Cat Cafes in England

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Tabby ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​⁠Teas is Sheffield's first cat cafe, opened in 2017 on Cemetery Road in Highfield, a short way south-west of the city centre near Sharrow and the Sheffield General Cemetery. It is the permanent home of up to eight rescue cats, who have shelves, cat trees and quiet spots to retreat to. Visits are booked in advance as 60-minute sessions with an entry fee, which is higher at weekends, and each session is capped at 10 people with a short break between sessions. Guests must be at least 12, and 12 to 14 year olds must come with an adult. Shoe covers are provided and the cats must not be picked up. The cafe serves locally roasted coffee, loose teas and cakes, including vegan and gluten-free brownies. The cats live at the cafe permanently and are not rehomed.

Hoylake, Merseyside

Jackson's ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​⁠Rescue Cat Cafe is a non-profit cat cafe on Market Street in Hoylake, on the Wirral, a few minutes' walk from Hoylake station. It opened in March 2024 and is run by Jackson's Animal Rescue, whose rescue centre is in Mold, North Wales, with all money raised going to the charity. Up to 15 rescue cats live at the cafe as a group for one to two years, often cats with medical needs that would otherwise spend a long time in cattery pens. When a group leaves to be adopted, a new one moves in. The cats roam both floors and can retreat to a private upstairs apartment. Visits are booked for one or three hours, with drinks, cakes and vegan or low-gluten options paid for separately. Public sessions are for ages 11 and over, with educational sessions for younger children and quiet hours with reduced capacity.

• Booking recommended

London

Whiskers ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​⁠& Cream is a cat cafe on Holloway Road in Upper Holloway, north London, a minute's walk from Upper Holloway Overground station and about seven minutes from Archway Underground station. Opened in November 2018 by a former NHS psychiatric nurse, it is home to around ten resident cats, including two Maine Coons, who live there permanently and are not offered for adoption. Every visit is a 90-minute booking that includes a drink, and the menu runs from artisan coffee, tea and hot chocolate to cakes, pastries and light bites. A three-tier afternoon tea is the main draw and comes in vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free and children's versions, and beer, wine and sparkling wine are served. Small adult groups book online, while parties with children under 11 or more than four adults book by phone or email. The cafe is closed on Wednesdays.

• Booking recommended

York

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌⁠Cat's Whiskers is York's only cat cafe, set in a Grade II listed building on Goodramgate in the city centre, with views towards York Minster and about 15 minutes on foot from York station. Opened in 2019, it is home to a group of rescue cats that live at the cafe permanently. Some come from the Cat Rescue and Welfare Trust near York and Animal Care in Lancaster, and others were surrendered or struggled to find homes elsewhere. The cats roam freely over two floors, and the ground floor is step-free. Visits are one-hour slots with an entry fee that goes towards the cats' care, booked online in advance, with walk-ins only when there is space. Children under 10 are not admitted and under-14s must be supervised. The menu covers hot and cold drinks and cakes from The White Cherry Bakery in Pocklington, with vegan and gluten-free options.

• Booking recommended

Liverpool, Greater London

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​⁠Cafe Liverpool occupies three floors of a building at the city-centre end of Bold Street, a few minutes on foot from Liverpool Central station. Run by the same company as Cat Cafe Manchester, it is home to around a dozen resident cats, several of them pedigree breeds, which live at the cafe and are not up for adoption. Visitors pay for time with the cats rather than for drinks: entry includes unlimited hot and cold drinks, walk-ins are charged by the five minutes, and an hour can be pre-booked online. Food such as toasties, paninis, scones and afternoon tea is sold separately. Children aged 4 to 9 can visit only during child-friendly sessions, and under-4s are not admitted. Quieter SEN sessions run on Tuesday mornings. Only the ground floor is step-free, as there is no lift.

Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire

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.

Tonbridge, Kent

Paws ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌⁠Cat Cafe is a cat cafe in Angel Walk, a small shopping arcade off Tonbridge High Street in Kent, a short walk from Tonbridge railway station, with parking behind Angel Walk near the supermarkets. Opened in 2019 by a mother and daughter, it is now run by the daughter, Lauren Young. The cafe is the permanent home of around 17 resident cats with difficult starts, among them a pair from Romania, a group of former ferals and a deaf cat called Frank. They are not up for adoption, although the team works with local rescues. Visits are charged per person per hour, and booking online is recommended, especially at weekends and in school holidays. Children must be booked by phone, with set adult-to-child ratios. The menu covers coffee, iced drinks, cakes, scones and light savouries, and the cafe offers memberships, events and private hire.

• Booking recommended

Birmingham, West Midlands

Kitty ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌⁠Café Birmingham is a cat cafe on the upper mall of Grand Central, the shopping centre above Birmingham New Street Station. It is one of three branches of Kitty Café, a self-funded cat rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming organisation that also runs cafes in Nottingham and Leeds, and it was the first cat cafe to open in Birmingham. Rescue cats roam a large lounge with sofas, armchairs, climbing shelves and toys, and visitors sit at tables among them. Entry is a welfare charge per person, with lower rates for children and on term-time weekdays, and a visit is about an hour. Booking online is recommended, though walk-ins are taken when there is space. Children are welcome but under-16s must be supervised by an adult. The menu covers hot and cold meals, afternoon tea, cream tea, milkshakes and cakes, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Payment is by card only.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Lincoln

Coffee ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌⁠Cats is a family-run cat cafe on The Strait in Lincoln, at the foot of Steep Hill on the way up to the cathedral and castle quarter. It was the city's first cat cafe and occupies two floors of a Grade II listed building, with bespoke cat walkways, shelves and hideaways on the walls. The resident cats are all rescues, most of them living there long term, and they move freely between two upstairs rooms where guests sit. Visits are charged per person, usually for about an hour, and booking online is recommended because space is limited, though walk-ins are accepted when there is room. Visitors must be over 11, children must come with an adult, and guests are asked not to pick up the cats. Stokes coffee, tea and homemade cakes, including vegan options, are served.

• Booking recommended

Leeds, West Yorkshire

Kitty ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​​​​​‌​​​​⁠Cafe Leeds is a cat rescue centre and cafe, opened in 2017 on Kirkgate in Leeds city centre, close to Kirkgate Market and the Corn Exchange and about 10 minutes on foot from Leeds station. It is one of the Kitty Cafe charity's venues, alongside Nottingham and Birmingham, and the cats roaming the cafe are rescues, strays and cats with medical needs that are waiting for new homes. Visitors book a one-hour visit, and a welfare charge per adult and child covers the cats' care, with lower rates on weekdays in term time. Children are welcome. The full menu runs from breakfasts, toasties and pizzas to sharing platters, desserts, milkshakes and mocktails, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and afternoon tea and cream tea can be booked. Cats can be adopted through the charity's application process.

• Adoptable cats

Bournemouth, Dorset

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.

Grassmoor, Derbyshire

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​⁠Village North is a cat cafe, bar and pizzeria on North Wingfield Road in Grassmoor, a village about three miles south of Chesterfield in North Derbyshire. Visitors order in the 9 Lives Café and Lounge Bar and then spend an hour with the resident cats in a relaxation room and garden, while rescue cats waiting for homes are kept separately in a small sanctuary and can be adopted by arrangement. Booking is essential for cat cafe visits, there is a per-person service charge paid in cash, and under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. The kitchen focuses on homemade pizzas, and the venue also hosts film nights with cocktails, date-night dinners, gamers' nights, craft sessions, sensory-friendly SEND sessions and mental health and bereavement support groups. Cats also make therapy visits to care homes and hospitals.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required