Cat Cafes in California

Santa Barbara, California

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌⁠Therapy is a nonprofit cat lounge on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, across the street from the Granada Theatre. It fosters rescued cats from ASAP, the Animal Shelter Assistance Program that works with Santa Barbara County's shelter, in a cage-free, home-like room where 10 to 15 cats roam freely while they wait for adoption. Visitors book timed sessions online and pay an entry fee that funds the cats' care, with shorter last-visit-of-the-day slots, weekday co-study sessions for working or studying among the cats, private parties and cat yoga. Regular visits are for guests aged 7 and up; families with younger children can book a private visit. All cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and tested, and adoptions go through an application with the fee paid to ASAP. The lounge has rehomed more than 1,000 cats and also sells its own cat-themed apparel.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Oakland, California

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​⁠Town is a nonprofit cat rescue and cage-free adoption center at 2869 Broadway in Oakland, at 29th Street on the Broadway auto row. It opened in October 2014 as the first cat cafe in the United States. The adoption center usually houses 25 to 35 cats: about 15 roam the Cat Zone, where climbing structures are modeled on Oakland landmarks, and others who need one-on-one time or medical care live in private studios. Cat Town focuses on older, shy, under-socialized and medically fragile cats who struggle in shelter cages. Recreational visits are paid and limited to about ten guests per hour, so booking ahead is recommended, especially on weekends; walk-ins are taken when space allows. Children need one adult for every two kids aged 12 and under. Adopters visit free by appointment. Souvenir Coffee next door serves coffee and pastries, which may be taken into the Cat Zone.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Los Angeles, California

CatCafe ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌⁠Lounge is a nonprofit cat cafe on Washington Boulevard in Venice, a short walk from Venice Pier and the beach. Founded by Kristi Labrenz, it spent nearly a decade on Sepulveda Boulevard in West Los Angeles before moving to this larger two-storey building in February 2026. Between 20 and 40 adoptable rescue cats live cage-free across several lounges, including a ground-floor kitten room whose window faces the street and a high-ceilinged upstairs lounge with shelves and climbing walls for the adult cats. The cats come from partner rescues including Bobbie's Street Cats and Luxe Paws, and adoptions are handled through the rescue's application and interview process. Visits are timed sessions, with shorter and longer options, and reservations are recommended. Canned drinks and packaged snacks are sold at the counter. Younger children must be accompanied by an adult under the chaperone policy. Parking nearby is very limited.

• Adoptable cats

Los Angeles, California

Crumbs ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​⁠& Whiskers is a cat cafe on Melrose Avenue in Beverly Grove, a few doors west of Fairfax Avenue. Founded by Kanchan Singh after a visit to a cat cafe in Thailand, the Los Angeles cafe opened in 2016 as a sister to the original in Washington, DC, and describes itself as the city's first cat cafe. Up to about 30 rescue cats and kittens from Kitten Rescue Los Angeles live in the lounge, and their collars show each cat's sex and any bonded pairs. Visits are 30- or 70-minute sessions booked online, with a waiver for every guest, groups of up to six and no children under 7. Coffee, tea and pastries come from a nearby partner cafe and are ordered on arrival. All the cats can be adopted through the rescue. Yoga, trivia nights, listening parties and sound baths are held in the lounge.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Long Beach, California

Feline ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌⁠Good Social Club is a cat lounge on Atlantic Avenue in downtown Long Beach, where 35 to 50 rescue cats and kittens live together in a bright, colorful, cage-free space. All the cats come from the nonprofit rescue Long Beach Felines and are available for adoption; visitors who connect with a cat are referred to the rescue for the application. Standard visits are 50-minute lounge sessions with a ticket per person, booked online, and walk-ins are accepted when space allows. The lounge has free Wi-Fi and plenty of seating, so some people come to work or study. Children aged 7 to 15 must come with a parent or guardian, no more than two per adult, and children under 7 cannot enter. The program also includes cat yoga, sound baths, craft afternoons, dinner-time sessions, seasonal events and private group bookings. The lounge is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

• Adoptable cats

San Francisco, California

KitTea ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​⁠is a nonprofit cat lounge and rescue on Valencia Street in the Mission District, about three minutes on foot from the 24th Street Mission BART station. It opened as one of the city's first cat cafes and became a cat sanctuary in 2020. It no longer runs a cafe, but each ticket includes a cold drink or a hot tea or cocoa. The lounge is home to about 14 permanent resident cats and usually 6 to 16 adoptable cats and kittens taken in from San Francisco Animal Care & Control, Central Valley shelters and other rescues. Visits are ticketed 55-minute sessions for up to 14 guests, with shorter walk-in visits when space allows, and booking ahead is recommended. Socks are required, guests must be 9 or older, and outside non-alcoholic snacks are allowed. KitTea also hosts movie nights, Pilates with cats and private events.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

San Diego, California

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​⁠Cat Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge on Island Avenue at Third Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego near Petco Park. Opened in January 2015, it was the first cat cafe in Southern California. The front counter serves espresso and coffee from Café Virtuoso and pastries from Bread & Cie, and the coffee shop and patio are open to everyone. The cats live in a separate lounge, and they are adoptable rescues from The Rescue House, a local nonprofit, with adoption handled through the rescue's application process. Lounge visits are one-hour sessions booked in advance, with a food or drink item included, and walk-ins are taken when space allows. Children must be at least six to enter the cat room, and staff explain the house rules, including not picking up the cats. Memberships and gift cards are also sold.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Camarillo, California

Purrmaid ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​⁠Cafe and Adoption Center is a volunteer-run nonprofit cat cafe on Santa Rosa Road in Camarillo. Opened in 2019 and now run by Cat and Jeff Kent, longtime rescue fosters who took over from the founder, it gives homeless cats an alternative to shelter life. About a dozen cats live in a large room with toys, scratching posts and soft beds, and a cat door lets them retreat to private quarters when they want a break. Visitors sit with the cats and pay a small fee per person for each half hour. The number of visitors in the cat room is limited, so calling ahead to reserve is strongly recommended. Guests must be at least 7, and children under 13 need an adult. Coffee, tea, cold drinks and baked goods are sold on site. All the cats are adoptable through an application, contract and home check.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Palm Springs, California

Frisky ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌⁠Business Palm Springs Cat Cafe is a coffee shop and cat lounge on East Palm Canyon Drive in south Palm Springs, and the first cat cafe in the Coachella Valley. It opened in December 2022, founded by Claire and Sonny, known to regulars as Mrs. and Mr. Frisky. The cats come exclusively from the Palm Springs Animal Shelter and live in a mid-century modern lounge separated from the coffee bar by large windows, so guests with allergies can watch from the cafe side. Visits to the lounge are paid, timed sessions of 45 minutes that include a handcrafted drink, with shorter sessions also offered; booking ahead is recommended, though walk-ins are accepted when space allows. Staff help visitors complete the shelter's adoption application on site. The cafe serves coffee, tea and pastries, sells Palm Springs cat artwork and merchandise, hosts community events and is a recognized neurodiverse-inclusive workplace.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Ventura, California

Cassie's ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​⁠Cats is a volunteer-run nonprofit cat lounge and adoption center on East Main Street in midtown Ventura. Opened in June 2021, it houses around a dozen rescued cats and older kittens that come from local shelters and rescue partners, and has placed more than 250 in homes. It is not a cafe and does not serve food or coffee: visitors pay a donation-based fee to spend 30, 45 or 60 minutes in the lounge, and cold drinks can be added when booking. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Children aged 4 and up are welcome if they can stay quiet around the cats, with one adult for every two children. Adoption involves meeting the cats, an application and sometimes a home check, with no same-day adoptions. A gift shop sells cat-themed goods, and the lounge closes for an hour at midday.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

San Diego, California

Whiskers ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌⁠& Wine is a cat cafe and bar on Adams Avenue at the northern edge of North Park, San Diego, opened in 2020. Unlike most cat cafes it has a full kitchen and bar, serving flatbreads, small plates, local craft beer, wine and cat-themed cocktails that guests can take into the lounge. The space is on two levels and includes a rooftop catio where the cats roam in the open air. More than 20 adoptable cats from North Park Cat Rescue live there, and adoptions are arranged through the rescue's application. Entry is charged per person, reservations are recommended for evenings and weekends, walk-ins are taken when there is room, and the lounge is for ages 12 and up. Cat yoga runs on most Saturday and Sunday mornings, there is a weekday happy hour, and the cafe hosts paint nights and other events. It is closed on Mondays.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Grover Beach, California

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​⁠Caffeinated Cat Cafe is a cat cafe on West Grand Avenue in Grover Beach and the only cat cafe in San Luis Obispo County. Opened in December 2024, it has a cafe area with a self-serve specialty coffee machine, tea, cold drinks, local pastries and a gift shop, plus two lounges, one for adult cats and one for kittens, and an outdoor catio. Visitors can watch the cats through large windows from the cafe or book a timed session inside the lounges. Sessions run 50 minutes or two hours, with all-day passes and short walk-in visits when space allows. Guests must be 6 or older, with special shorter sessions for children aged 4 and 5. The cats and kittens come from local rescues and are all adoptable, and the cafe has helped more than 450 of them find homes. Events include painting and bingo with the cats.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended