The world’s first official cat café, Cat Flower Garden, opened in 1998 in Taipei, Taiwan. They were not the first café to have a cat on-premises, but they were the first to be reported by the media on such a large scale. While Cat Flower Garden became a wildly popular tourist destination, it wasn’t until Japan embraced the idea that it took off. The first Japanese cat café, Neko no Mise (Cat’s Store), was established in 2005. Since then over 150 cat cafés have opened their doors in Japan.
The unique appeal of these cat-filled lounges and coffee houses is particularly attractive for cat lovers who are unable to have a cat of their own, whether due to not having the time to properly care for a cat full time, property restrictions, or housemates with allergies. In the United States the populations of cats at these cafés are typically made up of strays and rescue animals, which are available for patrons to adopt. They save the lives of countless at-risk felines by finding them suitable homes.
The concept first reached the United States sometime around 2014 and has blossomed since then, with cafés full of adoptable cats popping up in almost every major city, including Los Angeles. This guide will introduce you to the cat cafés located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
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Los Angeles and the Surrounding areas
Cat cafés in the United States are focused on finding homes for cats who might otherwise be in jeopardy of euthanasia and not on bringing in loads of cash for themselves. Patrons to these establishments know that not only are they enjoying a delightful experience, but they are also helping cats to find their forever homes.
Feline Good Social Club
301 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 900-6127
The Feline Good Social Club in Long Beach bills itself as a cat lounge rather than a cat café, but is still a great way to get a little downtime with some purrfectly pleasing companions. Regular sessions start at the beginning of the hour and last 50 minutes each and cat lovers can also book private sessions for up to six people. While they have temporarily paused their food service for people, they do have a few tasty snacks available for the cats upon request.
As is the case for many cat cafés and cat lounges in the USA, all of the friendly cats at the facility are rescue cats—looking for their forever homes. The lounge typically has around 25 adult cats from local rescue Long Beach Felines available to keep you entertained at any given time and they often have kittens to watch and play within their nursery area as well.
CatCafé Lounge
1736 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 254-7246 (text only)
The CatCafé Lounge in West Los Angeles is a nonprofit company with a comfortable and engaging lounge area, along with a delightful cat patio that allows for cats and visitors alike to get a little fresh air. The CatCafé Lounge has both hot and cold beverages available for patrons to purchase, as well as a few food offerings for humans, mostly prepackaged snacks to go. Outside food and drink are not allowed at the CatCafé Lounge.
Both the lounge room and the outdoor catio provide plenty of opportunities to interact with the 35+ cats at the café, all of whom are completely adaptable. A new area—the Tiny Beans kitten lounge— allows visitors to interact specifically with the kittens looking for a forever home. This is especially important during kitten season—when there are far more kittens being born than homes looking for a kitten.
Adoptions are finalized through Stray Cat Alliance, a Los Angeles group focused on the health and welfare of feral and stray cats in Orange county. Approximately 5% of the cats in the café are also receiving rehabilitation and socialization from The Cat Counselor, run by Certified Feline Behavior Consultant, Cristin. Without rehabilitation, these cats would likely be deemed unadoptable.
Photo by Benjie Delmonte on Unsplash
Crumbs and Whiskers LA Kitten Café
7924 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-879-9389
Crumbs and Whiskers Kitten Café was started with the goal of reducing euthanasia rates and increasing adoptions. Founder Kanchan Singh was inspired by a trip to Catmosphere, a cat café in Chang Mai, Thailand. She was so delighted with her experience in Chang Mai that she decided to open up her own café and Crumbs and Whiskers was born. She opened her Washington DC location first, then expanded into the LA area.
Here in Los Angeles, they partner with the Stray Cat Alliance to help ensure adoptions go well and with Best Friends Animal Hospital to ensure that their cats and kittens are all active and healthy. They offer 30 and 70-minute sessions with their friendly felines and have additional special events as well. Trivia nights, dance nights, and even personal events like birthdays and bachelorette parties, can be coordinated with these charismatic cats. You can also help to support the mission of Crumbs and Whiskers by buying gift cards to use for later, or by buying some of their great merchandise.
Although first introduced to the United States just seven years ago, cat cafés are becoming more and more popular, and they are saving hundreds of lives a year. This has been a particularly difficult year for businesses that rely on human interaction, like cat cafés. These wonderful organizations give people who are unable to have cats a chance to enjoy them as well as helping cats and kittens find their forever home. They also give the cats a better home until they are ready to be adopted. You can support your local cat café by visiting, volunteering, or donating.
Did you just adopt a new cat or kitten? The Comforted Kitty can make the transition easier by checking in on your new pet when you are busy at work or keeping an eye on them if you have to go out of town.
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