Little Lions

The Little Lions Cat Café is such a delight! I went midday on a Friday, during prime kitty naptime, and met 14 adorable cats. It seems like they are keeping it a 1:1 ratio of people to animals. The space is super cute, with plenty of room to move around and lots of comfortable seating. I fell a little bit in love with a small orange cat named Lily and a sleek black cat named Turkey. Though all the cats are adoptable, I already have an awesome cat at home and I don’t need a second (or third) just yet.
I highly recommend making reservations online. And arrive about 5 minutes early so you can grab a cup of tea or a snack. The Kauai Cocktail tea is fruity and fun!

Oh Little Lions Café, how I love thee. I came here for my birthday this year and had a blast! The room is really spacious, with several comfy couches, plenty of cat toys, and lots of areas for the cats to hang out. They had roughly ten cats when I was there, and the staff was extremely kind and knowledgeable. They would tell you various cats’ names, a little bit about them, and would often even try to corral the cat for you, if you were inquiring about a particularly shy one. $ 11 for one hour was well spent!
It’s worth noting that you can schedule a time slot online, to make sure that you don’t show up and the room is already filled. In addition to a regular hour session, they also hold special events such as yoga with the cats, movie night, and tea time. Though I haven’t had any of their baked goods, they have a fantastic selection of teas, and they serve stumptown coffee! What could be better than having a chocolate cold brew stumptown, and petting some sweet cats?!
Overall the cats were very friendly and receptive to being pet and held. Only a few wanted to nibble your fingers, and even those ones were still adorable! I can’t wait to come back again for some cat therapy! The good news is that if you fall in love with one of the cats, they’re all up for adoption.

I had the time of my life! Amazing. The cats are beautiful and so loving. It’s sad to think that these cats could have been killed before being rescued. Please do yourself a favor and visit this place, cat lover or not. You’ll be turned! I wish I could adopt another cat, especially with Little Lions doing a $ 10 adoption event. Places like these have a special place in NYC and deserve all the recognition. And the cats deserve infinite love… so give it to them.

Little Lions is by far my favorite place in this city. If you love cats, good teas and pastries you found the right spot.
It’s the best Cat Café I’ve been too; the space is clean, full of light, and cute kitties, and funny books, and on top of that experimented employees in the Cat Sanctuary! The world needs more places like this one!
The Café part is great too, the staff and food are wonderful, and I’ve always had a great time there.
I swear I don’t work there (wish I could) I’m just a true fan of the place!
Don’t forget to try the movie night every Thursday, to enjoy good food and peaceful time w/​the kitties!
Shout out to Erin and Paul for always being nice and friendly!
I highly recommend to stop by!

Took the kids here for croissant and cat watching through the big window. The kids loved it and the pastries were delicious too. There is a nice tea list with many choices. A friendly employee pointed out the cats and told us their names. Be aware that there are special children’s hours where children are allowed to pay for visiting and petting the cats but that they are later in the afternoon. We were happy just to watch the kitties through the window while others played with them, but if your child will want to visit check ahead for hours.

What a lovely little place! I’ve been to three cat cafes now, and this is by far the best.
It’s very light and extremely clean, with plenty of comfy couches (but let’s be honest, you’ll end up sitting on the floor with the cats anyway). Really lovely décor, lovely cats, and lovely staff. They had about 10 or 12 cats when we visited. We loved Puff the most! The woman we spoke with clearly had a great relationship with the cats and told us about them, as well as about the homemade/​natural air freshener they use to keep the place smelling great.
They work directly with Best Friends Animal Rescue, an organization that gets cats from a variety of shelters in the area. As of June 2016, they’ve had 26 cats adopted since their opening in February. What an awesome way to get kitties adopted while also giving them a happy temporary home where New Yorkers can enjoy and support their cuteness.
Probably not a good idea to bring small/​loud kids because they scare the cats.
I can’t speak for their coffee/​goodies because we were only there to play with the cats, but they have a little café adjacent (with a glass wall in between) where you can get pastries/​coffee and bring it over with you. But we preferred to just focus on the cats :)
Plus who doesn’t love free cat ear headbands! Highly recommended

This was my first time in a cat café and it was so lovely! You check in at the the café on the left and get your snacks/​drinks and then walk back over where they will unlock the door for you. The workers are all very kind and the cats were so sweet! I was a walk in customer but they told us that you should make reservations. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would try again!!! Lol

They have a room to sell drinks and cat products and a separate room to play with cats. It’s a cosy place to spend your leisure time with these beauties. I hope they have better desserts though.

Oh my god. I love it here. This place is paradise. It is so comfortable and inviting, plus CATS!!!
The café has a great tea selection and a great selection of cat-​themed items (mugs, canvas bags, etc).
The cat sanctuary itself is fantastic. The couches are super comfortable, the lighting is gorgeous, it’s clean, the exposed brick and hardwood floors (I think… unless they got some high-​end laminate) make you feel like you are hanging out at your friend’s super nice apartment. It just has a great overall feel. The kitties have plenty of toys to play with and plenty of hiding spots and beds. I think they’re pretty happy about their situation.
I’m actually going back to Little Lions tomorrow… but don’t tell my cats. They’ll get jealous.

$ 11 well spent!
Came in with a coworker during our lunch hour and it was definitely an hour well spent.
You check in at the café and buy and refreshments or snacks that you want before going next door to the car sanctuary. The food is a solid and I’d definitely come back for those scones!
The cats are always in a constant rotation because they do get adopted out, which I actually look forward to. The cats are all very friendly and not aggressive in any way.
They’re now doing cat yoga! I can’t wait to be back to play with more kittens!

Perfect time spent with super cute kitties! It’s a good tea and dessert place even if you are not a cat lover — two separate spacious rooms — one is café no cats, the other is cat sanctuary. There are comfortable sofas in both rooms. And don’t worry, yes, you can bring food/​drinks you ordered to cat room!
Food and drinks: A good variety of tea selections. I tried their happy tea. It’s fruity yet not overwhelming. They also serve cute cat shaped breakfast pancakes and many bakeries.
Plus! Very fair price and friendly staff.

I absolutely loved this place. Majority of the cats today were new so they were a little shy and hid under the couches, but the brave ones who came out were a pleasure to be around. Hopefully you can see the others once they warm up to the place. Luigi, Rosie, and Molly were awesome! The ladies working there were amazing. They let me stay in the café section up until just about closing time, can’t remember what time I got in, definitely after 5 so you’re not thinking I was the all day, lol. I spent an hour with the cats then sat in the café. You must go and visit, you never know you may leave with a new friend!

First off, I’m so glad that some kind of animal café exists in NYC. It sounded unsanitary at first, but really it doesn’t have to be. Little Lions café has 2 separate rooms. One room is where you order food and you can eat there as well. The room next door is where all the cats are, and they stay in there. For those that don’t mind mixing eating with playing, you can also choose to eat in there instead.
I got the avocado toast and iced white coconut crème tea. The avocado toast tasted delicious (because avocado!!) but I honestly thought the price was kind of steep. It was just a slice of toast with mashed avocado, chili pepper flakes, and olive oil. It was not exactly filling, it just made me not feel as hungry, and I usually eat small meals already. But again, it was delicious!
The white coconut crème tea was a slight disappointment, though that’s kind of on me. I asked the girl which drinks were more popular, since there were so many to choose from and I didn’t want to read through all the descriptions. She recommended this, and it sounded awesome. I was expecting a white drink with some sort of dairy or coconut milk in it. It was yellow and there was no cream at all, so the only part of the name that fit the drink was the coconut part, because the coconut flavor was there. It was an okay drink, but had I known what it really was, I would have gotten something else. But seriously, who comes up with these names?! «White coconut crème» is way misleading.
Onto the cat part. I headed over to the other room after eating and my friend and I had the room to ourselves for about 5 minutes, and then people just kept streaming in :(This was around 2pm. It was pretty empty before that, so I guess less people go in the morning time.
There were 9 cats there. Most of them were sleeping. Also, I think at some point, there were more people than cats. It got kind of boring then, because at some moments, I did not have a cat to play with and just had to watch other people play with them :(Despite all this though, I did enjoy my experience there. The cats are adorable. One of them walked right onto my lap. That was my favorite moment there. But then she walked off after a minute :(
Overall, I think this place is a great idea, especially for all the cat lovers out there. I really love that they get their cats from the Best Friends Animal Society, because with adoptions, I always feel like you always don’t get to see what the animal is like, but this place makes it possible because you can spend as long as you want with one. It’s a great way for the animals to have social interaction versus staying in their cages in a shelter all day too, so win win for all!

What a peaceful, cat sanctuary. Coming here was well-​needed after a stressful week. $ 11 well spent to de-​stress with some new soft, fuzzy friends. I came with a friend and we made a reservation for 10am in the morning on a Friday, which is evidently a good time to go. We were the only ones there for a good 15 min. and had the cats to ourselves. Later a few more people came, but it was by no means crowded.
The place is separated in two rooms. You first enter the café to check in and then proceed outside to enter the door located to right of the café entrance to enter the cat area. If you order anything from the café, they will bring it over to the next room for you once your order is ready. Be careful with your food and drink, as the cats are quite curious in regards to food items. If you want to know the names of the cats, just ask the staff member.
The person overseeing the cat area told us about some of the drama happening between some of the cats. Most of these cats are solitary creatures so quite a few fights broke out between them. We witnessed an intense showdown between two of the cats, glaring each other down. Which ultimately ended in a few hisses and smack-​downs. It was quite entertaining to watch.
Most of the cats were kind of aloof and afraid, but two cats, Zina and Diamond, were especially friendly. My friend bonded with Diamond while I bonded with Zina. Zina would come over to snuggle up to you and beg to be petted. I hope they get adopted soon. I still love dogs the most, but after visiting my first cat café I can now understand the charm of cats.

A wonderful day!
Stopped by the cat café yesterday with my mom and picked up a vegan avocado toast, a vegan chocolate chip cookie & tea with almond milk. My mom had a caprese sandwich and an almond croissant with coffee.
We had a lovely time spending the afternoon in a cozy, family-​room-​style environment having lunch with curious cats! The cat sanctuary is very peaceful, serene and relaxing. Both the food and the cats were great! We couldn’t decide whether to take a bite out of our food first or engage with a cat first!
One of the cats, a calico, was so friendly that she jumped up onto our table to inspect our food! We loved it! Some cats were napping but didn’t mind our petting them while they were sleeping on the couches. I played with another cat on the floor with a cat toy wand.
Little Lions just opened last month and have already adopted out 14 cats! What a terrific service they are doing for the community! I feel good patronizing an establishment such as this one.
Can’t wait to visit again!

Little Lions is ONE HALF café with pastries, sandwiches, coffee and excellent tea selection, and ONE HALF cat sanctuary with some lovely feline friends.
The space is wonderful. They cater to gluten-​free needs. The cats are ADORABLE. It’s a great time in a great location. Fair prices to play with the cats or eat + drink delicious goodies.
I noticed some haters on the wall – don’t listen! Go and see for yourself :) You’ll be glad you did.

Do yourself a favor and skip this cat café when there are better options like Meow Parlour. I was so excited to check this place out, ordered a green tea and admission for two ($ 6 per person for half an hour).
We weren’t given instructions that the entrance to the cat section of the café was outside next door. Confusing, since there’s a door inside the café connecting the two sections. We ended up waiting a few minutes, thinking someone would open the door for us until the staff finally let us know we had to go outside. It took another few minutes for someone to open the door for us outside too. TOO. MUCH. WAITING.
Then, once we were inside with the cats, there were 10+ people and we only saw about 4 or 5 cats, all occupied by other guests. The ambiance of the space was borderline pretentious. Kind of like if Tiffany and Co started their own cat café. I prefer the more laid back atmosphere of Meow Parlor.
After waiting a bit for a cat to meander by; I finally saw an open opportunity and started gently playing with a cat named Mona but she proceeded to bite and scratch me, leaving me bleeding.
I stayed a bit longer, hoping this place would redeem itself, but with no other cats to play with, a strong pungent smell permeating the space (when was the last time the litter boxes were cleaned?) and a bleeding hand, I left before my 30 minutes was up, feeling unfulfilled with no kitten hugs like the sign outside had promised.
Looking forward to visiting Koneko next, and hopefully it won’t be a let down like this place.
*i am not affiliated with Meow Parlor — just a big fan :)

Little Lions is a café to have tea and snacks, while playing, petting, and getting to know some charming shelter cats who are available for adoption.
There is a cover charge, and then you can choose what drinks and snacks you want at a counter. The scones are excellent. But that is not really why you are here, is it? No, you are here for the sanctuary area, where the cats live, and you can watch and play with them while you enjoy your refreshments.
Arriving around 3−4pm, we found the cats mostly napping rather than being in playful mode, but they are very tame, so they are happy to sit with you and be petted while they doze, which seems calming for both human and feline. We were told they are most active in the morning and «just before dinner» whenever that is.
Surprisingly, they were not hiding under the furniture or hissing at each other or anything like that. They seem well socialized to not only to each other but to humans, including kids.
The space is incredibly clean. Somehow I left without having any cat hair on me whatsoever. The cats seem very well-​groomed and healthy.
If you want to learn about the personalities of the cats, their history, breeds, and so on, the young woman who sort of supervises the sanctuary enjoys telling you about them so feel free to ask her anything.
If you have kids… be careful about bringing them here because they are going to fall in love with a cat! And want to adopt it! Apparently the business is very successful, and they have adopted out something like 10 cats since they opened a month ago.
It’s nice to experience this refuge from the cold streets and know at the same time you’re helping support these lovely animals.

I can’t even believe there’s such a place like this! I’m obsessed with tea and I love animals so naturally I had to stop by little lions while visiting my friend in NY. It is such a relaxing place to get away from the craziness of New York and just enjoy a cup of tea and kitties. It is beautiful inside too. The food looked amazing also. Staff was wonderful, A+++ for LL!

As a cat and afternoon tea party lover, I have found the perfect place for my girls and I! Special thank you to fellow Unilocal Elite, Jocelyn K. for telling me about this new cat café! My party and I arrived here on a Thursday evening. We were super impressed with how spacious and clean this place looks. It is a real café alright!
We first ordered our afternoon tea sets from the Tea Lounge to bring into the Cat Sanctuary with us. There was an extensive selection of teas from Black to Green to White. We each opt in for a different pot of tea to try — Passionfruit Jasmine (Black Tea), Green Earl Grey (Green Tea), and the White Peach (White Tea). For snacks, we shared the mini scones. My favorite tea had to be the Passionfruit Jasmine; fruity, tangy, and sweet. Scones were soft and buttery when eaten warm.
After getting our tray of orders, we bring our snacks along and proceed to the Cat Sanctuary part of the café. We were greeted by the Cat Comfort Coordinator who will confirm our reservations and brief us about the waiver that every visitor should’ve signed online. Upon entry, we were just super excited to meet our new feline friends! Most of the cats are very active and playful. We sat down in an empty corner and just as we pour our hot teas into our cups, a curious cat walked by us and stared! Super cute! It looked like she wanted to play tea party with us too! We spent most of our time petting and playing with them! Ones that I interacted with love the head scratches and a just few love the belly rubs. There are cat toys like the feathery pole that some cats like to grab onto with their furry little paws! My heart is just super warm when they meowed or purred!
It was a quick one hour that went by but it was probably the warmest of my day. I left the place feeling so happy that the cats are warm, safe, and taken care of! All smiles!
Reservations can be done easily online. As of today, it is $ 11.00/hour.