mi / 70 km

Save the Meow Meows Cat Lounge is a rescue cat lounge on Yucca Trail in Yucca Valley, in the Morongo Basin on the way to Joshua Tree National Park. It is run by the nonprofit FAR Side Journey, which takes in cats from high-kill shelters in Southern California and works with other rescues and local shelters. The lounge opened in May 2023. Visitors pay a small entry fee, with a lower rate for children under 12, and can stay with the cats for as long as they like; entry includes treats to give the cats and a toy. No reservation is needed, and groups of 10 or more are asked to call ahead. All the cats are adoptable, and staff handle applications on site. A storefront sells snacks, drinks, clothing and pet supplies, and the lounge can be booked for private events.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome