We travel to Los Angeles at least once a year to see my family, so we’ve done many of the typical LA touristy things – Universal, Hollywood, the beach, the Getty museum, shopping on Melrose.
On our most recent visit, we decided to try something new: we set out for a cat lounge where we could spend our morning with some friendly, adoptable kitties.
We struck gold with the Feline Good Social Club in downtown Long Beach!
Our family loves cat cafes and lounges, period. The idea of hanging out in a cute, comfortable space with a myriad of cats roaming around is pretty much heaven for us. But this cat lounge was even better than others we’ve visited!
In case you’re wondering, a cat cafe is a place with cats that also sells and serves beverages and food – like Kitty Bubble Cafe in Clintonville. A cat lounge, on the other hand, is just a place to go hang out with cats; many people bring a book, go with a friend to chat, or simply relax and enjoy time in the company of cats.
We found our way to downtown Long Beach by driving over several tall, impressive cable-stayed bridges. When we arrived at the cat lounge, several homeless people were sleeping on the sidewalk outside which was a little bit off-putting, but we nonetheless made our way into Feline Good Social Club and paid our entry fee. We felt safe entering, leaving and while inside the cat cafe – the unhoused individuals outside did not bother anyone.
Once inside, we fell in love with the bright, clean, pretty space and sheer number of adorable kitties in the house! Many cats were napping but several were roaming around and quick to come up to us for pets. Z and I went our separate ways, me photographing sleeping cats and Z enjoying purrs and head butts galore.
We purchased a one-hour visit (about $20 per person) but certainly could have spent longer. In fact, Z and her dad went back for another one-hour visit with the kitties before we left LA. Z especially fell in love with Lady Nibblesworth, or Nibbles for short. She had been a resident of the Feline Good Social Club for several months and was a favorite among staff and guests for her sweet nature and curvy figure!
It may be worth noting that visiting and spending time with animals like this is not just a fun activity for us to do while on vacation; it’s also an important coping tool. We miss our pets a lot when we travel, and connecting with other pets can help us to feel soothed.
Coregulation with animals is a pretty common coping mechanism, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be with your own pets. Z has always loved spending time with animals, especially cats, for mood and nervous system balancing; it is a valuable coping activity that makes her feel calm and happy. The same is absolutely true for me. And so, seeking out animals to pet and spend time with is a very normal and natural form of self-care for us while traveling – especially since being away from home and familiar spaces can amp up stress and emotions a bit to begin with.
Others in our extended family don’t always understand that going to places where we can coregulate with animals is not just something we like to do – it is also a useful, beneficial and helpful coping tool and activity that very often feels like something that we NEED to do.
I’m so glad we found Feline Good Cat Cafe and I’m sure it will become a regular stop on our trips to LA moving forward. It’s clean, well-run and all of the cats are adoptable so the furry faces will be ever changing as residents move on to forever homes. We love to support community organizations like this one that are doing so much good for cats and neighborhoods!
