Love cats? Love a delicious slice of cake with a cup of tea? You will love the fantastic cat cafes in London.
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 and many also do a wonderful afternoon tea.
The Must-Visit Cat Cafes In London you have to visit
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 a traditional afternoon tea. The food (cakes, scones, and sandwiches) are all pretty much standard for what you would normally be offered but are fresh to order. They also offer a fully vegan option as well.
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.
Lady Dinah’s is also closely located to Hyper-Reality – one of London’s top arcade bars making it a great location to visit after your 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 and Tonkinese cats.
Admission to Whiskers and Cream is currently £13 or just £10 for those aged under 11. Again they offer afternoon tea, except this particular cat cafe also has the option of an unlimited prosecco high tea (£47.99 per person).
For those with dietary requirements, Whiskers and Cream has a vegan afternoon tea as well as gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian options.
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!
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. Again, it is your standard afternoon tea – nothing too special but still delicious. The focus is very much on the cats as opposed to the food.
Pet cafes in London
Aside from the cat cafes mentioned, there are not any other animal cafes like Japan’s animal cafes. There previously was a Pug Cafe in London – however, this was part of a pop-up event and is no longer open.
At present, there are no dog cafes in London – only cafes and coffees shop which are dog-friendly, perfect for taking your dog for a puppuccino and to meet other dog owners.
If you are looking for the best dog-friendly cafes in London, my recommendations would be Paws For Coffee in Hampton Hill and Wags’n’Tales in Surbiton.
Can children visit the cat cafes in London?
Visit one of London’s cat cafes for a family afternoon tea is a great idea, 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 cafes in London do hold very high standards.
I 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, overall I would still recommend Lady Dinah’s as the best BUT if you are going to afternoon tea in particular then choose Whiskers and Cream.