The Pawsome Cat Cafe

Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear · 13 mi / 21 km

CatPawCino ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​⁠is a garden-themed cat cafe on Newcastle's Quayside, looking out over the River Tyne. It opened in 2015. Its eight permanent residents were raised from kittens by the owner and include Ragdolls, a Birman, Scottish Folds, a British Shorthair and an Exotic Shorthair, and they share the ground-floor cat lounge with rescue cats fostered for Friendz Feline that are rehomed from the cafe. Visitors pay an entry fee for up to an hour at a table, with extra hours charged at the same rate, and booking online with a small deposit is recommended. Children shorter than 120 cm are not admitted and each adult may bring up to two children. Hands are sanitised on entry, and visitors must not feed the cats or use flash. The menu has toasties, scones, cakes, hot chocolate and iced teas, and a cat-free basement holds more seating and a shop.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear · 14 mi / 22 km

You ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌⁠Meow is a cat cafe on Bath Lane on the western edge of Newcastle city centre, near Westgate Road and Chinatown. Spread over two floors, it is home to a large group of around 16 to 17 cats of many breeds, including Siamese, Maine Coon, Sphynx, British Shorthair and Savannah, and the cats have a quiet room downstairs that visitors cannot enter. Visits are one-hour slots booked online, and walk-ins are accepted when there is room. The entry fee includes a hot or soft drink, biscuits, a fortune cookie and a tub of treats to feed the cats; no other food is served. Children of all ages are welcome with at least one adult for every two children under 11, and carers of disabled visitors enter free. The cats must not be picked up and flash photography is not allowed. The cafe opens every day.

• Booking required

Wallsend, Tyne and Wear · 15 mi / 24 km

Bad ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​⁠Cat Café & Rescue is a small volunteer-run cat cafe and rescue on High Street East in Wallsend, North Tyneside. All of its cats are rescues, often older cats or cats with special needs such as blindness or deafness that tend to be overlooked in shelters, and every cat is available for adoption as an indoor cat after the rescue's vetting process. The cafe passed its 200th adoption in 2026. Visits are by appointment only, booked through the cafe's Facebook page, with a modest admission fee and free entry for children under four. Quiet sessions for people with autism, sensory needs or learning difficulties run on Saturday afternoons. The menu is simple, with hot drinks, cakes and brownies, and afternoon teas, including children's versions, can be booked with admission included. The rescue also offers cat sitting to raise funds and looks for long-term foster homes.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Darlington, Durham · 17 mi / 27 km

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​⁠Cats' Den Coffee House is Darlington's first cat cafe, opened in autumn 2025 on High Northgate, just north of the town centre. It is run by its owners with their own group of eight cats, including a Maine Coon, who play and nap among cat trees, beds and toys next to the cafe seating. Visits are booked online with a small deposit and the rest of the entry fee paid on arrival, and there is a reduced rate for over-65s on Wednesdays. Children under six are not admitted. Guests wear shoe covers and sanitise their hands before going in, the cats must not be picked up or woken, and visitors may only give the treats provided by the cafe. The menu is kept simple, with coffee, tea, soft drinks, sandwiches, muffins and prepacked snacks. The cafe opens Wednesday to Sunday.

• Booking required

York · 60 mi / 96 km

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌⁠Cat's Whiskers is York's only cat cafe, set in a Grade II listed building on Goodramgate in the city centre, with views towards York Minster and about 15 minutes on foot from York station. Opened in 2019, it is home to a group of rescue cats that live at the cafe permanently. Some come from the Cat Rescue and Welfare Trust near York and Animal Care in Lancaster, and others were surrendered or struggled to find homes elsewhere. The cats roam freely over two floors, and the ground floor is step-free. Visits are one-hour slots with an entry fee that goes towards the cats' care, booked online in advance, with walk-ins only when there is space. Children under 10 are not admitted and under-14s must be supervised. The menu covers hot and cold drinks and cakes from The White Cherry Bakery in Pocklington, with vegan and gluten-free options.

• Booking recommended

Hawkshead, Cumbria · 63 mi / 102 km

KITTchEN ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌⁠is an independent craft beer bar and bottle shop on The Square in Hawkshead, the Lake District village between Windermere and Coniston Water. Open since 2018, it specialises in Cumbrian and other independent beer and shares its rooms with several resident rescue cats. Inside is strictly for adults aged 18 and over, and dogs are not allowed in, though both are welcome at the tables outside. There is no entry fee: visitors buy a drink and sit among the cats, on a first come, first served basis, and only ticketed events can be booked. House rules ask guests not to pick up, crowd, feed or wake the cats, and to avoid flash photography. The cats take Tuesdays and Thursdays off, so the bar can be open on those days without them. Opening hours change with the seasons, and the bar hosts occasional music and quiz nights.

• Walk-ins welcome