How Cat Cafes Help Save Lives

Cat cafes combine the best features of animal shelters with the best features of cafes to create a unique experience. There’s something refreshing about being able to grab a fancy coffee and then enter an entirely cat-ified space to interact with kitties in a safe environment. 

Cat cafes partner with nearby shelters and rescue groups, so adopting from their locations helps support the shelters, socialize the cats, and speed up adoptions — all while being quite fun. Here are some things to consider when looking to adopt from a cat cafe. 

What are cat cafes? 

A cat cafe is a themed cafe where customers can pay a ticket price to interact with cats and kittens housed on site. Each location has a section for food and drink, serving items such as coffee, cookies, and treats. They also have a separate room full of toys, beds, and plenty of cats to play with. All pets at cat cafes are adoptable, and many cafes have successfully adopted out hundreds, if not thousands, of cats to new, loving homes. In the spring, cat cafes are often full of kittens instead of adult cats. 

Many cafes, such as Cat Tales & Tabby Tea in Davis, California, ask customers to make reservations for their cat-petting time block, so they don’t get too busy. Each ticket covers an hour in the cat room, and the ticket prices help pay for the cats’ food and care.

Are cat cafes stressful for cats?

No, cat cafes are not usually stressful for cats. In fact, cat cafes are designed with a cat’s needs in mind. A crowded animal shelter with cages is often much more stressful than the home-like setting of a cat cafe.

In cat cafes, cats have access to food, water, litter boxes, hidey holes, comfy beds, toys, and things to climb. If they don’t want to interact with people, they can choose to stay away. “We give them options to get away from people with kitty wall steps attached to a small room with a kitty door. Cats also have an hour’s break in the middle of the day,” Deb Amiga, Practice Administrator at Cat Tales & Tabby Team, says. “We also remove cats that don’t like this type of activity, and seek cats that thrive in this situation.”

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Where do all the cats come from?

Most cat cafes work closely with animal rescue organizations, which aim to provide each cat with a safe, comfortable environment while they search for a permanent home. 

Each cat cafe, no matter the location, partners with a local animal shelter or rescue to help get cats adopted. These cats are either surrendered, strays, or otherwise in need of new homes. Cat cafes help shelters avoid overcrowding, help new people meet cats they may fall in love with, and help cats get adopted. 

Cat cafes can run adoptions on-site. Adoption fees usually cover spaying/neutering, microchipping, flea treatment, and vaccines that cats and kittens need to be adopted out. 

How do cat cafes help animal shelters? 

Cat cafes work with nearby animal shelters because it’s often mutually beneficial to do so. Cat cafes can help get cats adopted faster by facilitating meet-and-greets. They also often make annual donations or donate a portion of ticket sales to shelters to support their work. 

There are cat cafes all over the U.S. making a difference in their communities. Crumbs & Whiskers, which has locations in Los Angeles and Washington DC, has donated $50,000 to animal charities since it opened in 2015. 

In Louisville, Kentucky, Purrfect Day Cat Cafe has already adopted more than 11,000 cats to new, loving homes since it opened in 2018. In St. Augustine, Florida, Frisky Cat Cafe has found new homes for more than 1,400 cats and boasts a 2,000-square-foot cat lounge for their felines. 

In 2024, 5.8 million dogs and cats were admitted to shelters and rescues seeking new homes, so any facilities that assist with adoptions are extremely beneficial.

Are cat cafes better than shelters?

Cat cafes and animal shelters both help find homes for cats — they just operate in different ways. Cat cafes are not necessarily better than shelters, but they may offer less stressful, more home-like settings for cats. A more comfortable setting for both cats and pet parents can benefit adoptions, whereas a shelter may be able to offer more veterinary care to cats in need.

Here are some factors to consider.

• Socialization for cats. The more socialized a cat is, the more comfortable they will be around human touch, space, sight, smells, and sounds. Cat cafes offer a significant amount of socialization to their cats, which benefits the cats and can help them integrate into homes if they are adopted. The most socialized cats are the ones who seek lots of pets and playtime from pet parents. In a shelter, you may not be able to tell if a cat is partial to humans.

• Veterinary care. Adoption fees at both cat cafes and shelters cover the cost of medical necessities such as spaying and neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping. Because shelters are usually larger, they may have smaller fees than a privately owned cat cafe would for adoptions.

• Personality. At an animal shelter, cats are often kept in small cages. Cat cafes have open spaces and plenty of toys and beds for cats to choose from, which means they’re more likely to display their true personalities. This can help with choosing a cat whose personality and energy match your family’s.

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How to adopt from a cat cafe

You can go to cat cafes for stress relief and animal play time, or you can adopt a new family member. Buy a ticket, make a reservation, and see which cats click with you.

• Visit a cat cafe. Most cat cafes require people to come in person. (Cats often cannot be reserved over social media.) Potential adopters must complete an adoption-interest form or application. “We talk to potential adopters about the lifestyle and personality they are seeking, have them complete an adoption form, and [provide] education on basic care, plus the care needed for the individual cat,” Amiga says. Once it’s approved, you can pay the adoption fee and set a pick-up date for your new, furry friend.

• View adoptable cats online. Some larger cat cafes, such as Crumbs and Whiskers, allow online adoption applications. The animal rescue partner will contact you for a phone interview to make sure you and your cat are a good match. Then, you can bring a carrier and pay an adoption fee on pick-up day. The adoption fees usually go toward vet care for the cats and supporting the cat cafe’s rescue partner.

Commonly asked questions

What are the negatives of cat cafes?

Critics of cat cafes argue that cafes prioritize customer entertainment and service over a cat’s well-being. Some suggest that cats living in cafes may experience stress from constantly being around people and noise. However, animal shelters and experts are almost always involved behind the scenes of cat cafes, to make sure nothing goes amiss.

I found a stray cat. Can I bring it to a cat cafe?

No, you can’t bring stray cats to your local cat cafe. Strays may carry diseases or potentially be dangerous to other cats in free-roaming cat cafe spaces. Stray cats should be taken to a reputable vet or animal shelter to be scanned for microchips and, if necessary, entered into the shelter system.

How can there be food and drinks at a place with cats?

Cat cafes follow strict health and safety guidelines, just like any regular cafe or restaurant. Food preparation areas and seating are separate from the cat cafe lounge, so you can be sure any treats you buy are safe to consume.

Can I visit a cat cafe if I don’t want to adopt a cat?

Yes, you absolutely can visit a cat cafe without adopting a cat. Many guests do so just to play with cats as stress relief. Studies show that interacting with cats for just 10 minutes can lower a person’s stress hormones, so snuggle away.