Soft music plays in the background of a modern space with brightly colored walls and a variety of seating arrangements. Cat towers of different sizes are scattered throughout, with cats nestled in every corner sleeping, playing and lounging.
Located in midtown, El Jefe Cat Cafe is one the largest cat cafes in the United States, offering potential adopters a unique take on a traditional animal shelter space. And it’s celebrating its rising success in helping homeless cats find their forever homes.
“The adoption rate is very awesome right now, I am very happy about it,” cafe owner Tiffany Lee said, noting a rise in adoptions in recent months.
That success has been years in the making.
Open since 2019, El Jefe partners with local rescues and aims to help cats in need by providing cafe visitors with a space where they can enjoy a coffee and play with cats while they roam in an open space environment.
“The whole point of a shelter is to save as many animals as possible, so they usually try to put as many cats in the space in order to save as many as possible. With a cat cafe, it’s more about having a comfort level where everything is low stress for both cats and people,” Lee said.
Cats Bella, Dash and Lee hangout at the cafe on Jan. 24, 2025 in Tucson, Ariz.
Lee was inspired to open her business after visiting cat cafes in Phoenix with her daughter and experienced the stress relieving effects of interacting with the cats. She hopped at the possibility of helping university students de-stress with the cafe’s close proximity to the University of Arizona campus.
“A lot of what Tucson has to offer is its natural beauty – there’s a lot of outdoor things to do – so this is a really good option for people coming into town when they need to take a break from the heat,” she said.
Crackle sunbathes in the front window of El Jefe Cat Cafe on Jan. 24, 2025.
Employee Julia Faltin has high hopes for the cats at the cafe.
“I really love to see these cats find their forever homes and really connect with people,” she said. “I’ve seen older cats that would usually get looked over at shelters find homes because you’re really able to connect with the cats since they are in their comfortable environment, and you can see what their true character is.”
Faltin started coming to the cafe to study as a student in between work and classes. Now she works pairing cats with adopters who complement their personality.
That was the case for Dane Mahoney, who recently adopted a five-month-old kitten, Jack.
“He is the perfect personality for me because he is playful, hyper, and into shenanigans,” he said. “It lifts my spirits by having him around. He was the perfect match for me.”
A growing number of matches like Mahoney’s is helping boost adoptions and creating more space for potential cats in need of homes with kitten season quickly approaching, Lee said.
The storefront of El Jefe Cat Cafe, where customers can purchase a variety of cat related trinkets on Jan. 24, 2025.
Thirty-five cats have been adopted from the cafe since January, and 770 have found homes since opening.
El Jefe cat cafe is located at 3025 N. Campbell Ave. and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., helping cats connect with their perfect companion.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
