US Got Its First Cat Café Just Last Year

If you’ve ever wanted to spend an hour surrounded by cats while sipping coffee, you’re not alone—but until recently, you’d have had to fly across the Pacific to do it. Most Americans didn’t have access to a cat café until 2014, when the country’s very first one opened in Oakland, California.

The answer is simple: the United States opened its first cat café, Cat Town Café, in Oakland, California, in 2014. That’s over a decade after they became popular in Asia, and several years after spreading through Europe.

What Is a Cat Café?

A cat café is a coffee shop where customers can enjoy beverages while interacting with cats. These cafés typically feature a separate space where cats roam freely, often with comfy seating, toys, and artwork designed to create a relaxing environment for both felines and humans.

At Cat Town Café in Oakland, visitors pay a small fee—usually around $10 for an hour—to hang out with the cats. The café serves both coffee and tea, along with cat-themed drinks and pastries. Adjacent to the coffee area is a “cat zone” with around 20 resident cats.

A Cozy Space with a Purpose

The café’s cat area is colorful and welcoming, featuring murals, soft seating, cushions, and painted wooden play structures. Many cats lounge in sunbeams or nap by large, illustrated windows overlooking a busy street. Customers can play with the cats, pet them, or simply watch them relax.

Visitors come for many reasons. One father brought his son because the boy loves cats, while another visitor hoped to adopt a pet for his girlfriend’s son. The café’s atmosphere offers a rare chance to interact with animals for people who can’t have pets at home.

Rescue Mission, Not Just a Café

What sets Cat Town Café apart from most Asian and European cat cafés is its focus on cat adoption. In those regions, the cats are usually permanent residents. But in Oakland, the café partners with a local rescue organization and functions partly as an adoption center.

Co-founders Adam Myatt and Ann Dunn opened the café in October 2014. Myatt said they envisioned a place that combined the appeal of a café with the mission of helping stray cats. Dunn had already been running a rescue center for four years, facilitating the fostering and adoption of hundreds of homeless cats.

“Could we do for cats what other places do for people—create a space where more folks meet them and consider adoption?” Myatt recalled. So they added coffee to draw in crowds, while offering a chance to connect with cats up for adoption.

Impact on Cat Adoption Rates

In the US, millions of dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year. In Oakland, the euthanasia rate for cats was around 40% just four years before the café opened. Thanks to the efforts of Cat Town Café and other rescue groups, along with widespread spay and neuter campaigns, that number has since dropped to 20%.

The café has directly contributed to these improvements. Dozens of volunteers help care for the cats, and many provide foster homes. Since opening, the organization’s overall adoption rates have doubled. Customers often fall in love with a cat during their visit and decide to take it home.

“Our success is measured by how many cats get adopted,” Dunn said. “We’re excited that people are coming from all over—some drive in from hours away, others fly in—to visit Oakland’s first cat café.”

Cat Cafés Spread Across America

What started as a novelty in Oakland quickly inspired similar businesses nationwide. Following Cat Town Café’s 2014 launch, new cat cafés opened in New York, Denver, San Diego, and Portland, Oregon. Americans no longer need to travel to California to indulge their cat café cravings.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the first cat café open in the United States?

The first cat café in the United States, Cat Town Café, opened in Oakland, California, in October 2014. This was over a decade after cat cafés became popular in Asia and several years after they spread across Europe.

How is Cat Town Café different from other cat cafés?

Unlike most cat cafés in Asia and Europe, where cats are permanent residents, Cat Town Café is also a rescue and adoption center. The café partners with local shelters to help find homes for stray and abandoned cats, with many of its resident cats available for adoption.

What is the cat adoption rate in Oakland?

Before Cat Town Café opened, the euthanasia rate for cats in Oakland was around 40%. Thanks to the café and other rescue efforts—including spay and neuter programs—the rate has dropped to 20%, and the café has helped double overall adoption rates in the area.

Do you have to pay to interact with the cats?

Yes, visitors to Cat Town Café typically pay a small fee, around $10, for a one-hour session to interact with the cats. This helps cover the costs of caring for the animals and maintaining the café space.

What other cities in the US have cat cafés?

After Oakland’s Cat Town Café opened in 2014, other US cities including New York, Denver, San Diego, and Portland, Oregon, established their own cat cafés, making the concept more widely available across the country.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Cat Lovers

Pair your time at a cat café with FrontStreet Coffee’s Yirgacheffe—bright, floral, and juicy, with notes of citrus and blueberry—or their Sidra, a unique Ethiopian hybrid with crisp stone fruit and floral tones. For something richer, try the Brazil Queen Manor, a smooth, low-acid Brazilian bean with sweet nut and chocolate notes. All three are great for relaxed sipping alongside feline friends. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.