Cat Cafes in Victoria

Melbourne, Victoria

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌⁠Cafe Melbourne is a cat lounge on Swanston Street in Carlton, between RMIT University and the University of Melbourne. It opened in 2014 as Australia's first cat cafe in the CBD, closed its Guildford Lane premises in 2023 and reopened at this address in 2024. More than 20 resident cats live across two levels, and all of them were adopted from shelters and stay as permanent residents rather than being rehomed, although the cafe sometimes promotes shelter cats that need homes. Visits are booked in sessions from 30 minutes to three hours, with packages that add a drink, cat treats or a toy, and walk-ins are taken when space allows. Drinks are sold, and there is a shop with cat-themed gifts. All visitors must be at least 8 years old. Session times vary with bookings, so the online calendar shows the current schedule.

• Booking recommended

Melbourne, Victoria

Cashmere ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​⁠Cat Cafe is a cat lounge on the first floor of 365 Lonsdale Street in the Melbourne CBD, a short walk from Melbourne Central. It is home to more than 25 resident cats; eight are rescues and the rest come from registered Victorian breeders, and none are available for adoption. Visitors book timed sessions online or walk in when space allows, store their bags in lockers in the airlock and take their shoes off before entering the lounge, which is fitted with climbing shelves, tunnels and hideouts. A cafe counter serves barista coffee, tea and pre-packaged cookies, and boxes of cat treats are sold during the 1 PM and 3 PM sessions. Guests must be at least 6 years old. A window onto the cat room lets people with allergies watch from outside. The cafe is open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Traralgon, Victoria

Grounded ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​⁠Paws Cat Cafe is a rescue cat cafe and adoption lounge on McMahon Street in Traralgon, in the Latrobe Valley of Gippsland. It is run by Grounded Paws Animal Rescue, a volunteer not-for-profit group that takes in cats and kittens at risk at the local pound; the cafe opened in June 2020. About 30 cats and kittens live in an upstairs cat lounge decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme, and all of them are available for adoption. Entry to the lounge is a small fee per 30-minute session, and no booking is needed; if the lounge is full, the wait is usually short and visitors can have coffee and food such as pies in the cafe section. Volunteers answer questions about the cats. The lounge hosts movie nights in the school holidays, and children's tea-party birthday parties, which sometimes use Saturday afternoons. It is closed on public holidays.

• Adoptable cats

Melbourne, Victoria

Lazy ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​⁠Cat Cafe is a cat cafe on Whitehorse Road in Box Hill, at the corner of Fairbank Lane and a short walk from Box Hill Central and Box Hill station. Opened in 2024, it has about 15 resident cats, among them Ragdolls and other pedigree and mixed breeds, and the cats are not available for adoption. Entry is for a one-hour or two-hour session, with lower prices for students and for children aged 3 to 11, and soft drinks are no longer included; walk-in visitors can extend into the next session if there is space. Booking ahead is advised for weekends. Children under 3 are not allowed in the cat room. Visitors can buy freeze-dried treats to feed the cats, and the cafe has board games and Nintendo Switch games. Coffee and tea are served in a separate cafe area, where guests may also bring their own food.

• Booking recommended