Champaign, Illinois, United States
The Scratching Post
The Scratching Post is a cat lounge and board game cafe on East University Avenue in downtown Champaign. Its cat lounge, almost 1,000 square feet, is a foster home for 25 or more adoptable cats from local nonprofit rescues, and visitors reserve time to play with, pet or simply sit with them. The board game cafe is fully separate, with its own ventilation, a large game library available with a game pass, a light snack and drink menu, and big viewing windows into the cat lounge. Any lounge cat can be adopted by applying through the partner rescue. The cafe runs regular events such as movie nights and needlework sessions in the lounge, and shows work by local artists. There is no phone, so bookings are made online.
Before you go
- Booking
- Booking required
- 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
The Kitty Crib
Champaign, Illinois2.5 mi / 4.0 km
The Kitty Crib is a nonprofit, volunteer-run cat lounge on North Market Street in north Champaign, near Interstate 57 and a short drive from Parkland College and the University of Illinois. Run by Moore's Rescue Ranch since 2024, it is a home-like space with soft lighting and music where visitors relax, study or play with adoptable cats and kittens, many taken from overcrowded animal control facilities. Admission includes self-serve coffee and hot cocoa, and the lounge is designed to be sensory friendly for children and adults with special needs. Opening hours are limited and staffed by volunteers, so calling or booking ahead is recommended. Cats can be adopted through Moore's Rescue Ranch, and admission fees help fund the rescue's care of the cats.
- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended
The Cat's Meow Cafe
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The Cat's Meow Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge that was Bloomington-Normal's first cat cafe and has moved from Hershey Road in Bloomington to a larger space on Landmark Drive in Normal. The cafe serves espresso drinks, seasonal lattes, teas, lemonades, breakfast, soups and pastries, and visitors can take food and drinks into the lounge. The cat lounge is home to a large group of adoptable cats, often 30 or more, from the rescue Pet Central Helps, each with a card describing its personality. Entry to the lounge is charged by the hour, with a discount for visitors who buy something at the counter, and sessions can be booked online. Adoptions are arranged with Pet Central Helps, which has rehomed hundreds of cats through the cafe.
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- Booking recommended
Lazy Cat Lounge
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Lazy Cat Lounge is a cat lounge on Main Street in downtown Lafayette, a short drive across the Wabash River from Purdue University. It opened in November 2019 as Lafayette's first cat cafe and has since placed hundreds of cats in new homes. The cats come from My New Cat Rescue, a local foster-based nonprofit, and arrive spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Visits are booked in one-hour slots online, with walk-ins taken at the top of each hour when there is room, and up to 10 guests are in the lounge at a time. A Friday happy hour slot is also offered. Everyone signs a waiver, and guests under 18 need a guardian's signature. Coffee, tea, sodas, root beer and packaged baked goods from a local bakery are sold for a small extra charge. Adoption applications are available at the lounge or through the rescue.
- Adoptable cats
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- Adoptable cats
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- Adoptable cats
- Booking recommended