The Cat Lady Cafe has been awesome since we opened on March 28, 2023 and has since adopted 129 cats into their fur-ever homes! We are part cat rescue and part coffee shop and provide a relaxing environment for our cats and guests. Cats are from the Humane Society of St. Joseph County and live here until they are adopted. Guests pay $11/hour to visit with the cats. Some come with the intention of adopting and others come to just relax and visit with the cats. We've seen visitors of all ages gasp when they enter the room, at the sight of the cats roaming around. It's instant happiness! Many describe it as "therapeutic."
Cat cafes are not unique-they are all over the world! But The Cat Lady Cafe is my version for South Bend. I’ve been a volunteer and board member for the Humane Society of St. Joseph County for nearly 20 years, so animal rescue has been my passion for two decades. I visited a cat café in London in 2017 and decided that South Bend needed one,
I completed the SPARK Program through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative at Saint Mary's College in the fall of 2020, which provided a solid business plan and gave me valuable community connections.
Since opening our doors last year, we've not only adopted over 120 cats, but we've also been a bright spot in our guests' day. We've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, engagements and graduations. We've had visitors from the local area and the region, as well as many visitors who are in South Bend as part of their travels.

We currently partner with ADEC to provide employment assessments for their clients, offer complimentary visits for guests of the Ronald McDonald House of Michiana and host special events with local businesses like The Pigeon and The Hen Pottery.

Even though we are all about cats... we are truly more than just cats and can't wait to share with you the impact we have made and continue to make in the community!