I Visited Brews & Mews Cat Cafe in Downtown Lenoir, NC

 


I went to Brews & Mews in downtown Lenoir for an iced coffee and some time in the cat room. I loved that the cats there are up for adoption too. ❤️ It got me wondering how a coffee shop with cats went from one place in Taiwan to hundreds of places across the U.S.

Where did cat cafes start?

The first widely recognized cat cafe opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998. It was called Cat Flower Garden, also known as Kitten Garden. Japan got its first cat cafe in Osaka in 2004 and the idea spread to Tokyo. If you lived in an apartment that didn’t allow pets, you could still spend part of your afternoon with a cat.

The U.S. got its first taste in April 2014 when Purina hosted a cat cafe in New York City for four days. That October, Cat Town opened the country’s first permanent cat cafe in Oakland, California. It gave visitors a chance to get to know shelter cats outside a cage. The team especially wanted to help older and shy cats that tended to get overlooked.

How many cat cafes are in the U.S. now?

By late 2017, about 30 places like Cat Town had opened around the country, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In 2022, the Falls Church News-Press reported 141 U.S. cat cafes, based on the Meow Around directory. As of November 2026, Cat Cafe Map lists 434 open locations across 382 U.S. cities. That last count includes cafes, cat lounges and adoption centers where visitors can spend time with cats. The estimates come from different sources and give a sense of how far the idea has spread.

Are new cat cafes still opening?

Yes. That Cat Life counted 56 U.S. openings in 2024 alone. And on October 24, 2026, Help Meowt Catfe held its soft opening right here in Newton, NC. It has two lounges with adoptable cats that you can see through windows from the coffee shop. Denton, Texas, got its first cat cafe in 2026 too. The Bubble Cat Cafe works with foster volunteers and local rescue groups to help cats find homes.

Brews & Mews started with a kitten named Kitty Beans

Kitty Beans was only five days old and needed care around the clock. Taking care of her inspired the idea for Brews & Mews. The local paper covered it in 2022 as western North Carolina’s first cat cafe. Today the cafe works with local shelters to foster kittens and adult cats. If you meet a cat you’d like to take home, you can ask the staff how to apply. The cafe’s own rescue is called the Purrole Office.

Visiting Brews & Mews in Lenoir

It’s at 219 N Main St in downtown Lenoir, NC, right across from the courthouse. Which makes the name Purrole Office even better. 😂 Regular cat room reservations are an hour for ages 7 and up. Families with kids 6 and under can book a separate 30 minute Happy Meower visit. The menu has lattes named after cats and a drink called The Stray. If you order that one, they decide what you’re having.

Watch my visit to Brews & Mews on YouTube to see the cats I met. 🐾


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