Ten years ago, Cat Town opened its doors in Oakland as the first nonprofit cat “cafe” in the country, according to executive director.Andrew Dorman. With a large sunlit room decked out with cat towers, toys, play structures and cozy beds aplenty, plus quieter rooms for more reserved cats and a cat-themed cafe for humans just outside, the cafe offers resident felines a welcome break from the chaos of an animal shelter while they wait to be adopted.
Today, adoption-first programs like theirs exist throughout the region, which is a good thing, especially given the post-pandemic uptick in the number of cats who need homes.
Oakland’s Cat Town was inspired by Ann Dunn, an Oakland animal shelter volunteer, who launched it as a fostering program based loosely on the concept of Japan’s cat cafes, group cat homes that people can visit. (The cafe part is a bit of a misnomer; Cat Town offers espresso drinks and vegan snacks onsite at its RAWR Coffee Bar, but other cat cafes are primarily focused on the cats.) While many of the residents of Japan’s cat cafes spend their lives onsite, the cats at Cat Town and similar locations are there only temporarily. The digs are more comfortable than what they’d have at an animal shelter, where they’re likely kept in crates in high-stress environments, like near barking dogs.
Cat cafes are a helpful part of the animal services ecosystem, says Kiska Icard, division manager of the City of San Jose’s Animal Care & Services department. “Shelters are stressful places for cats,” she says. “Many cats do not show well in shelters – it’s an unnatural environment. Cat cafes allow the cats to gradually acclimate to their surroundings and interact with people as they choose.”
Each cat cafe has its own vibe. Take Mini Cat Town, which was started in 2015 by San Jose sisters Thi, Thoa and Tram Buithree. Mini Cat Town has four Bay Area locations that offer cat visits at regional shopping hubs, giving shoppers a break from the mall and a chance to spend some quiet time with a few fluffballs that are available to take home.
San Jose’s nonprofit The Dancing Cat adds interesting community-oriented activities to the mix, from candlelit yoga sessions alongside the resident cats to meditation lessons, a monthly reading session and craft classes. Their cat lounge offers a space for well-socialized cats to interact with each other and visitors, and represents a great way for people who can’t adopt or foster cats of their own to get their feline fix, says lounge manager Anastasia Peterson.
Meanwhile, San Francisco’s KitTea Lounge offers Saturday “Meow-vie” nights and “Purrlates” classes, as well as cat cuddling opportunities.
If You Go
Cat Town Oakland ($12 per visit) is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday at 2869 Broadway in Oakland; cattownoakland.org.
The Dancing Cat ($15) opens at noon Thursday through Sunday at 702 E. Julian St. in San Jose; thedancingcat.org.
Mini Cat Town ($15) is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily at 1 Stoneridge Mall Road, Space D122A, Pleasanton; 2200 Eastridge Loop, Suite 1076 in San Jose; and 447 Great Mall Drive, Space 121 in Milpitas; minicattown.org.
KitTea Lounge ($28) is open from 1 to 6 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. on weekends at 1266 Valencia St. in San Francisco; kitteasf.com.
