The Best Cat Cafes in and Around the Chicago Area

Chicago Cat Cafes

Set up your laptop and enjoy a cozy snuggle from a pretty cat, even if you don’t own one. Find your zone to focus or unplug with a friendly purr in a local cat cafe in Chicago. The area has a variety to suit your needs and plenty of curious cats ready to charm you.

Treehouse Cat Cafe

The Treehouse Cat Café in Chicago blends coffeeshop vibes with adoptable feline friends. The café operates Wednesday through Sunday and posts their menu online. There’s a great range of coffee, tea, and non-caffeinated drinks, including a limited boba selection. If you just want to support the organization and grab a coffee, the café welcomes walk-ins, but time with the cats requires an appointment.

Cat lounge reservations are $10 and include one drink and half an hour with the cats. While all ages are welcome, children 15 and under must have adult supervision, and groups shouldn’t exceed four individuals. Animals in the lounge are adoptable, and you can usually meet one to four furry experts in Treehouse cat care. Chicago loves this place for a reason.

The Catcade

A delightfully irreverent non-profit, the Catcade lets visitors hang out in an arcade-themed lounge where adoptable cats roam freely. There’s free Wi-Fi and arcade games, and the staff invites guests to bring their laptops and (attempt to) get a little work done. Its upbeat atmosphere isn’t overwhelming, and the big space lets you find your own niche. Interested cats can cuddle you at their leisure, and if all else fails, you can pay Nintendo.

Guests must be 12 or over, and the entry fee for the lounge (where you pet the cats) is $20. The fee covers 55 minutes and a soft drink. Reservations are highly encouraged, there is street parking in the surrounding neighborhood, and the Catcade has a strict no-refund policy, so don’t be late! Catcade also offers private event rentals for an hour at a time. It costs $350, you can have up to six guests 18 and under, and there needs to be an adult in your party for every two minors. This keeps things safe and supervised so kids, cats, and cool adults all have a fun, relaxing time.

The Cat House Lounge

This cat café in Chicago’s suburbs is a friendly escape that teams with Heartland Animal Shelter to introduce cat lovers to adoptable felines of all ages. The Cat House Lounge is a photogenic environment ideal for guests who want to share their adventures on social media. The online scheduling portal even includes a guide with the animals’ most and least active times to help you plan the perfect trip.

The lounge holds up to 10 guests at a time for 45-minute visits and charges $12 per guest. While not strictly necessary, reservations are highly encouraged. Guests of all ages are welcome, but children under 15 must be supervised by an adult, and an adult cannot supervise more than two children, so plan your group accordingly. Guests must remove their shoes before entering the cats’ area for the animals’ safety. Socks are required, but the shop sells cheap pairs for $2 if you forget.

Whether you’re already a proud cat person or visiting a café to adopt, give your cat the best with the GreenPaws team.

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