Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Cat House?
The Cat House is a cat lounge and boutique! There’s anywhere from 10-25 adoptable cats in our lounge that you can interact with! It’s a great place for cat people to get their cat fix while also helping to socialize the adoptable cats! We also have a cat themed boutique where you can browse the TONS of cat stickers, stationary, key chains, and so much more! The Cat House loves to support other small businesses and artists and our boutique carries just that!
If you fall in love with a lounge cat during your visit, you could adopt them! But also, no pressure. If you want to come play with some cats for stress relief, a fun date activity, or maybe you’re curious about cats but never pet one before. Whatever the reason, the Cat Lounge is a zero pressure environment to hang with some kitties.
The Cat Lounge Rules & Etiquette
Gentle hands with the cats
Quiet voices during your visit please
Please supervise children
Please be mindful of when your time is ending
Do not pick up the cats, let them come to you
Lastly, The Cat House has a zero tolerance policy for anyone causing distress to our cats. This person/group will be asked to leave, no refunds.
Are children allowed to come to the Cat Lounge?
Yes! Gentle children can come visit :)
There is a strict 2 children (anyone under 14 years old) per 1 adult policy. Unfortunately, if you bring 3 or more children with you and there is not enough adults in your group, we will ask you to come back another time with the correct ratio of children to adults. This is to ensure kids are being supervised and gentle when interacting with the cats.
Teens ages 15 years old and older can enter alone without an adult but must sign the waiver and liability form acknowledging the risks of being around many different cats.
No, teens cannot sign waivers and be considered the adult to enter with siblings.
***disclaimer!- Gentle children are welcome, but this may not be an appropriate activity for all children.***
Loud voices, running, chasing cats, disrupting sleeping cats, or picking up cats will not be tolerated and the entire group will be asked to leave, no refunds :(
The lounge cats live at The Cat House. It is their home until they get adopted. When not following the rules, it is considered disrespectful to the staff, volunteers, other visitors, and especially the cats.
How much is it to visit?
$15 per person (there is no charge for children ages 3 years old and under)
Visits are 45 minutes long.
Because we are a small business, no refunds are issued. Keep this in mind when booking your visit! We always try to help reschedule your reservations if you give us notice that you can’t make it.
~we can accommodate about 10 people or based on staff’s judgement. if you have a large group (6-15 people) please email thecathousecatcafe@gmail.com for info about having a private event after hours.
Can I bring treats to feed the cats during my visit?
No, please do not bring your own treats to feed the cats. Overindulging on treats can cause the cats to have stomach issues later on. Please ask us if we can give you some treats to hand out but keep in mind the staff has to ration the amount so the cats do not end up with upset tummies.
Do you sell gift cards?
Yes we do! Gift cards can be purchased in person and can only be redeemed in person. Meaning our gift cards are not compatible with the online reservations/booking system. But you can use the gift card in person at TCH if coming as a walk in to visit the lounge. Gift cards can be used to purchase in person cat lounge visits, merchandise, drinks, snacks, basically anything in the store :)
Do you serve food and drinks?
We offer a complimentary hot drinks station during your visit.
We also sell refrigerated unique drinks and packaged snacks! We are not a full service cafe… yet. It’s not quite in our budget! But keep coming back for visits, tell your friends about us, and maybe in a few years we can expand?
Best times to visit with the Lounge Cats?
Now this isn’t an exact science but I would say come 10am-1pm for playful cats. The lounge cats seem to get a boost of energy right before closing time as well (around 4pm-6pm).
Mid afternoon seems to be nap-time for most of the cats. 2pm-4pm seems like optimal cat cuddles time!
What are your hours?
We are open Tuesday-Sunday 10am - 7pm (or 6:15pm if there are no more visitors)
We are closed on all Mondays.
Please text us or check TCH’s social media (FB or IG) to see if we are closed due to any holidays or emergencies.
Where are ya’ll located?
344 E Irving Park Rd in Roselle, IL 60172
The Cat House is located between Fire Burrito and Dini’s Ice Cream Shop
Can I make a reservation for the Cat Lounge??
Yes! Reservations can be made on this website. click on “book a cat lounge visit”. The reservation options are available 2 weeks out at a time. We accept walk ins if there is space available, but it is not guaranteed unfortunately.
Why shoes off/socks only for visits??
We have lots of cats in the lounge…anywhere from 10-30 cats!! That’s a lot of cats to have together! And they meet a lot of visitors everyday. We ask you to take your shoes off before entering the lounge to help keep the lounge cats healthy and the lounge clean for you to really LOUNGE to interact with the kitties. If you forget to bring socks, no worries! We sell grippy socks for $2 :)
The exception to this policy are volunteers coming to help clean, and any visitors with a medical condition that requires shoes to stay on.
Thank you!
I need to surrender my cat, can I bring it here?
The Cat House is a small business. We are not equipped to be a rescue. Think of TCH being a foster home for cats vetted by our shelter partners. Please look at some resources to reach out to here.
Do you need volunteers at The Cat House?
Yes! We are always happy to welcome volunteers to help out with cat care! Our volunteer shifts are 9am-11am and 5pm -7:30pm everyday! The first step would be to apply through one of our shelter partners like St Sophia’s Forgotten Felines
Do you accept cat food/supply donations?
Absolutely! Any donations help so our shelter partners can focus on rescuing more cats! Because our shelter partners are non profit, they heavily rely on donations and your support.
Can I bring my cat to the store to visit?
Nope. The goal is to get our lounge cats adopted out. Also, on that note. Keep your dogs at home. Yes, it’s been asked before.
I don’t know how to pet a cat but I want to come visit!
As long as you are curious and have an open heart, you are welcome to visit! We will give you a quick rundown of how to pet a cat and how to read their body language. But a quick tip is put your hand out, if the cat sniffs or leans into your hand, great! Continue petting for a few seconds then pause to reassess if the kitty wants more lovin’. If not, it’s okay, we have other cat friends that would love your attention :)