How Kitten Yoga Helps Rescue Cats Find Homes

A semi-darkened room, quiet music, deep breathing, and gentle yoga can calm the soul — and if you add kittens, it can lift your spirit, too. Cat yoga has grown in popularity in the 2010s as more cat cafes opened across the country, and the events are especially frequent in the spring, during kitten season.

Combining the calming effects of yoga with the joy of animals has become more and more popular lately: There are cat yoga, dog yoga, and even goat yoga events popping up all over, each featuring adoptable animals. Read on to explore what kitten yoga is all about, the benefits for animals and people, and how to find a class near you.

What is kitten yoga?

Kitten yoga is an event, usually hosted by a reputable animal shelter or rescue, that pairs cats with a beginner-friendly yoga session to raise funds for the shelter and promote pet adoptions. “Putting the two together is a sure-fire win,” Leah Beatty at the Furrever & After Cat Sanctuary in Warren, Ohio, says.

“The first one we did was two years ago, and it sold out pretty quickly,” Beatty says. “We had a kitten jump on someone’s back during the class, and one girl bonded with a kitten so quickly she ended up adopting her shortly after the event. It’s definitely popular.” 

How does kitten yoga work?

Most cat and kitten yoga sessions are about 45 minutes long and cost between $15 and $30. (In many cases, that fee may go back to a rescue or shelter to save even more animals.) Class size varies, with 10 to 15 cats roaming freely throughout the room as 10 to 20 participants move through yoga poses. Often, there is a playtime period set after the yoga class so guests can interact with the cats more directly.

Via Cat Depot/

What are the benefits of cat yoga?

Being around cats is scientifically proven to be relaxing, and cats are quite good at sensing emotions in people, too. They are just as intuitive as dogs and can sense sadness and other strong emotions in people. “Animals have a natural ability to bring out the best in people,” Claudia Harden, Cat Depot’s Senior Director of Advancement, says.

Benefits for cats and shelters

Japheth Brubaker, the owner of yoga and fitness company Water and Rock Studio, says animal yoga offers incredible benefits to rescues, from donation money and awareness to adoptions and socialization for the animals. 

Their instructors have led hundreds of classes at shelters and rescues across Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and California.

• Cats get additional exposure to more potential adopters.

• Cats in cat cafe-type events get adopted much more quickly than those in shelters.

• Foster cats also benefit from the variety of social interactions.

• Shelters get another fundraising mechanism to help more animals.

“There is overwhelming scientific evidence proving that yoga has tremendous positive benefits for people mentally and physically,” Brubaker says. “There’s also scientific studies proving that spending time with animals improves your mental and physical health. Doing both together at the same time is just magic. I’ve never seen anyone come out of any event of ours so happy.”

Benefits for people

Ashley Brooks, owner of Pounce Cat Cafe in Savannah and Charleston, says she often hears from attendees that cat yoga is cheaper than therapy. “This yoga is relaxing and fun, and it’s a different way to get in some physical activity and hang out with kitties.” 

Not every animal lover can support a pet — that’s where events such as cat yoga can help.

• A 2019 study showed that university students who spent as little as 10 minutes a day petting a cat experienced lowered levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. 

• Three 2024 psychological studies, alongside many others, have shown that practicing yoga can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

• In a 2023 American Psychiatric Association poll, 86 percent of pet parents said their pets have a mostly positive impact on their mental health, with 69 percent of respondents saying their pets helped reduce stress and anxiety. 

“A cat’s purr, that calming mechanism, stroking their fur, it’s all calming,” Brooks says. “Even seeing them goofing off can put a smile on your face. The benefits are through the roof in what kittens and cats can do for the mental health of an individual.” 

As the world gets more stressful, Brubaker says he expected that demand for personal training and self-defense classes at Water and Rock Studio would increase, while “non-essentials” like animal yoga would decrease. Instead, he’s seen the opposite. More and more people are seeking affordable outlets like cat yoga. 

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, ‘that was the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life,’” Brubaker says. “There’s so many times that has happened even though it’s such a simple thing: animals in a room with people.” 

Where do the cats for kitten yoga come from?

The cats and kittens participating in kitten yoga classes typically come from local animal shelters or rescues such as Cat Depot in Sarasota, Florida, which specializes in cats. Other times, the cats come from community cat cafes. 

“Our classes are held across the street from the shelter in our community center,” Harden says. “After the class, people can come over to our shelter and interact with our other cats as well, if you didn’t get enough of them. We hold two cat yoga classes a month for a straight $10 donation to the Cat Depot, and it’s one of the best programs we do.” 

Almost all participating cats in cat yoga events are available for adoption, Harden says, and many classes do lead to cat adoptions. 

At River Kitty Cat Cafe, which partners with the Vanderburg Humane Society, kitten yoga events double as a way to raise funds for kitten season as well as awareness about the intake of kittens and cat care. 

“Last year we saw almost 3,000 cats in our shelter, and 30 percent of them were kittens,” Mackenzee McKittrick, River Kitty’s Community Cat Coordinator, says. “So these events definitely help with funding to prepare for those kittens and taking care of everything they need.”

Via Cat Depot/

Which animal shelters and rescues offer kitten yoga?

There are animal shelters, cat cafes, and yoga studios all over the country that offer kitten and cat yoga, particularly during kitten season in the spring. Always check with your local shelter first — if they don’t have an active program, they may be able to refer you to one nearby. Here’s a list of locations that offer kitten yoga programs in collaboration with shelters and rescues (or that are nonprofits themselves) to help you get started:

• Meow Parlour — New York City

• Crumbs & Whiskers — Washington, DC 

• Crumbs & Whiskers — Los Angeles 

• Cat Depot — Sarasota, Florida 

• Orlando Cat Cafe — Orlando

• Purrfect Day Cat Cafe — Louisville 

• Happy Cats Haven & The Biscuit Factory — Manitou Springs, Colorado 

• Furrever & After Cat Sanctuary — Youngstown, Ohio 

• Fuzzy Texan Animal Rescue — Cypress, Texas 

• El Gato Coffeehouse — Houston 

• River Kitty Cat Cafe & Vanderburgh Humane Society — Evansville, Indiana 

• Vanderburgh Humane Society — Evansville, Indiana

• Smitten Kitten Cat Cafe — Fishers, Indiana 

• Paws & Claws Cat Rescue — Evanston, Illinois 

• The Catcade — Chicago 

• Homeward Pet Adoption Center — Woodinville, Washington 

• Seattle Meowtropolitan — Seattle

• Northwest Animal Companions — Portland, Oregon 

• The Frisky Whisker  — Atlanta

• Pounce Cat Cafe — Charleston

• Pounce Cat Cafe — Savannah

• Green Street Rescue Philly & Le Caf Cafe Philly — Philadelphia

• Human Society of Charlotte — Charlotte

• Humane Society of Greater Miami — Miami

Commonly asked questions

Do I need yoga experience to take a kitten yoga class? 

No, you don’t need yoga experience to take a kitten yoga class, though most events suggest you bring your own yoga mat with you. Instructors will guide you through beginner-friendly poses. But beware: Cats or kittens may claw your mat, or even fall asleep on it during class. “This is about the rescue animals, so we always build in time to socialize with them,” Brubaker says. “This is for everyone. You do not need experience of any kind. If the world is stressing you out, do some animal yoga.” 

Is cat yoga humane?

Yes, cat yoga is humane if the event is hosted by a reputable rescue or shelter, which will ensure no kittens or cats are harmed. Cats in the classes will have access to food, water, litter boxes, climbing spaces and hiding spaces, and are not forced to participate or interact with people if they choose not to. “We always have the option for cats to hide away. But because it’s a more peaceful setting, they usually do enjoy coming out,” McKittrick says. Bottom line: It’s important to look for a cat-yoga event partnered with, or run by, a nonprofit with animal-welfare goals.