The Cat House

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk · 19 mi / 31 km

Darling ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌⁠Darlings Cat Lounge is a family-run cat cafe on Marine Parade on the Great Yarmouth seafront, opposite the horse and carriage stand and a few minutes on foot from Britannia Pier. Run by a mother and daughter, it is decorated as a retro time capsule, filled with memorabilia, toys and games from the 1950s to the early 2000s. About six resident cats, some of them rescues, live with the family and roam the lounge. Visits are hour-long sessions starting on the hour with a small entry fee per person, and food and drink such as sandwiches, waffles, milkshakes, cream teas and afternoon teas are ordered inside; teas need 48 hours' notice. Bookings are taken by phone and are advised, especially in summer. Opening is Tuesday to Saturday in the winter months and Tuesday to Sunday with longer hours from March to September.

• Booking required

Colchester, Essex · 54 mi / 87 km

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌⁠Mau House, formerly Meow Cat Cafe, is an adoption cat cafe on Eld Lane in Colchester town centre. Founded by Rebecca White in Halstead in 2023, the business moved entirely to this Colchester site in 2025, and it has rehomed several hundred cats since it began. Its cats come from rescuers it supports at home and abroad, many of them from the United Arab Emirates, and around a dozen live in the cafe at a time. Adoptions open in phases to keep a stable group, and some cats are offered for direct adoption. Visits are booked online for timed sessions with a per-person entry fee, cheaper for children, and under-twos enter free. Children of all ages are welcome, with one adult supervising no more than two children. Drinks, milkshakes and cakes are served, and the cafe is open every day.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Colchester, Essex · 54 mi / 87 km

Brews ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​⁠& Whiskers is a rescue cat cafe on Sir Isaac's Walk in Colchester town centre, a few minutes on foot from St John's multi-storey car park and the Culver Square shops. It opened in April 2025 and is run by two University of Essex graduates who foster former street cats from two partner rescues, Nine Lives Greece in Athens and Cyprus Pride House. The cats live in the cafe and roam freely until they are adopted, and visitors interested in adopting fill in an interest form and go through the rescue's checks. Visits are paid by entry fee, booked online or taken as walk-ins when slots are free, including shorter 30-minute drop-in sessions. Children must be 8 or older. The cafe serves coffee, drinks and snacks with vegan and gluten-free options, and holds evening events such as a monthly book club, pottery painting and tarot nights.

• Adoptable cats

Cambridge · 56 mi / 91 km

Catte ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​⁠Latte is a small rescue cat cafe on Mill Road in Cambridge, just past the railway bridge and about 15 minutes on foot from Cambridge station. Opened in August 2026, it was the city's first dedicated cat cafe and is home to a group of eight rescue cats chosen with its rescue partner. The cats arrive and leave as a settled group: adoption applications are taken for each cat, and the whole cohort moves on together before a new, already familiar group takes its place. Visits are one-hour sessions booked online in hourly slots, with a higher price at weekends, and visitors choose their seats from a floor plan when booking. Walk-ins are taken when there is space. The minimum age is 10. The cafe serves speciality coffee from Hot Numbers, matcha, tea and cakes such as tiramisu, brownies and a vegan blueberry muffin.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Clacton on Sea, Essex · 59 mi / 94 km

Catpawccino ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌⁠Cat Café is a cat cafe on West Avenue in Clacton-on-Sea town centre, a few minutes on foot from the seafront and Clacton Pier. It is the town's only cat cafe, decorated in pink and white, with a group of around nine resident cats and kittens of various breeds that roam freely among the tables. Visits are timed sessions of about an hour, booked online in advance with a per-person entry fee and a lower price for children aged 2 to 10. Light bites, waffles, cakes, milkshakes and coffee are served. House rules apply: visitors wait to be let in through a double-door entry, keep noise down, sanitise their hands and do not pick up the cats, and children must be supervised at all times. The cafe also hosts birthday parties, colouring evenings and other events, and sells its own merchandise. There is no customer toilet on site.

• Booking required

Hitchin, Hertfordshire · 81 mi / 130 km

Meow ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​⁠Lounge is a cat cafe in The Arcade, a covered shopping passage in Hitchin town centre, about 15 minutes on foot from Hitchin station. Opened in May 2025 as Hertfordshire's first cat cafe, it houses rescue cats chosen by The Scratching Post cat rescue centre, which also handles adoptions for anyone who wants to give one of the cats a home. Lounge visits last 55 minutes and are booked online, with higher prices at weekends; the lounge is strictly for visitors aged 10 and over, but there are separate kids' sessions for ages 5 and up that teach children how to behave around cats. Cakes and afternoon teas, including gluten-free, vegan and dairy-free versions, come from Taste Buds Hitchin, alongside barista coffee, wine and prosecco. Evening events include cat yoga, sound baths, tarot nights, quizzes, bingo, sip-and-paint and cheese and wine tastings.

• Adoptable cats