The Pretty Paw Lounge
Rotterdam, New York
The Pretty Paw Lounge is a cat cafe on Mariaville Road in Rotterdam, just west of Schenectady, and opened in 2023 as the first cat cafe in the Capital Region. The cafe side serves coffee drinks and local baked goods, including gluten-free and vegan options, and has a gift shop with work from local vendors; the cats are kept entirely separate from food service. In the main playroom visitors spend time with around ten adoptable cats, and further cats, many with medical needs, live in private suites. The business has set up its own nonprofit, Pretty Paw Rescue, and has passed 240 adoptions. Visits are 30 or 60 minutes for a per-person fee and can be booked online, though walk-ins are always welcome. The lounge runs raffles and events, and there are no public restrooms.