Cat Cafes in Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Catnip ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​​⁠Cat Cafe is a cat lounge on Colley Avenue in the Ghent Shoppes in Norfolk, and opened in July 2017 as the first cat cafe in Hampton Roads and in Virginia. Around 20 adoptable shelter cats from partner rescues Billy the Kidden Rescue and Feral Affairs Network live cage-free in a 2,000-square-foot space, and the cafe concentrates on finding homes for adult and senior cats. Visits are booked per person by the hour, and a complimentary coffee, tea or other drink from the self-service bar is included; no food is sold. Reservations are recommended because places are limited each hour, and walk-ins are taken only when a slot has not sold out. Every guest signs a waiver and sanitizes their hands, children under 5 are not admitted, and under-18s need a parent's waiver. Free Wi-Fi is available, and the cafe holds occasional Kittenpalooza weekends.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Sterling, Virginia

Meows ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​⁠Corner is a cat lounge in the Cascades Overlook Town Center in Sterling, Loudoun County, opened in 2019 as the county's first cat cafe. Visitors pay a per-person admission for an hour with adoptable cats in a large lounge, with weekday and weekend rates and adults-only sessions on Thursday evenings, including a two-hour option. Drinks and snacks are available. Reservations are highly recommended, although walk-ins are accepted when there is room. Each visitor signs a waiver, children must be at least 7, and those under 12 need an adult with them in the lounge. Up to 16 people can be in the cat room at once, and extra guests can wait in the front room. All the cats come from 4Paws Rescue Team, which handles adoptions. The lounge also hosts birthday parties and private events and sells cat-themed merchandise.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Fairfax, Virginia

Patriot ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​⁠Pawsabilities, known as P2, is a veteran-owned cat lounge on the back side of University Mall in Fairfax, between McAlister's and the ABC store, close to George Mason University. It was founded by Monique Ryan, a retired Army warrant officer. Up to 35 cats and 20 kittens from partner rescues, including Homeless Animal Rescue Team and To the ResQ, live cage-free in a main lounge and a separate kitten room, and more than 1,100 have been adopted. Visits last one hour, start on the hour and are charged per person, with a child rate and discounts for students, seniors, military, teachers and medical workers. Reservations are recommended, and guests remove their shoes and wear socks. Children must be at least 4 on weekdays and 7 on weekends, and Friday evenings are for ages 16 and up. No food is sold, but guests may bring food from the mall.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Chesapeake, Virginia

Kitty ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌⁠Kingdom Cat Café is a nonprofit cat cafe on Cedar Road in Chesapeake that opened in October 2020 and has since helped more than 1,400 cats find homes. Cats and kittens come from partner rescues, and the space has two cat rooms: a kitten room for high-energy visits and a calmer lounge for adult cats. The cafe side serves espresso drinks, tea, lemonade, seasonal specials, pastries and small bites. Cat room visits are booked online and every guest signs a waiver; under-16s need a parent's signature and under-13s must be with an adult. Adoption applications are reviewed with the partner rescue, which makes the final decision. The cafe also offers high tea with the cats and private events.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Virginia Beach

Sand ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌⁠& Sea Cat Lounge is a nonprofit cat lounge on First Colonial Road in Virginia Beach, near the Hilltop shopping area, run by Katie Cats Rescue in partnership with Billy the Kidden Rescue. The coastal-themed space has two rooms: the Sea Lounge, a bright room where adult cats roam freely, and the Sandbar, a playroom for kittens. Visits are booked online as 45-minute or 90-minute sessions, with lower prices for children, and private two-hour visits for small groups can be arranged by contacting the lounge. Guests must be at least 5 years old. Inside there is free Wi-Fi, calm music, cat TV, coloring and books, and a small shop of cat-themed gifts, toys and jewelry. Every cat is adoptable through an online application, and more than 80 have been adopted so far. Monthly events include craft nights, kitty yoga and bingo.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Leesburg, Virginia

Catty ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌⁠Corner Café is a cat lounge on East Market Street in historic downtown Leesburg, Loudoun County, run by owner Heather Donahue, a former cat foster. The ground floor has a small shop with cat-themed items and local art, and the cat lounge is upstairs on the second floor, with no elevator. A one-hour visit is charged per person and includes a hot or cold drink and a freshly baked cookie. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are encouraged. Families are welcome, and children of all ages can visit with parental supervision as long as they are gentle with the cats. Around 15 cats live in the lounge, all available for adoption through Last Chance Animal Rescue, which handles applications, and more than 200 have been adopted. Private events and cat yoga are offered. Parking is in nearby public garages, not the private lots beside the building.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Alexandria, Virginia

Mount ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​⁠Purrnon Cat Café + Wine Bar is a colonial-themed cat cafe a few steps from King Street in Old Town Alexandria, opened in July 2020. Downstairs is a cafe and wine bar open to anyone without a ticket, serving coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads, cookies and cookie dough along with wine, beer, cider, mead and seltzer. The cat room is a separate lounge where adoptable rescue cats roam freely. They come through Canines and Kitties Rescue, mostly from shelters in Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, West Virginia and Tennessee. The cafe deliberately does not house young kittens, and the youngest cats are about six months old. Hourly reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends, and 30-minute walk-in visits, daily passes and monthly passes are also offered. Children under 5 are not allowed in the cat room, and from 6 PM on Thursday to Saturday it is for adults 18 and over.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Aristocat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌⁠Cafe + Tea House is a cat cafe on North Liberty Street in downtown Harrisonburg, opened in 2023. The tea house serves loose-leaf teas from around the world, espresso and local coffee, gluten-free French macarons and rotating snack flights, and a glass wall lets cafe guests watch the cats. Adoptable cats from the Humane Society of Shenandoah County, a foster-based rescue in Woodstock, live in a separate 480-square-foot room called the Loft, which holds up to 18 cats. Visits to the Loft are one hour, paid per person and best reserved ahead, and each guest signs a one-time waiver. Children aged 7 to 12 must be with an adult, and families with younger children can book Kitty Time on Saturday mornings. The Loft can be booked privately for parties, and memberships give unlimited visits.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Roanoke, Virginia

Kitty ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌⁠City Cat Museum, formerly Kitty City Cat Cafe, is a small cat lounge inside the Blue Ridge Indie Market on Salem Avenue SW in Roanoke. It keeps the group of cats small, usually about eight to twelve, in a space decorated with cat-themed art made by visitors, and some of the cats are available for adoption, with the number changing from week to week. There is no entry fee and generally no time limit; the lounge relies on donations and on sales from its boutique of local goods. Coffee and tea are free at a self-service station, and art supplies are provided for anyone who wants to add a drawing to the collection. All ages are welcome as long as parents watch their children closely. Reservations are not required but can be made to guarantee an entry time.

• Adoptable cats

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Coffee ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌⁠& Cats is the cat cafe run by Cat's Cradle, a nonprofit cat rescue, inside its center on South Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg, and was the city's first cat cafe when it opened in 2020. Instead of one large lounge it has two small private kitty rooms, each decorated for photos, where a group of up to three people spends a 30-minute session with a few of the rescue's friendliest foster cats and kittens. The cats come from Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center and the Page County shelter, and all can be adopted through Cat's Cradle. Each session includes a complimentary cup of coffee, and the fee counts as a donation to the rescue's spay and neuter program. Reservations are encouraged because walk-ins are limited. Children must be at least 7, and everyone signs a risk agreement, with an adult signing for anyone under 18.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Roanoke, Virginia

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​⁠Toebean Cat Café is a coffee shop and cat lounge on Walnut Avenue SW in Roanoke, owned by a veterinary professional. Cats come from local shelters and rescues such as Franklin County Animal Shelter and Star City Cat Rescue, and more than 225 have been adopted. Usually 15 or more cats live across three rooms: the Nook, a small ground-floor room with two or three cats for quiet one-on-one time, and two upstairs rooms, the Sunbeam Suite with a sunroom and the newer Biscuit Factory. Admission is charged by the half hour or hour, with lower rates for children, and paid at the cafe; reservations are recommended and walk-ins come in as space allows. Guests check in, order a drink, sign a waiver, sanitize their hands and remove shoes or wear booties. The cafe serves coffee from Red Rooster Coffee in Floyd and baked treats.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Winchester, Virginia

Biscuits ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​⁠& Beans Cat Café is a cafe and cat lounge on the historic Loudoun Street Mall, the pedestrian street in downtown Winchester. The cafe is open to everyone without a reservation and serves locally roasted coffee, cold brew drinks, teas, lemonades, boba and a bakery case of large biscuits and other baked goods; it does not take tips and instead invites donations to its sister nonprofit, the Just Tails Foundation for Cat Care. The cats live in a separate, glass-enclosed and separately ventilated lounge, booked online for 40-minute sessions with a per-person fee. Every cat comes from a partner rescue and is ready for adoption, and the lounge focuses on cats past kittenhood, including seniors and cats with special needs such as tripods. Children under 10 need one adult each. Approved adopters can often take their cat home the same day, and more than 130 cats have been adopted.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required