Cat Cafés Spread Through Prague

It seemed like it might be a passing fad when the first cat café opened in Prague back in 2014.

But others soon followed. And they’ve proven to be a big hit among both locals, who may not be able to have a cat at home for a variety of reasons, and cat-loving tourists, some of whom stop by their local cat café before checking out Charles Bridge or Prague Castle.

Cats and coffee (and cake)? The combination seems like an unusual one, but when the world’s first cat café in Taipei became a huge tourist draw after opening in 1998 and the concept was further popularized in Japan (Tokyo boasts over 50 cat cafés alone), the trend spread throughout the world.

So where can you go to get your feline fix in the Czech capital? There are currently four official cat cafés in Prague:

Billed as the first cat café in Prague, this Žižkov venue, a couple blocks down the street from Palác Akropolis, has been in operation for two years – since October 2014. Check out their website for photos of the individual cats. Open Daily from 11:00 – 20:00.

Karlín’s cat café serves up a little more than the usual coffees and cakes, with vegetarian specialties frequently popping up on the menu. Check their Facebook page for seasonal events and weekend brunches. Open daily from 11:00 – 20:00.

Social Point began life not as a pure cat café, but a meeting point for people to gather and play video and board games or just relax in a friendly social setting. But the cats have proven to be the big draw at this New Town location. Open daily from 10:00 – 20:00.

This Smíchov cat café has proven to be one of the most popular in Prague, at least going by reviews on social media: it scores a 4.9 from nearly 300 Facebook reviewers. Open daily from 11:00 to 21:00.