Ô P'tits Chats Gaillards

Limoges, Nouvelle Aquitaine · 48 mi / 78 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.

Bergerac, Nouvelle Aquitaine · 55 mi / 89 km

Au Chafé is a bar à chats on Rue Prosper Faugère in the centre of Bergerac, in the Dordogne, which opened in late summer 2026. The cats in the café come from local associations, working with the SPA, and all are up for adoption; several have already gone to new homes since the opening. Visitors drop in for specialty coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lattes such as ube and vanilla, and homemade cakes like banana bread, carrot cake and crumble, and spend time with the cats at their own pace in a calm, cosy room where reading is encouraged. There is no entry fee; guests simply order from the menu. The café also runs creative workshops, cat yoga sessions and other events, which can be booked online, and sells a little merchandise.

• Adoptable cats

Agen, Nouvelle Aquitaine · 80 mi / 128 km

PawPao is the first bar à chats in Agen, on Rue Molinier in the town centre. Founder Paola opened it in September 2025 as a café solidaire: alongside a few resident cats who live there permanently and are not for adoption, the café hosts cats entrusted by local animal protection associations, usually around seven to nine at a time, all looking for new homes. The cats roam freely in a cosy room, and visitors can simply come for a drink and a cuddle or start an adoption on the spot. There is no entry fee or timed session; guests order from a seasonal, homemade menu of sweet and savoury dishes, lattes such as a cherry-blossom latte, lemonade and fresh fruit smoothies. A small solidarity shop sells cat accessories, gifts and items by local makers, and the café also runs workshops.

• Adoptable cats

Albi, Occitanie · 90 mi / 145 km

Mon Chat Pitre Albi is a general bookshop with resident cats on Rue Timbal in the historic centre of Albi, in a former clothing shop. It opened in June 2026 as part of the Mon Chat Pitre ronron-librairie network that started in Aix-en-Provence in 2021, and it is run by owner Emmanuelle with bookseller Assia. Around five or six cats, adopted from shelters and foster families, live in the shop permanently and are not offered for adoption; they move freely among some 8,000 books, including novels, comics, children's books, art books and essays. Visitors can browse and spend time with the cats free of charge, and the shop also sells cat-themed accessories, stationery and gifts. Writing workshops are held in the shop with the cats around.

Albi, Occitanie · 90 mi / 146 km

Bastet Café is a restaurant, salon de thé and bar à chats in a private house on Rue de Genève in Albi, a short walk from the town centre. Named after the Egyptian cat goddess, it is home to seven or eight resident cats, including Orientals and a Sphynx, who wander freely, play and settle on guests' laps when they choose. At lunchtime it works as a restaurant: the owner cooks seasonal starters, quiches, tarts and vegetable dishes each morning from local and organic produce, with set menus suitable for vegetarians and wines and beers from the Tarn. Lunch bookings are recommended. In the afternoon it becomes a tea room serving organic teas and infusions, French-press coffee, homemade lemonade and grandmother-style cakes such as clafoutis, crumbles and carrot cake. Afternoon visits are walk-in only, so seats can run out, and there is a fireside room and a covered terrace.

• Booking recommended

Montlucon, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 97 mi / 155 km

Le Royaume des Chats is a cat cafe and tea room on Place Édouard Piquand in Montluçon, in the Allier. Four resident pedigree cats live there, Léon, Marcel, Achille and Basile, who are Maine Coons, a Sphynx and a Bengal, in a cosy setting decorated in a 1970s style. Visitors order from a menu of coffees, premium teas and infusions from the French supplier FBKT, hot chocolates, homemade cookies, cat-shaped shortbread, cakes and crêpes, with snacks and salads at lunch, and the teas can also be bought loose to take home. A reading corner with free books and a collection of board games are available. House rules ask guests to disinfect their hands, let the cats approach on their own and never feed them. Children are welcome under constant supervision.