Meowmi Café

San Sai, Chiang Mai · 0.6 mi / 0.9 km

Neko Cafe is a small cat cafe and restaurant in Mae Jo, San Sai, close to Maejo University north of Chiang Mai city. A group of friendly resident cats roam the room and readily come over to play with customers, and there is no entrance fee: visitors simply order from the menu. The kitchen serves simple meals and bakery items alongside freshly brewed coffee and a range of other drinks, at modest prices that suit the student neighbourhood. The shop is compact and casual, more like a neighbourhood eatery that happens to share its space with cats than a polished tourist cafe, which gives it a relaxed, homely atmosphere. Regulars come back for both the food and the affectionate cats.

San Sai, Chiang Mai · 1.4 mi / 2.3 km

Sukjai Cat Cafe (คาเฟ่แมวสุขใจ) is a small cat cafe in the Mae Jo area of San Sai, north of Chiang Mai city, opposite the Non Nipha housing estate. More than 30 cats live here, from Thai cats to short-legged and other pedigree breeds, and they are famously sociable, swarming visitors who bring chicken treats. Entry costs 120 baht per person, includes a free drink and allows up to one hour with the cats, in a single shared room with no separate cat-free zone. Everyone must wear socks, which are sold at the cafe for 20 baht a pair if you forget. Visitors of all ages are welcome, but children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult, and the cats may not be picked up.

• Booking recommended

Mae Rim, Chiang Mai · 4.0 mi / 6.5 km

เฟอฟู is a small cat and ferret cafe in the Phet Ploy Business Park on Soi Ban Phra Non 9, Don Kaeo, in Mae Rim just north of Chiang Mai city. Customers order food or drinks and can then sit in the animal zone with the resident cats, which are affectionate and quick to ask for attention, and with a group of young ferrets, which are lively and like to nibble fingers. There is no entrance fee and no time limit, which makes it an easy, good-value stop. The cafe serves meals and a range of well-made drinks, and there is parking right in front of the shop. It is a good choice for visitors who want to meet ferrets as well as cats in a single visit.

Chiang Mai · 5.6 mi / 9.1 km

The Little Cat Cafe (เจ้าจิ๋ว) is a small cat cafe and pet shop in Chang Phueak, north of Chiang Mai's Old City, next to the Family Pet Hospital near Chang Phueak police station. The pet shop side stocks food and supplies for cats and dogs, while the cafe is a cosy, home-like room where a small team of affectionate, playful cats and kittens greet visitors as soon as they walk in. With fewer cats than the big tourist cafes, it is a calm place to sit with a drink and soft music, and the cats readily come over for attention and lickable treats. The menu covers coffee, matcha drinks such as a Biscoff matcha latte, cakes and other bakery items. The room is kept spotless, and there is parking in front of the shop.

Chiang Mai · 6.0 mi / 9.7 km

Wila Cafe (วิฬาร์คาเฟ่) is a cat cafe in a quiet soi off Muen Dam Phra Khot Road in Chang Phueak, just north of Chiang Mai's Old City. Its cat zone is home to around 27 cats, many of them plump and laid-back, including several Scottish Folds, and the room is full of photo corners, with board games and occasional workshops to keep visitors busy. There is no time limit. International visitors pay 100 baht to enter the cat zone, which includes one drink and a sachet of cat treats, while Thai customers order at least one drink each; drinks cost around 50 to 60 baht, and extra cat food is sold at the counter. Children under 12 are not allowed in the cat zone, without exception, and the house rules on handling the cats are strictly enforced.

Doi Saket, Chiang Mai · 6.0 mi / 9.7 km

Cats Station Café (ร้านกาแฟสถานีแมว) is a cosy cafe in Ban San Um, Choeng Doi, in Doi Saket district east of Chiang Mai, conveniently on the way to Mae Kampong. Its cats are former strays, mostly friendly Thai cats including several cheerful orange ones, and they are happy to be stroked and played with using the toys provided. The cafe feels like dropping in on a friend's house full of cats. Unusually for a cat cafe, the food is a real highlight: generous plates of fried rice and other homestyle dishes at fair prices, made with good ingredients, plus fresh coffee and bakery items. The space is new, clean and fitted with an air purifier, though visitors with cat allergies should take care.