Animal café culture began in Asia and now Canada is getting in on the trend. The Canadian cafés range from pet-friendly dining areas to satellite adoption centres. So be sure to check them out online before heading out to confirm that they meet your individual needs. Now, I am super excited to share several noteworthy animal-friendly cafes in Canada.
1. Wag Café, Ottawa Ontario
Ottawa dog lovers, rejoice! Ottawa’s first pet-friendly café and pet lounge is here and located strategically on Bank Street. It’s not just a place for coffee and free Wi-Fi. The café hosts breed-specific socials, playgroups, and doggy daycares. You can be sure that both you and your dog(s) will have a fun time.
2. My Dog’s Café & Bar, Hamilton Ontario
Dog cafés aren’t exclusively reserved for the Capital city. My Dog’s Café & Bar owner, Wendy Perron, opened her business to provide a space for owners and dogs to relax together outside of home. Instead of having to tie up your dog outside and make them feel lonely, patrons are welcome to bring their dogs inside while they grab a drink (they serve alcohol!) or snack.
3. Le Doggy Café, Montreal Quebec
Calling all vegetarian and vegan dog lovers! Le Doggy Café in Montreal caters to your niche. They heard your bark and are ready to serve you and your love for dogs. They also host dog training sessions and workshops including a cooking class for canines.
4. Hot Dog & Cie, Montreal Quebec
Montreal is exploding with dog-friendly cafes. Unlike other pet cafés, Hot Dog & Cie follows a very extra café-restaurant concept. It has a full-service grooming salon for dogs and cats, the decor is English-inspired, and they also serve alcoholic beverages.
5. Brandy’s Canine Café, Montreal Quebec
This is not your typical animal café. It doubles as an animal health centre that welcomes both dogs and cats. The café has a wide selection of beverages for owners to sip while they read or work on their laptops. While the owners relax, pets can roam freely and play with the many available toys. The café also hosts a number of events including pet birthday parties.
6. Munchies Coffee House and BARKery, Hamilton Ontario
This dog-friendly spot prepares food for both patrons and dogs. They make all of their food in-house without any preservatives. Two different menus are offered: one for pets, which includes fun snacks and doggie birthday cakes, and another for humans, which includes baked goods and hot drinks. Don’t forget to bring your furry friend along for a treat at this chic establishment.
7. Catfé, Vancouver British Columbia
As one of the most well-established cat cafés in Canada, Vancouver's Catfé has been around since December 2015. It's a satellite adoption centre for BCSPCA, a café, and a space for kitty lovers to get some pet therapy. Their light lunch menu includes vegan and gluten-free options and also features local roasted BC coffee. There is an entrance fee and they require that you make a reservation in order to control the amount of people and prevent the animals from being overwhelmed.
8. Feline Café, Ottawa Ontario
Visiting Ottawa? You need to stop by Feline Café. This place lets you chill with friends or friendly cats. The cats on-site are all adoptable. So if you're interested, a visit will give you a snapshot of the personality of the cat that you’re interested in adopting and help you decide if you’re ready to take home a furry friend.
9. Miss J.La’s Fur Babies Cat Café and Adoption Centre, Winnipeg Manitoba
Miss J.La’s Fur Babies doubles as a café and adoption centre. Owner, Jennifer Laferriere uses the space to foster cats in hopes that patrons will fall in love and take one home. The café charges per entry but has no time limit. The $10 adult entry free includes a hot beverage.
10. Meow Cat Café, Toronto Ontario
Inspired by South Korean cat cafés, the owners of Meow Cat Café decided to set one up in Toronto. Run and operated by a mother-daughter team, the café has a spacious layout for the cats to roam around. There is no entrance fee so you only need to worry about paying for your drink. None of the cats are up for adoption so you can't take any of them home with you. But owners are welcome to bring their cats from home for a playdate. This café also sells cute cat toys from South Korea that you can't get anywhere else.
11. TOT the Cat Café, Toronto Ontario
Toronto's first cat café is located just a few blocks away from University of Toronto St. George Campus, making it a purrfect place for a study break or some pet therapy amidst the chaos of student life. The café partners with local rescue agencies, like Scarborough Bluffs Cat Club, to house their cats temporarily until someone adopts them.
12. Café Félin Ma Langue Aux Chats Quebec Cat Café, Quebec City Quebec
This café recommends animal therapy to help getaway from busy downtown life. They currently host nine cats and each is a different breed, ranging from Siamese to Ragdoll to Persian. They have a diverse menu including paninis, omelettes, and grilled cheese, along with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.
13. Le Café des Chats, Montreal Quebec
Le Café des Chats was the first ever cat café in North America. It pretty much started the craze here and is presently thriving as a business. It’s situated at a transit-accessible location and is the perfect place to cuddle up with felines. A bunch of the cats are from Montreal’s SPCA, so you’re doing them a big favour by visiting and giving them some love.
14. Siberian Cat Café, Chelsea Quebec
This place is only for the coolest of cats – Siberian cats. It's located just outside of Gatineau and is a lovely haven for cat lovers looking to get away from the city. It has three cat areas each with a unique theme and decor – the cat salon, cat bistro, and patio. Also it’s the first hypoallergenic café in the world – truly one-of-a-kind.
15. Cat Café on Whyte, Edmonton Alberta
Alberta’s first cat café is a-meow-zingly punny and they’re not kittying about it. The menu includes drinks like the catspresso, a-meow-ricano, kit-tea fog, hot choco-cat and catpurrccino. The café's decor is very simple and minimalistic. The cats there are all up for adoption and are from SAFE Team in Edmonton, a 100% volunteer-run animal rescue group.
16. Regal Cat Café, Calgary Alberta
A few months after the first cat café in Alberta opened in Edmonton, this one popped up in Calgary. Long gone are the days when you have to travel all the way to Edmonton to experience a cat café. Like most cat cafes, this place has cats on site that are adoptable through the MEOW Foundation.
17. My Kitty Cafe, Guelph Ontario
My Kitty Cafe is Ontario's first cat café. The cats on-site are from Guelph Humane Society and are all adoptable. The menu has a huge range of meal options as well as caffeinated and non-caffeinated drinks.
New Animal Cafes Coming Soon
But what about Saskatchewan? What about the Maritime provinces? Don't worry. If you live in Sasketchewan, Regina will be getting not one, but TWO, cat cafés very soon. Excalipurr Cat Café and Vegaboo Cat Haven are on track to open by the end of the summer.
As for the East Coast, keep an eye out for cat café crowdfunding projects and help make them happen.
Remember to respect the animals wherever you go. Prior to visiting a cat café, be sure to check the café's website to be certain of their rules and policies. They are in place to keep the animals safe and healthy.
Now that you know about all of these wonderful cafés, where will you make a petstop?