Puss in Books

Bristol · 19 mi / 31 km

Bag ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌⁠of Nails is a traditional real ale pub on St George's Road in Hotwells, Bristol, a short walk west of College Green and the harbourside, known as the city's cat pub. Around a dozen cats, many of them former strays, live in the pub and wander freely through the single bar room, sleeping on windowsills, chairs and the bar itself while customers drink around them. It is a pub rather than a cat cafe, so there is no entry fee, booking or time limit, and the cats are residents rather than adoptable animals. The bar serves a changing range of cask ales from independent breweries, ciders and craft keg beers. Board games, records played on the turntable and a Sunday quiz add to the character. Under-14s are not allowed in.

Romsey, Hampshire · 40 mi / 64 km

Paws ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​⁠for Thought Cat Cafe is a cat cafe on Church Street in the centre of Romsey, Hampshire, close to Romsey Abbey. Opened in September 2018 by its founder, Emma, it is the permanent home of a small group of rescue cats, most of them brought from Romania with the help of the rescue Every Life Counts, including Emmy, who lost a leg before she arrived. The cats have both indoor and outdoor space. Visits are booked by the hour online or by phone, with a suggested cat care donation per person, and food and drink are paid for separately. Children must be over 6, and the number of children in the cafe at one time is limited. The menu offers sandwiches, paninis, toasties, cakes and coffee, and afternoon tea is served in two-hour bookings made 48 hours ahead. The cafe also runs cat sponsorships and a membership club.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Bournemouth, Dorset · 40 mi / 65 km

Pause ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​⁠Cat Cafe is a non-profit cat cafe on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth town centre, between the Square and the Lansdowne and about ten minutes on foot from Bournemouth railway station. Known as the first cat cafe in the south of England, it is a permanent home for around ten rescue cats, including founding residents Clifford, Liquorice and Bear, who live across two floors fitted with shelves, bunk beds and climbing spaces. Visits last an hour, with a cat-care cover charge per person added to the bill, and booking online is recommended, although walk-ins are taken when there is space. Children are welcome at reserved tables, and under-16s must be with an adult. The menu is vegetarian and vegan, with gluten-free options, coffee, smoothies and plant-based milkshakes. The cafe offers supported volunteer placements and runs occasional events such as SEN sessions, children's workshops, high tea and cat yoga.

Waterlooville, Hampshire · 61 mi / 99 km

Purrfect ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌⁠Paws Feline Welfare is a small independent cat rescue with a tea room on Stakes Hill Road in Waterlooville, north of Portsmouth in Hampshire. Run by volunteers, its rescue and adoption hub lets visitors have tea, coffee, sandwiches and cake in the company of the cats and kittens it is rehoming. It is not a cat cafe with permanent residents: the cats are rescues waiting for adoption, and anyone interested completes an application followed by checks and a home visit, with an adoption fee. There is no entry fee, but a minimum spend applies, and takings pay for the cats' care. From Tuesday to Friday visitors can walk in; Saturdays and school holidays are by booking only, through Facebook or by phone. An airlock porch keeps the cats safe, and dogs are welcome in the outside seating area at the front.

• Adoptable cats

Teignmouth, Devon · 70 mi / 112 km

Nelson's ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​⁠Cat Cafe is a cat cafe on Northumberland Place in the centre of Teignmouth, a few minutes' walk from Teignmouth railway station. Founded in 2025 and named after Nelson, a rescued cat found at a dump in Okehampton, it runs as a non-profit, with money left after wages and cat care donated to local rescuers and cat charities. Around ten resident cats live in the cafe, a mix of rescues and young cats that include two curly-coated Selkirk Rex. Visits are booked in advance in 55-minute slots, each ticket covers one person, and food and drink are paid for separately on the day. The menu has coffee, cakes, milkshakes, light lunches and plenty of vegan choices. Visitors must be 13 or older, and under-16s need an adult with them. A two-door entry system keeps the cats safe, and visitors are asked not to bring their own pets.

• Booking required

Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire · 72 mi / 115 km

Shakespaw ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌⁠Cat Cafe is a vintage-style tearoom with resident rescue cats on Union Street in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, a few minutes on foot from Shakespeare's Birthplace and Henley Street. Its cats, including Persians, are named after characters from Shakespeare's plays and roam both the ground floor and the downstairs seating area. Visits are 80-minute sessions with an admission fee that goes towards the cats' food and vet care, and booking through the cafe's own website is advised, especially at weekends and in school holidays. Children aged 10 and over are welcome, groups are limited, and guests are asked not to pick up or feed the cats, though treats can sometimes be bought for a small donation. The licensed menu includes afternoon tea, scones, pancakes, mac and cheese, loose-leaf tea, bubble tea, matcha and hot chocolate served on vintage china, and there is a merchandise corner. Dogs are not allowed.