Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Nine Lives Cafe & Cat Lounge
Nine Lives Cafe & Cat Lounge on Shelby Street in Fountain Square opened in January 2017 as the first cat cafe in Indianapolis. The coffee shop side is attached to but fully separate from the cat lounges, serves coffee, chai and other drinks with pastries from local bakeries, and has a gift shop with local art; allergic visitors can watch the cats through large windows. The cats are fostered through the owners' nonprofit, IndyAdopts, which works with several local rescues and shelters, and are available for adoption, alongside a few permanent residents. Each person entering the lounge needs a reservation, and walk-ins are taken when there is space. Age rules depend on the time of day: all ages in the morning, 13 and over in the afternoon and adults only after 5 PM. The lounges close from 1 to 2 PM for cleaning, and the cafe is closed on Wednesdays.
Before you go
- Booking
- Booking recommended
- Entry
- Entry or time fee
- Children
- Minimum age for children
- Food & drink
- Drinks and snacks
- Adoption
- Cats available for adoption
Based on the cafe's website and visitor reviews, checked October 2026. Policies change, so confirm with the cafe before you visit.
Reviews
Cat Cafes Nearby
Smitten Kitten Cat Cafe
Fishers, Indiana14 mi / 22 km
Smitten Kitten Cat Cafe on East 96th Street in Fishers opened in 2023 as Hamilton County's first cat cafe. The coffee shop side is free to enter and sells coffee, tea and prepackaged treats from local businesses, and drinks can be carried into the cat lounge. The lounge is cage-free and fully separate from the cafe, and its cats and kittens come from partners such as the Humane Society for Hamilton County, Paws on My Heart, Hancock County Humane Society, Elwood Animal Shelter, Mango's Miracles and Biscuit Factory. Visits are charged per half hour or per hour, children aged 1 and under enter free, and one adult must accompany every three guests under 12. Booking is strongly recommended because the lounge is capped at 15 people. Guests sign a waiver and may not pick up the cats. Adoption applications go to the cat's rescue partner.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
Paws and Purrs Cat Café
Carmel, Indiana15 mi / 24 km
Paws and Purrs Cat Café began as Pawz Pet Cafe, which opened on Gradle Drive in Carmel, Indiana, in June 2024 as the city's first cat cafe. It served boba tea, coffee and lemonade, and visitors paid $10 for half an hour or $18 for an hour in a lounge with adoptable rescue cats from Paws on My Heart, Inc.; children under 12 needed an adult with them. The business also sold pet supplies and offered dog grooming and birthday parties. It closed on July 27, 2026, for renovation and rebranding, and reopened at the same address on October 20, 2026, as Paws and Purrs Cat Café, serving coffee, tea and boba with a lounge of adoptable cats from the same rescue. Lounge visits cost $10 for 30 minutes or $18 for an hour and can be booked online, and walk-ins are welcome when there is room.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
Tribal Blend Cat Cafe
Columbus, Indiana39 mi / 63 km
Tribal Blend Cat Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge in the Westhill Shopping Center on West Jonathan Moore Pike, on the west side of Columbus, Indiana, next to Hope Veterinary Clinic West. It opened in April 2026 as the city's first cat cafe. The cafe serves coffee, matcha, smoothies, shakes, dirty sodas and pastries, and adoptable rescue cats live in a separate cat room that guests can enter to play with them. The cats come from Columbus Animal Care Services, and adoptions start with an application at the cafe. Groups of fewer than 10 can walk in, while larger groups reserve a session in the cat room. Events include painting with cats, cat trivia, movie nights and date nights, and on Mondays, when it is closed to the public, the cafe hosts quiet visits for children with special needs and seniors from assisted living homes.
- Adoptable cats
Btown Meow Cat Cafe
Bloomington, Indiana44 mi / 71 km
Btown Meow Cat Cafe is a small cat cafe on State Road 46 on the northwest side of Bloomington, run by a mother and daughter. Its free-roaming lounge is home to adoptable cats from the Bloomington Animal Shelter, and by autumn 2026 it had found homes for more than 365 of them. The cafe sells a selection of drinks and prepackaged treats that guests can take into the lounge. Visitors pay a small fee for time with the cats and may pet them, but should not pick them up without permission. The number of people in the lounge is limited, so reservations are encouraged and walk-ins may be turned away. Children are welcome as long as an adult stays with them in the room. Adoption is by application and approval. The cafe also runs a cat of the month, storytime and silent book club events and sells cat-themed merchandise.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
The Cat's Closet
Bloomington, Indiana45 mi / 72 km
The Cat's Closet is a cat lounge and vintage clothing shop on South Pete Ellis Drive near College Mall on the east side of Bloomington. Founders Sydney and Clairessa sold vintage clothes online and at markets from 2021 while doing cat rescue on the side before opening the shop. The vintage racks, with t-shirts, sweaters, denim, jackets, dresses and records, are in a room kept separate from the cats and need no booking. In the cat lounge, adoptable cats from the Greene County Humane Society roam free, and visits are booked online in 30-minute or one-hour slots, with a discounted short visit on Thursdays. Walk-ins are possible but booking ahead is recommended. The cats can be adopted through an application process. The shop also hosts monthly markets and bingo, rents out the space for private events and shows local artists in a small gallery.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
Kokomo Humane Society Cat Café
Kokomo, Indiana50 mi / 80 km
The Kokomo Humane Society Cat Café is a free-roaming cat colony room at the Kokomo Humane Society on East Hoffer Street in Kokomo. It opened in 2018 to give the shelter's adoptable cats a relaxed, home-like space. Between 10 and 30 cats live in the colony, and up to about 20 guests can visit at once. Admission is free and walk-ins are welcome: visitors check in at the café entrance, read the rules and sign a waiver before going in. Children must be at least 3, and one adult is needed for every two children under 12. The cats are not to be picked up, chased or fed human food. Despite the name there is no coffee bar, only a drinks machine. Every cat in the colony can be adopted through the humane society, and the café also hosts events.
- Adoptable cats
- Walk-ins welcome