Looking for the perfect place in London to take the cat lover in your life? We have rounded up the best cafe cafes in London you have to visit.
Cat cafes originated in Japan in the late 00s, giving people who did not own cats the opportunity to still spend time with them. Since then they have started opening up all over the world, in fact, you can find at least one in nearly every city.
London is no exception (although Singapore has many, many more!)
Paws and Latte: The Must-Visit Cat Cafes in London
Where is the best cat cafe in London?
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
Address: 152-154 Bethnal Green Rd, London. E2 6DG
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, a cat cafe in Shoreditch, is where I recommend as the best cat cafe in London at present. It is one of the original cafes of this kind in Central London and is always highly recommended as having the highest welfare standards.
The visit must be booked in advance, priced at £15 per person for 90 minutes. From here you can add on various food and drink options, including afternoon tea. The Emporium is home to a number of resident cats as well as many which are currently being fostered and are available to adopt from a London cat rescue.
Java Whiskers Cat Cafe
105 Great Portland St, London W1W 6QF
Java Whiskers is a cat cafe in Marylebone, the team opened their first cafe in Sweden before bringing the franchise to London.
Java Whiskers’ core mission is to raise the public awareness of homeless cats, and together with the public find forever homes for as many cats as possible while being a relaxing haven for our guests to ‘paws’ and enjoy in an otherwise busy world.
In this cafe, there is a kitten lounge, for kittens between 9 weeks to 1 year of age, in here admission is priced at £19.99 per person. In the cat lounge, all cats are aged over 1 year, admission for this section is £14.99.
Like Dinah’s, there is the opportunity to purchase food and drink – including afternoon tea.
Whiskers and Cream London
593 Holloway Rd, Archway, London N19 4DJ
Whiskers and Cream is a cat cafe in North London, it is home to 9 resident cats at present. The cats here are not from rescue centres, but they do call the cafe their permanent home. These cats include various breeds such as Maine Coons, Tonkinese, and Devon Rexs’.
Admission to Whiskers and Cream is currently £13 or just £10 for those aged under 11. Again they offer afternoon tea, however, they do have the option to have an unlimited prosecco high tea.
You can also extend your visit by 30 minutes for a fee of £3.50 – great if you want an extra bit of time with the cats on the day!
Paws Cat Cafe
8 Angel Walk, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1TJ
The Paws Cafe is located not too far out of London, in a town called Tonbridge. It is not as established as the previously mentioned cafes, but it is worth a visit if you are in the area, as it is very cute.
The price is also considerably less at just £5 for a 1-hour visit – with cake and tea sold separately.
Can children visit the cat cafes in London?
Many children would love the idea of visiting one of London’s cat cafes, however, you will need to check with the individual establishment before booking.
From what we have seen, many will not allow children under the age of 11 to visit. We assume the reasoning before this could be to do with the well-being of the cats if they are not used to young children.
However, many do say to call to discuss children visiting. Therefore do not assume it is a definite no.
What do you do in a cat cafe?
Spend time with cats!
All the cafes mentioned do sell a wide range of food and drink, however, the main purpose of these coffee shops is to spend time with the cats who live there.
Many of the cats are used to human interaction and will spend time trying to get your attention. It is important to know the cats are free to do what they want, which means they are not guaranteed to spend time with you.
Are cat cafes ethical?
I have debated this one a lot myself and I still do not know if I know my answer. Cats are a domesticated species that, for the most part, enjoy human interaction.
Many of London’s cat cafes only use cats rehomed from rescues, which is obviously a great thing, as they are giving the cats a home. They also advertise cats looking for adoption, therefore encouraging the ‘adopt don’t shop’ movement.
But then on the other hand, behaviourally, domestic cats prefer to be solitary animals and are easily stressed. There are also high risks of cross-infection when creating a ‘multi-cat household’, which is exacerbated by the stress (due to suppression of the immune system).
I honestly believe it depends on the individual setup of the cafe when it comes to cat cafes – The current ones in London do hold very high standards.
We hope you have found this round-up of the best cat cafes in London – there are not too many to choose from but each offers something unique. If you are still struggling to choose, again our preferred choice in Central London would be Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium.