Cat Cafes in California

Burbank, California

Catnip ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌⁠Coalition Vintage Mall is a cat-themed vintage and thrift collective on Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank's Magnolia Park shopping district, with a large cat sculpture above the entrance. Opened in 2023 by Meghan Cassaday, a former vet tech, it houses dozens of vendor booths selling vintage clothing, pop-culture items, jewelry and cat art. Two resident cats, Franklin and Nigel, a bonded pair adopted from Best Friends Animal Society, roam the shop, and between two and eight adoptable rescue cats or kittens from Kitten Rescue, NELA Cats and Stray Cat Alliance stay in the store and its front windows; kittens are most reliably there on weekends. Entry is free and no booking is needed. Part of the proceeds goes to local cat rescue and trap-neuter-return work, and the shop has helped more than 120 cats find homes.

• Adoptable cats

Gardena, California

Mochi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​⁠Kittos is a cat cafe and Japanese mochi shop on Normandie Avenue in Gardena, in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. The front of the shop is a cafe counter selling handmade mochi from a family recipe tradition of about 70 years, along with coffee, tea and seasonal drinks, and the back is a calm cat lounge designed by the veterinarian founder. All the cats are rescues fostered in the lounge through Friends of Normie and can be adopted through that rescue. Lounge visits are 50-minute sessions with an entry fee per guest, slightly higher on weekends, and reservations are recommended. Visitors must be at least 7 years old, and shoes come off before entering the cat room. There is also a viewing window for people with cat allergies. The cafe side opens earlier than the lounge, and both are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

West Covina, California

Meow ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌⁠Tea is a bubble tea bar with a cat adoption room inside Miko's Pet Supplies in West Covina, in South Hills Plaza next to Tokyo Central Market on South Azusa Avenue. Visitors who buy a drink, or give a small donation instead, can go into the cat room and spend time with the cats without a set time limit. Most of the cats are rescues available for adoption through a partner rescue, and a few are permanent residents, including a large orange shop cat. The shop sells milk teas, fruit teas, slushes and smoothies, and the attached pet store stocks food, treats and supplies for cats and dogs. The cat room is small, so it can get busy at peak times, and children need to be supervised. The business also holds weekend adoption events. It is open every day from late morning to evening.

• Adoptable cats

Los Angeles, California

Hyla's ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌⁠Heart to Home Cat Lounge is the cat adoption lounge of Pedro Pet Pals, a volunteer-run rescue, in the Hyla Marrow Center on West 7th Street in downtown San Pedro. The building is a former apartment block: newly rescued cats settle in private rooms, then move into the lounge, where they roam freely and meet visitors in a home-like space with sunny windows and an upstairs catio. All the cats are available for adoption through Pedro Pet Pals, which places cats in indoor homes. The lounge is open to drop-in visitors on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and weekday visits can be arranged by email. Groups are limited to six people, and children aged 7 to 15 must come with an adult. It also opens in the evening during the monthly First Thursday Art Walk. It was funded by the trust of the late actress and stuntwoman Hyla Marrow.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Costa Mesa, California

Purrs ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌⁠in Paradise is a tropical-themed cat lounge at The CAMP, the outdoor retail center on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa. Founders Ben and Michelle Lioe opened it in September 2026, and it keeps around 15 adoptable cats in the lounge at a time, all placed through the nonprofit Friends of Normie Rescue. Visits are paid, timed sessions of about 30 minutes or an hour, booked online or taken as walk-ins when space allows; the lounge holds up to 10 guests at once. Shoes come off at the door and a waiver is required. Children 9 and under need one adult each, ages 10 to 14 need a supervising adult, and teens 15 to 17 can visit alone with a signed parental waiver. The front shop sells ice cream, cookies and treats separately from lounge entry, along with merchandise, and private events can be arranged.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Redlands, California

Le ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​⁠Chat Noir Bookstore & Cat Lounge is a combined bookstore, cafe and cat lounge on East Citrus Avenue in downtown Redlands. It opened in January 2024 and is run by the founder of Mutts and Company Animal Rescue, whose adoptable cats live in the lounge. A small cafe counter sits on the street level, while the bookshop and the cat lounge share the lower level, where visitors read, browse and spend time with the cats among shelves, sofas and murals by local artists. Lounge entry is charged for 30 minutes or an hour, with lower rates for children, and anyone under 18 must come with an adult; annual memberships are also sold. The cats can be adopted, and a wall near the entrance shows past adoptions. Regular events include a monthly book club, tarot readings, paint-and-sip nights, author signings and release parties.

• Adoptable cats

Upland, California

Cats ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​⁠and Comics Rescue is a comic book and trading card shop in downtown Upland that doubles as a nonprofit cat rescue. Behind a door at the back of the store are two cat rooms where adoptable rescue cats live, and visitors can pay a small fee to sit with them for as long as they like. Sales of comics, Pokemon and other trading cards, board games and handmade accessories help pay for the cats' food and veterinary care, and the shop also buys comics and cards. All the cats can be adopted through the rescue after an application. The shop moved to its current address on North 2nd Avenue from East 9th Street. It also runs adoption events, takes volunteers and points pet owners to low-cost spay and neuter services.

• Adoptable cats

Yucca Valley, California

Save ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌⁠the Meow Meows Cat Lounge is a rescue cat lounge on Yucca Trail in Yucca Valley, in the Morongo Basin on the way to Joshua Tree National Park. It is run by the nonprofit FAR Side Journey, which takes in cats from high-kill shelters in Southern California and works with other rescues and local shelters. The lounge opened in May 2023. Visitors pay a small entry fee, with a lower rate for children under 12, and can stay with the cats for as long as they like; entry includes treats to give the cats and a toy. No reservation is needed, and groups of 10 or more are asked to call ahead. All the cats are adoptable, and staff handle applications on site. A storefront sells snacks, drinks, clothing and pet supplies, and the lounge can be booked for private events.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Wrightwood, California

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​⁠PurrGround is a cat arcade in the mountain community of Wrightwood, in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino County. It is a family-run space where adoptable rescue cats roam freely among old-school arcade and video game machines, so visitors can play games and spend time with the cats in the same room. The owners ran an animal rescue for years before opening it, and the arcade is presented by the local pet shop Wrightwood's Littlest Pet Shop. The cats have cozy nooks, cat trees and toys around the room, and a bulletin board introduces each one. Entry is a paid visit charged by the hour, which covers both the games and time with the cats, and all the cats can be adopted. It opens on Friday afternoons and on weekends, which suits day-trippers coming up to Wrightwood from the valleys below.

• Adoptable cats

Vista, California

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌⁠Love Your Feral Felines Adoption Center is the cage-free adoption center of Love Your Feral Felines (LYFF), a North County San Diego cat rescue nonprofit. It is in a small shopping center on West Vista Way in Vista, just off State Route 78 at Emerald Drive. Up to 30 rescued cats and kittens roam freely in home-like rooms while they wait for adoption. On weekends the center opens to the public for Cat Cuddle Hours, one-hour visits to play with and pet the cats in return for a small donation that supports the rescue. Reservations are recommended because weekends are busy, but walk-ins are welcome when there is space. Many of the rescue's other cats live in foster homes or at a PetSmart adoption room, and adopters are asked to complete a pre-adoption application first, as approvals are not always possible on the same day.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Petaluma, California

Morti's ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​⁠Used Book Nook & Cat Adoption Lounge is a cage-free cat adoption lounge and used bookshop run by the volunteer rescue Petaluma Pet Pals inside the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets, off North Petaluma Boulevard. Opened in 2021 and named after a special-needs kitten the group lost, it lets visitors relax and play with adoptable cats and kittens among cat trees, toys and hiding places, with separate spaces where shy cats can retreat. The cats are raised in foster homes and are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Entry is by a small per-person donation, and the lounge is open on weekend afternoons. Used books and cat toys are for sale. Adoption requires an application, an interview and a meet-and-greet with volunteers, and kittens usually go home in pairs unless there is already a young cat in the home.

• Adoptable cats

Concord, California

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​⁠Joybound Thrift Store, Cat Lounge & Adoption Center combines a large charity thrift shop with a cat lounge on Market Street in Concord. It is run by Joybound People & Pets, the Walnut Creek animal welfare nonprofit formerly known as ARF, and recently reopened in a larger space next door to its original thrift store, adding the cat lounge. The lounge is a calm indoor room with climbing areas, scratching posts, toys and quiet retreats, where usually two to five adoptable cats brought from partner shelters across California wait for homes. Anyone can check in at the adoption desk and spend up to 15 minutes with the cats free of charge, with donations welcome, and children are welcome with an adult. Visitors who connect with a cat can arrange a longer meet-and-greet and adopt on site. Sales from the thrift store's furniture, clothing and housewares support Joybound's programs.

• Adoptable cats