The mix of cats, coffee/tea and cat-loving people made every visit magical. Each cat cafe followed slightly different philosophies, but they all embodied the same mission of giving cats and people a much better alternative to meet outside the typical shelter model. Shelter cats are caged and scared half to death. At the cafes, they are free to roam, play, or just cuddle on a pillow under the sun.
I had been meaning to check out my local cat cafe in LA, but life got in the way. As luck would have it, I found myself in SF meeting up with my good friend Tre at KitTea last December. That got me hooked, and the rest is history...
KitTea, San Francisco
KitTea on Gough Street has 11 resident cats in their sanctuary - all rescues who grew up together for the purpose of building a strong family unit that new adoptable cats can re-socialize with after being in a shelter. Cats from Wonder Cat Rescue rotate in and out, and hundreds have found homes (see alumni here).
My favorite part of the cafe was the cat wheel with the Golden Gate bridge. Truly iconic. They didn't have many adoptable cats when I visited, because most had found homes around the Christmas holiday. We visited at 4pm, feeding time for the cats. After they ate, we had a chance to tease them with toys. They climbed onto the many cat shelves and played hide and seek in the tree and cubes. Some were sweet and energetic; others were mellow and cuddly.
The cafe right beside had a nice selection of green teas, which were bottomless as part of your $25 hour visit. They also have food options and the most adorable milk pourer, which they do not sell (I asked).
Their little store had a cute selection of pins, magnets, prints and other collectibles. I wanted to buy everything, and my friend got me this adorable pin that looks a lot like my cat Earl Grey. ^_^
Crumbs & Whiskers, Melrose Los Angeles
Back in LA come January, I had to check out the local Crumbs & Whiskers cafe. Together with their DC counterpart, they have placed over 1000 cats in homes! I brought my sister Therese along, and she loved it. Their space has natural lighting and high ceilings, giving the cats lots of vertical space to explore. There are many cozy spots to sit while sipping your tea/coffee and petting a cat. On Sundays they have cat yoga, which I'm tempted to try.
I think they partner with a local coffee shop, because they take your order when your hour starts and bring it to you about 15 minutes in. I tried a Moroccan mint tea, which was yummy. (Note: the tea/coffee is not included with your $25 entrance fee.)
The cats were quite sleepy after a children's party, so we took it easy and relaxed with them. They were so peaceful to watch.
One cat sat on a woman's coat and moved onto her lap. It was like she claimed her! I really hope she came back to adopt her.
CatCafe Lounge, West Los Angeles
My friend Esther clued me in to an up and coming new cat cafe in West LA. I was so excited that I reserved slots for opening day this past Saturday. The cafe is just a 5 minute drive away from my place, so I'm definitely going to be a regular.
I wrote this Yelp review just the other day, so I'm pasting it here!
My sister and I had lots of fun visiting the cat cafe lounge. We'll definitely be back with friends! The space is huge with lots of cozy spots to hang out with sweet rescue cats. Your $25 donation gets you 60 min with the cuddly cats and tea or coffee. They are a non profit, so your entrance fee is tax deductible! The cafe has lots of natural light and WIFI. All the cats are adoptable! They're saved from shelters through NKLA and other local groups.
The cafe team are all huge cat lovers and shared helpful original stories about each cat. They really care about the cats and finding homes for them. It was wonderful hearing about the various journeys the cats have gone through - coming out of their shells in just a few weeks of socializing with people and cats at the cafe.
The lounge is designed with the cats' happiness in mind. Bridges hang from the ceiling and a huge cat tree branches out. Cats hang out on shelves or hide in boxes or inside a teepee. Many scratching posts and cardboard scratchers are scattered throughout the space. Teaser toys are available for you to engage the energetic ones into play. I hope they open a monthly membership. That would be epic!
Here's Therese pictured with sweetheart Tigger, who gave her a big cat hug! He and his brother Rafa (long haired black cat) were abandoned by their mom when she had a child, and their neighbor brought them to a shelter. Now at the cat lounge, they are getting the love they deserve.
Also pictured is Bob, heading to his teepee. Could you believe this fur baby was deemed aggressive and on death row at the shelter? He's really come out of his shell in just a few short weeks of being at the cat lounge. 😻
Really thankful for founder Kristi and her amazing team for making the lives of these 30 cats (and more to come) so much better!
P.S. I learned that Benji (kitty below) was adopted today!
So there you have it - all 3 cat cafes in a nutshell. I'm not sure what other cat cafes are nearby me. I may need to plan my vacations around the next ones. One thing's fur sure, cat cafes are here to stay and growing!
