Whenever life grew stressful when I was younger, I would reach for the family cat. We’ve always had cats. Currently, Rusty, a 12-year-old orange tabby, roams my house in North Haven, Connecticut, waiting for someone to play with him.
But three and a half hours is a long way for me to go for a cuddle in the middle of the semester, so last October, I tried the next best thing: Le Cat Café.
Located at 2713 W. Girard Ave. in Philadelphia, Le Cat Café is both an adoption center for stray cats and a place for customers to enjoy a cup of coffee. Located 12 minutes from St. Joe’s Hawk Hill campus and nine minutes from University City, Le Cat Café is the perfect place to de-stress by petting cute cats.
The owner of Le Cat Café, Kathy Jordan, opened the cafe in March 2016. Jordan said she loves spreading the message that stray cats are fully capable of loving others.
“It’s the whole idea of educating people that cats on the street are friendly, adoptable cats,” Jordan said. “A lot of people think that you need to go to a breeder or a pet shop and get a cat, but the cat they see on the street or that they’ve been feeding on the street for the past three months or three years can also be a cat that is just as lovable in your home.”
The cats at Le Cat Café are from the nonprofit Green Street Rescue, which is based inside of Le Cat Café. At any given time, there are about 12 cats milling around the cafe. While I was there, Tiki, a gray tabby cat, continuously pressed her head into my palm, wanting me to pet her face.
Le Cat Café had fostered 182 cats and helped 339 others be adopted by Oct. 20, 2023. They also facilitate trial runs where people can take a cat home and see if they are a good fit for each other.
Vivian O’Bannon, an employee at Le Cat Café, said she loves the atmosphere and environment of helping these cats find their forever homes.
“My favorite part is being in the community of people who all care about cats, which is really great,” O’Bannon said. “You meet so many people who are aware of the problem of having so many strays and are committed to solving it. Anybody who’s here is a donation, so we appreciate it.”
Customers are charged a $17 entry fee ($15 for college students). While the fee is a required donation, it comes with free coffee and an hour to play with the cats. For $12, you can get 30 minutes. I was there for an hour playing with 12 different cats, happily knowing that my fee was going to a beneficial cause to help the strays.
Walk-in spots are available, but reservations online are encouraged and easy to navigate on the cafe’s website.
Caitlin McAuliffe, who lives in New York, is a regular customer at Le Cat Café. She also works as a cat sitter and cat behaviorist. McAuliffe is an experienced cat cafe lover who has been to cat cafes in London, Brussels, Barcelona, Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia.
“Every time I come to Philly, I come here,” McAuliffe said. “This is one of my favorites.”
I see why this location is such a favorite for McAuliffe. It is filled with climbing structures and platforms throughout the building for the cats to utilize. The walls are a calming light green and decorated with beautiful Parisian wall art. It smells like cat litter, as you would expect.
“I like to just spend time with them, help get them socialized properly and just give them the love that they need,” McAuliffe said.
Whether you are missing the cuddles of your own pets or simply want to donate to this organization, Le Cat Café is the place for you.
But don’t be jealous, Rusty. You’re still my number one cat.
