Wisconsin’s eight cat cafes offer purrhaps the best way to get a caffeine buzz while also enjoying some kitten cuddles.
There are things that just happen to go really well together, like peanut butter and jelly, movies and popcorn, and more recently, coffee shops and cute, cuddly cats. That makes cat cafes such a beautiful innovation—they serve as places where customers can get a caffeine buzz and enjoy a coffee, while also giving visitors a chance to play with the numerous cats that call the cafe home. Since the first cat cafe opened in Taiwan in the late 90s, cat cafes have been steadily gaining popularity, with several popping up throughout Wisconsin.
Cat cafes typically combine aspects of coffee shops and animal shelters, serving caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea, while also providing a space for guests to interact with the animals and potentially adopt a cat if they fall hard enough in love with one. Generally, cat cafes charge a fee for visitors to interact with the cats, which helps to cover the cost of caring for the animals. They also have time limits on the visits to not overwhelm the cats.
Whether you just want to have a relaxed visit, grabbing a coffee and getting some work done in the company of some kittens, or you want to spend an hour petting as many cats as possible, there are several cat cafes in Wisconsin that are purrfect for animal lovers.
1. BaristaCats Café
Location: 135 West Center St., Whitewater
For some college students, one of the hardest parts of leaving home and moving away for school is leaving behind beloved pets. So, it helps to have an established place where petting and playing with cats is all part of the business in a college town like Whitewater. BaristaCats Café was inspired by owner Natalie Serner’s 2021 trip to England, during which she came across several cat cafes.
The cafe has a limit of 10 guests at a time to not overwhelm the cats, and reservations to visit the cafe can be made online. It costs $14 to reserve a one-hour block of time at the cafe, or $11 on Fridays when reservations are made online. The cafe does not offer any made-to-order food but has a selection of pre-packaged snacks, as well as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate imported from England. BaristaCats Café isn’t just a coffee shop — it also operates as a cat sanctuary, and has the goal of having all of its feline residents adopted into loving permanent homes. Adoptable cats are listed on the cafe’s website.
2. Starry Night Cat Cafe
Location: 1141 Clark St., Stevens Point
There is a lot going on at Starry Night Cat Cafe. It’s a dedicated event space, a coffee shop, an animal sanctuary, and a tribute to Van Gogh’s famous painting, from which the cafe takes its name, all in one. Unlike most coffee shops, which open early in the morning to help patrons get a caffeinated start to their day, Starry Night is a late-night cafe, open from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sundays.
While they occupy the same building, the cafe’s cat sanctuary is located in a separate area from the coffee shop. Visits with the cats can last up to 45 minutes, and only 10 people are allowed in the sanctuary at once. The sanctuary costs $10 for adults on weekdays and $12 on weekends, and socks are required, as no shoes are allowed in the sanctuary. Starry Night Cat Cafe partners with the Humane Society of Marathon County, serving as a bridge for the organization by providing housing for some of its adoptable cats and offering guests space to interact with the animals and learn more about the adoption process.
3. The Cat’s Brew
Location: 2414 Montana Ave., Sun Prairie
The Cat’s Brew co-owners Liz Brey and Heather Wipijewski aren’t just coffee lovers and business owners—the two friends met while both working as veterinary technicians. Both Brey and Wipijewski have worked in the veterinary profession for more than 25 years each, so when it came to opening a business together, they combined two things they were passionate about: coffee and cats.
The Cat’s Brew, located in Sun Prairie, first opened its doors in 2024 and operates as both a coffee shop and a cat sanctuary, where prospective pet parents can adopt the cafe’s resident cats and kittens. The cafe has a full-service espresso bar and also serves drinks like smoothies, juice, and tea. The Cat’s Brew also sells baked goods like muffins, scones, and cookies. While reservations are not necessary to play with the cats at The Cat’s Brew, they are recommended and can be made online. Visits with the cafe’s feline friends cost $10 per person and can last up to one hour per reservation.
4. Sip & Purr Cat Cafe
Location: 833 East Brady St., Milwaukee
Sip & Purr Cat Cafe, owned by Katy McHugh, was inspired by a trip its owner and founder took to Amsterdam. While sitting in a cafe in the European city, a yellow tabby cat named Gigi made itself comfortable in McHugh’s lap. As she sat in the Amsterdam cafe, sipping wine with Gigi on her lap, she got inspired to create a business with a similar atmosphere at home in Milwaukee.
The cat cafe, which is celebrating its eighth year in business, serves homemade pastries, coffee and tea, as well as alcoholic beverages like beer and wine. But Sip & Purr Cat Cafe is more than just a wine bar and cafe. Since its grand opening in 2018, Sip & Purr Cat Cafe, in Milwaukee’s Lower East Side neighborhood, has helped more than 1,700 cats find their forever homes. The cafe recently accepted 15 at-risk cats from Oman and is currently caring for them as they prepare to be adopted.
5. Pawffee Shop
Location: 1745 North Casaloma Drive, Appleton
Appleton’s Pawffee Shop is one of the few cat cafes that don’t require a reservation (except on Saturdays when they’re recommended rather than required), and don’t charge a fee to interact with the cats that call the cafe home. Instead, visiting with the cute kitties is free with a cafe purchase, or a donation to Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, a non-profit animal sanctuary in nearby Green Bay that partners with the cafe to run its cat adoption services.
The cafe offers espresso drinks and tea, as well as baked goods and fruit bowls. Eating, drinking, and playing with cats aren’t the only things that Pawffee Shop has to offer. The cat cafe regularly hosts events, including yoga with kitties, blanket-making classes, and bingo nights.
6. Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe
Location: 502 South Farwell St., Eau Claire
Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe has only been open for two years, but it’s been pretty busy in that short time. The cat cafe is currently preparing to celebrate its 500th cat adoption, and partners with the Eau Claire Community Humane Association to facilitate the adoptions. Reservations to interact with the cats can be made online and cost $12.66 on weekdays and $15.83 on weekends. Each one-hour reservation includes a beverage from the cafe: either a coffee, tea, bottled soda, or bottled water.
It’s not just the cafe’s resident kitties that stay at Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe, as the cat cafe also offers cat boarding services. The cat cafe charges $25 per night (an additional cat is $20 per night) and requires that cats be in good health, be at least 16 weeks old, and have their food provided.
7. Planet Perk & the Planet Purrrk Club
Location: 100 City Center, Suite C, Oshkosh
More than two decades after Planet Perk, a coffee shop in Oshkosh’s City Center building, first opened and started supplying the local community with caffeinated beverages, it founded a pretty special club: the Planet Purrrk Club, its dedicated cat lounge and coworking space. The Planet Purrrk Club opened in 2023, and serves to help adoptable, and adorable, cats find their fur-ever homes.
The cat lounge is in the same building as Planet Perk, but in its own walled-off section to accommodate cafe customers who have cat allergies. The Planet Purrrk Club is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and visitors can buy guest passes online or at the Planet Purrrk Club counter. Passes cost $6.50 for adults, or $3.50 for children, but are free with a purchase of $6 or more. For visitors who can’t get enough of the lounge’s cats, every cat in the Planet Purrrk Club is available for adoption through the Oshkosh Area Humane Society, and the organization is currently waiving adoption fees.
8. The Whisker Society
Location: 25 South Main St., Oconomowoc
Wisconsin’s newest cat cafe can’t fully call itself a cafe yet. The Whisker Society, which first opened in April, hasn’t yet opened its cafe, which will serve caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea, but it plans to do so soon. But The Whisker Society’s cat lounge has been extremely busy in the few months that it’s been open.
In just a few months, the Oshkosh-based cat cafe has had more than 50 of its feline occupants adopted. Reservations are required to visit the lounge, which is open Tuesday through Sunday, and cost between $10 and $15 per hour. All of the cats at The Whisker Society are available for adoption, and can also be viewed online.
