All Cats Are Beautiful. That’s why I not only take care of cats while their owners are away, but I also occasionally volunteer at cat shelters, do trap-neuter-return (TNR), and show street cats much love. Still, cat cafés are also a nice way to hang out with cats without taking on a burden of responsibility. During another long stay in Malaysia, I visited Penang cat cafés (😻) and cafés that happen to have cats (☕). Here are my recommendations, plus tips to make your stay in Penang impactful the many street cats

CATONOMY: Weekly Cat Meetups 😻

Opening times: Sat + Sun 11:00 – 21:00, Mon 13:00 – 20:30, Tue + Wed 11:00 – 20:30. Thursday closed. Make sure to check their most-recent opening times on Google Maps or Instagram. Pork-free and alcohol-free. One order minimum per person

The nicest cat café in Penang has many purebred cats, specializing in prize-winning Maine Coons. Since their business is also cat grooming and cat boarding business, they have resident cats (“full-timers”) and guest cats (“part-timers”). You can scan a chip to see which cats are which and a story. The cat most likely to greet you is the well-dressed Magic (featured photo 📸). He loves to play and is a very chill guy who naps on the piano. The weekend staff often is tasked with giving him bum slappies (which he loves).

CATONOMY has a Japanese-inspired menu with lots of fish and chicken and seaweed. Their food menu isn’t very vegetarian-friendly, with only the mentai tamago (egg) as my option (we usually eat around the corner at Plant A Seed Vegan). However, the drinks are amazing, from good coffee to rose milk, and smoothies to fizzy drinks. The cats are well-trained and don’t steal your food. Since it’s also a “pet-friendly café”, you’ll sometimes see other cats visiting. Rarely there are also other species visiting, such as well-behaved bunnies or dogs.

They take excellent care of them and make sure the space is clean (no shoes inside!) to protect their cats’ health. The cats can escape upstairs if they’re not feeling social. The parents clean them diligently every morning and the cats receive regular nail trims to make sure they don’t scratch patrons. Being there at one of their feeding times is great; you’ll see all cats eating happily in a row from their bowls. They have enough enrichment in their lives and have nothing to want for.

Since I went here every Sunday for the weekly Cats of Penang meetup, all cats really know me by now. That comes with extra perks, such as kitty cuddles and being trusted to hide behind if a kid is running up and down. CATONOMY has no entrance fee, but it’s mandatory to buy at least a drink (which makes sense).

Dreamer Haven Art Café: Books, Beverages, and Rescues ☕

Opening times: Mon – Fri 12:00 – 19:00, Sat + Sun 15:00 – 22:00. Find them on Google Maps and Instagram. Pork-free

Not a cat café! The sign in the window is very clear that this cozy café’s main attraction is its menu, not its four rescue cats. There’s a request to not put your camera in the cat’s little faces all the time. The first cat that’s likely to greet you is Buttercup, their black-and-white shop cat who is always conducting pressing cat business.

The owner is a very nice lady who will happily tell you each cat’s rescue story. All cats have been spayed/neutered and vaccinated. She also keeps an eye out for newcomers and helps them see a vet and find forever homes. All cats can escape into a back area where their litterboxes, water bowls, and food are. The cats are free to roam inside and also a little outside. As they’re pets, you can’t pick them up, but you’re welcome to play with them if they feel like it.

For humans, there’s some nice tables downstairs next to the counter. Alternatively, you can go upstairs, take off your shoes, and sit at one of the cozy low tables. If you’re there on a Sunday afternoon, you might run into the crowd from the weekly silent book club. Bring your own book, sketchpad, or laptop to get some leisure/work done while sipping on a beverage.

Their menu has vegetarian options, and the owner is also flexible with swapping chicken for tofu to make your wish come true. The drink options are quite varied and honestly all very good. There’s even a lightly-alcoholic coconut toddy drink that is refreshing and tastes tropical.

A Soar Coffee: Quality Beans + Cat Toe Beans ☕

Opening times: Fri – Sun 9:00 – 22:00, Mon + Tue + Thu 9:00 – 19:00. Wednesday closed. Make sure to check their most-recent opening times on Google Maps and Instagram. Non-halal food, drinks are fine

This clean and cozy café specializes in some of the best coffee you’ll find in Penang. They roast and blend their own beans, named Dollar blends, which is also the name of their friendly orange cat they’ve adopted. If Dollar isn’t resting upstairs, he’s gracing coffee connoisseurs with his presence and playfulness. If he’s not in the café, you can ask the staff if he’s around and they might bring him. He loves to play with a string and smell your backpack. Dollar has been with the café since its very beginnings as a lucky cat rescued from the streets.

Smell some of the beans at the counter to select your roast, pick a style of coffee, and sit back to relax while the baristas prepare your brew. We chose two different Ethiopian beans that turned out to have completely different flavor profiles. All drinks come in gorgeous stoneware. There are also non-coffee drinks available and for food there’s bagels and some cakes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Rendez by Meowchii: Playtime + Delicious Lattes 😻

Opening times: Thu – Tue 9:30 – 18:30. Wednesday closed. Find them on Google Maps and Instagram. I think it’s halal. One order minimum per person

In downtown George Town, we found another cat café in a small street towards the end of our stay. They’ve only been open at this location for four months as of writing and had another location for a year somewhere else (on the mainland in Butterworth). During our visit, they were renovating the cat room upstairs, where there’s allegedly 25 cats. Downstairs, there were just six sweet little felines to greet us upon entry. They were quite comfortable and wanted pets and attention from us, especially when we brought the shoestrings out. Some even made biscuits on our legs and walked over us, such as the cat named Baby, who might be quite an old Baby by now.

For drinks, you can find your standard lattes. But I can highly recommend the pandan kaya iced latte. For food, they do sandwiches and pasta. They also have cakes, such as mochi brownie . The interior is like an older living room, with quite some cozy couches. It’s good to spend a few hours here. Unfortunately, the upstairs cat room was closed, so we haven’t seen the full picture yet.

Jöies Sourdough Bakery Cafe: Cakes, Pasta, and Miao-Miao ☕

Opening times: Thu – Tue 9:30 – 18:30. Wednesday closed. Find them on Google Maps and Instagram. Pork-free

We wanted to have a coffee, and found a cute café with a cat outside. No collar, but an ear was tipped. A beautiful street-tabby who loves to play. A woman with an all-grey British shorthair kitten in her arms walked past us. We went inside and asked about the cat and learned her name is Miao-Miao while sipping on a ginger latte. She is not allowed inside (and neither was the kitten) as this is a food and beverage business. But they do take care of her. When I went outside again, I saw she has a kind of cage with a litter box, some food, and water. The staff member told me she sleeps inside there at night so she doesn’t wander around and encounters street dogs.

The menu at Jöies is also vegetarian (with alliums), and they specialize in pasta, bread, and tofu-based cheesecakes. I’ll have to come back for the food and some more quality time with Miao-Miao.

IZAWA: Japanese-style Cat Café with Desserts 😻

Opening times: Mon – Sun 12:00 – 22:00. Find them on Google Maps and Instagram. Minimum commitment is one drink order. You need to buy socks for 0.50 MYR if you’re not wearing any. Pork-free and alcohol-free

This gigantic space on a busy main road in Penang has a good setup for both eating and hanging out with cats. Upon entry, you need to take off your shoes and buy socks if you’re like me and you live in flipflops. There’s a large menu with lot of Japanese-style foods and beverages, which means it’s quite fishy. But one staff member told me it’s possible to vegetarianize/veganize some dishes by replacing the fish or chicken with tofu or mushrooms. Their real specialty are all the sweet desserts (mochi) and drinks, such as the one called Oooh! Sheep.

While you can eat your food in an area next to the cat café part in peace and without fluff, drinks in the cat space are fine. We had some sweet beverages while sitting at a low table and discovering sleepy cats high up in their cat trees or hidden in a cozy nook. Once I got my cat toy out, I got several enthusiastic reactions from the resident felines. The interior has lots of fake rock/cave vibes, sakura blossoms, and decorated cat trees. They definitely put their all into the interior design. There’s a lot of seating available and I can’t imagine how busy the place can get.

We were also there at feeding time, which is what the entire back wall is for. There are little spaces where the cats get put in with their food bowl if they’re prone to stealing food from the other cats. This was all rather peaceful. I noticed one of the cats also tried to have a little lick from our drink with whipped cream once. They all look well-cared for.

All in all, it’s not a bad place to visit during a quiet weekday. The only annoying part of staying here for a long time is the distance to the toilet through the entire building.

Munchkin & the Gang: Short-legged Felines in Every Coat Pattern 😻

Opening times: Mon – Sun 11:00 – 20:00. Find them on Google Maps and Instagram. Entrance fee of 25 MYR includes one drink, or you can waive the entrance fee by committing to buying food. Muslim-friendly

One of the most-accessible Penang cat cafés is part of a chain of pet cafés. They also run Husky & the Gang and Corgi & the Gang, which are nearby. If you go to one, you’ll receive a discount to go to the other, which we didn’t do, because we are cat people and the voucher needs to be used the same day. As indicated by the name, they specialize in Munchkin cats. But they also have some Maine Coons. They come in almost every coat color and length, from grey-and-white tuxedo to Siamese and various fluffy tabbies and cats with curled ears. Their names are on their collars.

Upon entry, you’re immediately asked what kind of food/drink order commitment you’re making. Also, you need to read the rules for interacting with cats and take your shoes off. Cats with a gold chain collar are the ones you can only pet on their heads, while other cats enjoy pets all over. In my experience, this depended on whether the cat likes you enough.

There’s food and drinks on their menu, but once again, there are few vegetarian options in the appetizer section. I had an affogato, but there’s also smoothies, fruit juices, milk tea, and matcha.

The cats have plenty of cozy spots around the café. There are loads of cat beds and enrichment such as cat toys. Some of the cats love attention, while others would rather keep napping. A few of them love to chase a string around the space. All in all, it’s a nice place

The Munchkin breed is banned in the Netherlands and a few other places that care about animal welfare due to health concerns and limited genetics. The short leggies – while cute – can cause back and joint problems. Do with this information what you will.

Other Penang Businesses with Resident Cats

Aroma by the Pipes: Shisha Place with a Bengal Kitty

We just happened to stumble upon this hidden speakeasy-style bar and hookah lounge. You have to pass through a restaurant to get there. During one of the visits, the owner’s young cat was there. We played with her for the entire time, which she appreciated. The next time we visited, it was her day off. On site, she has everything she desires, from litterbox to water bowl and also several secluded areas she can go to. The place isn’t cheap, but it’s nice to unwind, drink a beer, have a shisha, and perhaps have a kitty visiting.

Pitt’s Tattoo and Piercing: Get Inked with Furry Company

By appointment only. I just dropped by to check out what kind of helix piercings they have, totally not just dropping in for the cat the internet mentions. There was an adorable diluted orange tabby sitting on the counter ready to do your transactions. Very pettable. Turns out, there’s four cats in this tattoo shop! And now I’m considering getting another piercing or tattoo. I didn’t snap a picture inside, but you can also see the cats on their Instagram.

Are Cat Cafés Ethical?

Not to be a Negative Nelson, but we need to ask ourselves this: is it ethical to support cat cafés with our money? I don’t think it’s that simple and the choice is ultimately yours.

Cat café culture in Europe and Asia differ quite a lot. In Asia, you’ll see many cafés with only purebred cats, whereas in (Northwestern) Europe, there’s a split between those that help rehome shelter/stray cats and those that have all/some purebreds. While I agree with Adopt Don’t Shop, there are some cultural values in Asia I can’t quite put my finger on.

People in Malaysia often choose cats here on their aesthetics and how much they look like a breed cat. There’s little excitement for your average Penang street tabby with a (genetically) wonky tail. There are few people with bleeding hearts for those sweet-but-plain street cats who would make the most loving companion. As someone volunteering with Cats of Penang and SPCA Penang, it makes me feel hurt and angry when people only want a cat for their looks.

I have been to many cat cafés in Europe and Asia and almost none of them have the same business model. Some of them have strict rules they make you read to prevent you blaming them for getting scratched, others you just walk in. Some charge an entrance fee, others don’t. Few are by reservation only. Some are for-profit, others are there to fund and support a cat shelter.

What really matters to me in a cat café is giving cats a possibility to escape when they’re feeling touched-out or when a screaming child is inside. Any cat café that bans kids under 15 is good in my book and that prevents 90% of possible issues. Since they’re working animals, they also need to receive quality cat food, quiet breaks, and regular veterinary care. And I sometimes wonder if the cats are drugged or sedated and if that’s a good or bad thing with people coming and going. Regardless, the majority of cats at cat cafés live happier lives than the majority of cats on the streets.

Lastly, the purebred issue… While I’ve loved and cared for many breed cats (Sphynxes, Maine Coon mix, British Shorthair) during my catsitting career, it’s not something I would do for myself with when there are so many friendly strays outside that deserve love. And some of the genetic and physical issues purebreds have, such as breathing trouble due to flat faces and pains throughout their bodies. No cat should be born to live a life of pain, just because of how they look. But I’ll take care of them without judgment toward the owner no matter what.

Good guide? Consider buying me a coffee!

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