Le Royaume des Chats

Limoges, Nouvelle Aquitaine · 73 mi / 118 km

Once Upon a Cat is a bar à chats and tea room on Rue Jauvion, a quiet street in the centre of Limoges. Opened in 2021, it has a storybook interior inspired by Alice in Wonderland and other fantasy tales, with walkways above the tables where the cats can watch the room or nap out of reach. Several cats, some of them very fluffy, live in the café and come to visitors when they feel like it; staff are happy to introduce each one, and guests are asked to respect their space. There is no booking or time limit, and seating is free. The menu covers a range of teas, coffee and hot chocolates in several flavours, plus homemade cakes, biscuits and tarts, many of them vegan. Prices are set slightly higher than an ordinary café to cover the cats' veterinary care.

Brive La Gaillarde, Nouvelle Aquitaine · 97 mi / 155 km

Ô P'tits Chats Gaillards is a bar à chats, café and small restaurant on Rue Gambetta in the centre of Brive-la-Gaillarde. Its resident cats, including Berlioz, Saphir, Maurice, Slash, Ulysse and young Arsène, range from large Maine Coons to a cuddly Ragdoll, and they roam the cosy room and terrace among the guests. The café opens early for breakfast, serves homemade lunches with vegan and plant-based options during the week and puts on themed brunches on some Sundays, alongside teas, coffee, cold drinks and pastries such as cookies, brioches, pancakes and scones. There is no entry fee; visitors order from the menu, and booking is advised for meals. A small shop sells loose-leaf tea, teapots and gift boxes, and the café hosts regular events and children's birthday parties on a cat theme.

• Booking recommended

Villefranche Sur Saone, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 104 mi / 167 km

Déli'Cat is a tea room and adoption cat cafe on Rue Pierre Morin in the centre of Villefranche-sur-Saône, the capital of the Beaujolais, about 30 minutes north of Lyon. The cafe acts as a foster home for cats from the association Nos Chouchous, based in Vénissieux, and the cats, chosen for their gentle and sociable nature, are all up for adoption. There is no entry fee, but everyone orders at least one item, including visitors who come only to meet the cats, and guests staying more than an hour to work or relax take a sweet or savoury set menu. The menu has organic teas, specialty coffees, cold-pressed juices, savoury dishes at lunch, pastries and ice cream. Reservations are not taken, groups are limited to six, and children under 10 are not admitted.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Saint Etienne, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 106 mi / 171 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

Chateauneuf Sur Loire, Centre Val De Loire · 107 mi / 172 km

Grignote & Ronron is a bar à chats and tea room on the Grande Rue of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, a small town on the Loire about 25 km east of Orléans. It opened in autumn 2025 and is run by Jessica, a pastry cook who bakes the cakes on site. The cats come from Chats Castelneuviens Libres, the local association that cares for the town's stray cats, and some of them are available for adoption, alongside the cafe's mascot cat. The cats move freely between the tables, cat trees and baskets, and visitors are asked to respect their rhythm. Visitors order from a menu of homemade sweet and savoury treats, including chocolate fondants, marble cake, cookies and salads, with hot drinks, lemonades and iced teas. Board games are available. It is open Tuesday to Saturday.

• Adoptable cats

Craponne, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 109 mi / 176 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