Cat Cafes in Ikoma, Nara

Ikoma, Nara

Cat Cafe &neco is a weekend-only cat cafe at the top of a hill in Kobiraocho, southern Ikoma, about five minutes on foot from Haginodai Station on the Kintetsu Ikoma Line. It has two parts: a cafe space where visitors can have coffee, lunch or sweets while watching the cats through a glass wall, and a separate cat room, charged on its own, where around ten adult cats, mostly mixed breeds, come up to play and be stroked. The tableware, cutlery and decor all follow a cat theme, and cat goods are sold. The cafe is open on Saturdays and Sundays from early afternoon, with last orders half an hour before closing, and monthly opening days are posted on Instagram. There are five parking spaces, so groups are asked to arrive in one car.

Ikoma, Nara

DearCat is a rescue cat cafe in a residential building in Nishimatsugaoka, Ikoma, a short walk from Kintetsu Ikoma Station. The cafe is spread over three clean, spacious rooms where a changing group of rescued cats, from shy adults to playful youngsters and occasionally newborn kittens, waits for adoptive families, and a few friendly resident cats are happy to sit on laps. Visits are charged per hour with a drink included, first-time visitors pay a slightly higher rate, and treats can be bought for the cats. DearCat also runs a boarding service for cats, birds and small animals. Wheelchairs and strollers are welcome once their wheels have been disinfected at the entrance, and parking is available on weekends and holidays. The cafe opens on Tuesday, Wednesday and weekend afternoons, also opening on public holidays, and posts temporary closures on Instagram.

• Adoptable cats