San Diego’s Cat Cafe Offers Coffee, Snacks, & a Furry Friend

Have you ever heard of a cat cafe? They’re a new concept in the U.S., but they’ve become increasingly popular in Japan during recent years, with Tokyo home to at least 39. Because many apartments in Japan forbid pet ownership, the popularity of the cafes has been attributed to a desire to interact with cats to help relieve the stress of a busy urban life. Cat cafes are slowly gaining traction in the U.S and other countries (you can now find them in Korea, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.) When San Deigo’s Cat Cafe opened in January 2015, it became the fifth in the United States.

So, how does it work?

When you arrive, you purchase your drinks and food first, and your purchase is your admission ticket to the cat playpen. With award winning coffee from West Coast Coffee Roasters and Cafe Virtuoso, pastries from Bread & Cie, cookies from The Cravory, and sandwiches from Adam’s Lunch Box, the Cat Cafe has lots of options that stand out on their own. If you choose not to purchase any food, your admission fee is $5.

While cat cafes in Japan offer stress relief for urban city dwellers that are unable to experience pet ownership in their living spaces, Cat Cafe in San Diego has a dual purpose. All of the cats that you’ll interact with at Cat Cafe are adoptable. The cafe partners with The Rescue House, a local cat rescue and cat adoption non-profit organization. Cat Cafe is providing a service that frees up space for The Rescue House to take in additional cats, which leads to more animals being saved. The Cat Cafe gives feline guests a chance to feel at home. And, they get used to interacting with a lot of people. This means that cats adopted from Cat Cafe won’t be the ones who hide when visitors arrive. While they sip their coffee and have a bite to eat, potential adopters will be able to learn more about the personality of the cats. You can see the Cat Cafe’s list of adoptable cats here.

About the space:

Cat Cafe is located in the heart of downtown San Diego’s Marina District, at 472 Third Avenue (at the intersection of Third and Island Avenues, with the entrance on Island Avenue). While some other countries allow cat cafes to serve food and drink in the same space as the animals, the U.S. has a lot of food service regulations to adhere to. Thus, the coffee bar and the cat playpen are separated by multiple doors.

After you grab your food, you’ll feel right at home when you step inside the cat playpen and meet some friendly cats. Bon apetit, feline lovers!

We hope you’ll visit Cat Cafe, and who knows– maybe you’ll even end up bringing home a new furry friend.