These Animal Cafés Are Perfect for Coffee and Cuddles

Is there anything more relaxing than meeting a friend for coffee or tea at your local café? It’s one of those simple joys in life that is good for the soul. So, imagine how much better it would be if your friend were a four-legged animal instead! It would be a dream — one that you can actually make come true at one of several animal-focused cafés around the world. Guests can hang out with rescue cats to play with and/or adopt, take pictures of capybaras, and get up close and personal with micro pigs at one of these cool spots. An afternoon pick-me-up with an added dose of animal-cuddling serotonin? Sign us up!

Capybara Café

Capybaras are so cute. This semi-aquatic rodent (also known as a water hog) lives in Central and South America. The little cuties can dive and swim, and they have eyes, ears, and nostrils on top of their furry heads. These gentle creatures are perfect for snuggling at the Capybara Café in St. Augustine, Florida. This venue allows visitors to hang out with adorable capybaras to raise money for animal conservation through Noah’s Ark Sanctuary. Stephanie Angel, who opened the Capybara Café last year, told the Associated Press, “You give them lots of scratches and love.”

“A lot of times [the capybaras] climb on your lap because they’re very used to people, and if you’re really good at giving scratches, they’ll actually fall over,” she went on. “So that’s always our goal to get them so comfortable that they fall over.”

How sweet is that? Hundreds of people have visited the café since it opened, with reservations recommended as it can fill up quickly. When you arrive, you’ll get a blanket to put over your lap, so capybaras can comfortably crawl on you. You may even get to visit other cute animals, like baby skunks, ferrets, and armadillos. Tickets begin at $49 per person for a 30-minute visit with capybaras.

Mipig Café

Not all pigs are found on the farm. In Japan, you can see adorable micro pigs at the Mipig Café! Micro pigs, also known as mini pigs or teacup pigs, can grow 14-20 inches tall and weigh between 50-200 pounds. They make great therapy animals, as they are both cute and smart, although they can also be playfully destructive and make messes throughout the house. You don’t have to worry about any of that at Mipig Café, though. Here, you can play with baby and adult micro pigs, who roam around the floor and interact with guests. You’ll want to plan on being there for 1-2 hours to make sure you have enough time to relax and interact with all the cute micro pigs.

In addition to being a fun place to play, the Mipig Café also serves as a training environment where micro pigs learn to interact with others. Later, the pigs are adopted out, so if you can’t leave without one, this is a great chance to get to know them first. There are at least 10 Mipig Cafés in Japan, where the animals are cared for by staff. Reservations are required, with prices varying depending on time and location. Visits start at 25-minute increments.

KitTea Cat Lounge

As one of the earliest established cat cafés in the U.S., the KitTea Cat Lounge (see what they did there?) in San Francisco, California, is the ultimate stress reliever. Start with a beverage of your choice—artisan tea, sparkling drinks, or a cold brew, for example. Then, kick back and relax with rescue cats, some of which you can actually adopt at the end of the visit. Each guest will receive a complimentary cold beverage, which they can sip as they make their way to the Cat Lounge. Take off your shoes and wear socks for your 55-minute visit, during which 20-30 cats will roam, play, rest, or possibly avoid you. It’s the cats’ world, and we just live in it, after all!  

In addition to regular cat cuddling sessions, the KitTea Cat Lounge also hosts fun events throughout the year, such as Whiskers & Watercolors evenings, Cello & Chill (With Cats) nights, and more. The lounge was founded in 2014 and works with underfunded shelters across the Bay Area and Central Valley. They focus on rescuing at-risk cats, including seniors, bonded pairs, and other sweet felines that are overlooked in shelters. What could be better than sweet cat cuddles in the middle of your vacation? It sounds purr-fect!