El Jefe Cat Lounge is three stories tall and full of adoptable cats and kittens! You can pay $14 per hour for lounge time, which gives you plenty of opportunities to play, pet, and be chosen by a cat (because let's be honest... they choose us ). What I thought was really neat is that El Jefe was Tucson's first cat lounge and is named after the famous jaguar "El Jefe" that once roamed Southern Arizona. The lounge partners with local rescues, so every cat you meet is looking for a forever home. If you happen to fall in love with one (or five), you can even begin the adoption process! They've also have a café and gift shop inside for shopping and soaking up on the cat-themed atmosphere. They have everything from cat toys and journals to dish towels, keychains, cat ears, beanies, candles, and other fun cat-themed goodies. Each floor has its own little personality with climbing structures, cozy napping spots, and toys for the kitties to explore. Some cats wanted attention immediately, some were happily snoozing, and others gave me the classic "you may admire me from a respectful distance" look. Beyond regular lounge visits, they also host fun events like cat yoga, bingo, movie nights, crafts, and other themed activities. Whether you're looking to adopt, need a little serotonin boost, or simply want to spend an hour surrounded by adorable kitties, this is such a unique Tucson experience. Fair warning though... if you're a cat lover, don't be surprised if you leave with about 200 photos on your phone, a coffee in your hand, and a strong urge to adopt another furry friend. read more

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Hang with cats, play with cats, adopt cats! Also a cafe to get coffee and snacks. Three floors of cats. Toys for play. Nice windows for light. $14 for an hour of cafe time. read more

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A cat lounge is such an amazing concept. Especially when the cats are adoptable!! Absolutely love this laid back and casual approach to help get some kitties into new homes, while allowing them to be in a cage free environment! It really helps the adopters get an actual feel for the cat's personality and behavior. For us with a cat allergy at home, this was just a fun indoor activity for my toddler and I - she's been really into cats lately so I wanted her to get to experience them up close. She loved it, of course, as did I. I got my cat fix and my toddler got to have some fun. I know there's a cafe in the back but we didn't check that out, so I can't speak to that, but I love the overall concept! read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

This is a lovely place to spend some time. My kids and I enjoyed an hour with the awesome cats at El Jefe today and we all agree it was our favorite part of our day! We loved hearing the purring of the kittens on the 3rd floor and seeing them play! We bought treats to give the cats and they were very happy to come hang out with us and have a treat! We each got a delicious drink! I highly recommend the Italian Sodas! This place is awesome! read more

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I hate to downgrade a rating, but our last visit left me really questioning the cleanliness here. As I mentioned in my previous review, reservations are recommended, so we booked ours online. Appointments are for one hour, but I am not sure that they monitor the length of stay. The price has gone up since last year. Now it is $14 a person. And extra to purchase snacks to give the cats. I don't mind paying a fee for entrance. They have rent to pay and of course cats to take care of. There are three floors/areas to engage with the cats. This time time the lofted kitten space did not have kittens. We choose not to have pets at home, but love animals and want to expose our daughter to different animals and environments. So to that end, it's a decent activity that can teach kids how to interact with animals/cats. Unfortunately, as we prepared to leave, we took our daughter to the bathroom to wash her hands, and it was absolutely foul in there. The trash can was overflowing with paper, the toilet was filthy on the exterior and the interior, with an incomplete #2 flush. My husband walked in before I did and was already washing hands, I followed behind. He immediately warned me to hold my breath, which I did. But our poor 2.5 year doesn't know how to do that yet. The front desk attendants response when I let her know there was a problem was that they have issues with that bathroom. A bathroom should be kept tidy and it's the businesses responsibility to make rounds to ensure it is well maintained for customers during business hours. It is also their responsibility to ensure that their bathrooms are functional. So if it's a "problem" bathroom, they should invest in hiring a plumber to fix it and/or replace the toilet. I personally can't overlook the lack of hygiene, so we'll have to cuddle with kitties elsewhere. read more

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I took the grands this morning on Labor Day to enjoy the kitties - they absolutely loved it! We enjoyed Italian sodas (they also have pre-wrapped muffins and cinnamon rolls) and checked out the 3 floors of cute cats. The third floor is all kittens and they limit that to 4 people so as to not overwhelm the kitties. There are kitties in beds, on shelves, in windows, and scurrying around everywhere! You can purchase treats to feed them for an additional 2.00. There are cat toys everywhere and even cat TV. There's a cute gift shop with cat themed items as well. This was something fun and different to do this morning! read more

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I was going to start this review with a joke, but I'm not feline it right meow :p The cat smell is noticeable coming in, then mew get used to it. It was $12 an hour per person. An hour was paw-lenty fur me. There's three floors of cats here. The 1st floor had adult cats. They were pretty chill, you could go up and pet them or they would come up to you if you had treats (which I recommend purchasing). The 2nd floor had teen cats. They all had bad cattitude, we didn't spend much time here. The third floor had the kittens. They either had the zoomies or were catching some Z's. I definitely recommend checking this place out, it's pawesome! read more

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My family and I were in town and thought having some coffee and petting some kittens sounded amazing. However, we couldn't even enter the establishment because of the smell. It was terrible. I was expecting some smell, being that there are cats there and all. But this was terrible! Also, their coffee machine was broken. We ended up just leaving. We are avid cat people, so this was pretty disappointing. read more

Fun with the cats. Bingo was a little too short but it was definitely fun hanging with the cats. Definitely could use more chairs. I saw a couple people having to stand some more tables and more chairs! read more

extremely cool concept. the person/people running it however not so great. we came midday on a weekday and the litter boxes were full! clean the shit, there two reasons for this, health and sanitation. cats don't want to shit where there is shit. humans don't want to hang out with shit! I am not expecting it to be clean ALL the time, but walking into a clean place would be nice. not recommended for clean people. read more

They have made a number of improvements at El Jefe since it opened. Most noticeable is the cafe portion- when it opened, you could get a canned coffee on your way in, now there is a whole separate entrance to the cafe and gift shop where you can get all manner of cat enthusiast swag as well as a good cup of coffee! They host both yoga and bingo, although I've never been to either, but I like the concept. They also have local art work for sale. The cats are of course adorable, but in my experience they are fairly standoffish. I know that animals have their own personalities but I wonder if the concept works for them- since you are paying for an hour (although I've never seen them sweep people out) I wonder if it encourages folks to approach the felines so much that they are done with it. The kittens in the kitten room tend to be more outgoing, but I also saw some unattended kids in there who were being pretty rough with them. I'll assume the best of the adults and guess that they were staying out since there is a limit on how many can be in there. I love following on social media and hearing about adoptions. read more

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The cats were good But the smell of unrine was overwhelming Could not stay in there the entire hour.

This was a great find! It's never too busy and the cats are well cared for. It was an enjoyable time to chat with friends while we got to play with the cats. A friend even ended up adopting one of them! I've been back a few times with different people to share the fun. read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Its a nice cat lounge. Most of the cats didn't like me. Not sure why. The next cat that cuddles in my lap I will rescue!!!!!

My daughter is a big cat lover so we went to El Jefe together. We got her an Italian soda as a treat and some cat treats for the felines next door. As some other reviews noted if you have 35 cats in one building there is going to be a decently strong cat smell. I wonder if they could have the litter boxes in a sectioned off area spreads from the main area it would lessen the scent. We enjoyed walking through the three stories of the building and meeting all the cats. There were a lot of different personalities. The cat treats definitely made my daughter popular. She had a great time and if you're really into cats this would be a good place for you. read more

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So cute! Will say it doesn't seem pretty crowded for 15 people but nevertheless i had a lot of fun. Cats are shy and will stay under the couch for the most part but some are cuddle bugs. Will come again. read more

I follow them on Instagram and enjoy seeing all the cats and the happy "tails" when they get adopted. Unfortunately when I stopped by, all of the cats and kittens were passed out sleeping. There was absolutely no waking them, so I didn't get the joy of interaction that I hoped for. I don't obviously fault the cat lounge for this, but it was a bit disappointing! I also wish their was a "Get to know me!" Wall that explains who each cat is and their age, likes, dislikes and overall personalities. As for the location, it's nice a central, clean, well kept, and didn't smell of litter boxes. It was a nice place to just walk around in and see the sites. read more

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I'm currently in Arizona for work and I'm away from my cats. Of course, I have to go to a cat cafe to get some cat love. I've been to a few and I loved this one in particular. It wasn't too cramped. There are several rooms (including a kitten room). They have a storefront right next to the cafe where you can pay for coffee, cat treats, or cat merch. The set up of the cafe was cute and as clean as it can get with multiple felines running amuck. If you fall in love with any of the cute cats, you can also apply to adopt them read more

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I love this place. Cute cats all for adoption and good coffee and cookies. Very welcoming and warm. They have a kitten room and a cat tv. read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - Cute cat for adoption - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

My 8yo son has been asking to visit the "cat-fe" for ages, so we finally got a chance to go, and I'm so glad we did! We spent a wonderful hour visiting with so many sweet kitties! We went with no reservations at 4:30 on a Monday and the place wasn't busy at all, which was lovely. There were a few people on the first floor working with laptops (and cats in their laps), which seems like a lovely idea-- I will definitely be scheduling an off-site meeting for my coworkers! The cats sorted themselves nicely into "want to be loved on" on the first floor, "prefer to chill by themselves" on the second floor, and "baby kittens" on the third floor. My son and I spent a long time playing with the kittens and a feather wand, while my husband was happy to chill on the second floor, scrolling on his phone with a cat on his lap. The facility was clean and well-maintained, and it's obvious that all of the cats are happy and well cared-for! It was a lovely way to spend an hour drinking hot chocolate and loving on all of the resident kitties while they wait to be adopted. We will definitely be back! read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - My 8yo had a great time playing with the residents of the third-floor kitten room! - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Very expensive kitties I was very surprised to see how much they're charging I think $250 for a kitten is ridiculous

this is the cutest cat lounge of all time plus the cafe area is so cute as well with a library and games, such a perfect spot. So underrated it's a good hangout spot with or without the cats I'm in love with the vibes and the prices, I think the most expensive drink is like $6, we need more places like this in Tucson!!! I wish more people knew about this magical place. read more

Went here for my boyfriend's birthday and we had such an amazing time! Staff is really nice and kitties are great! Lots of cats and definitely worth the cost and for only 2$ you're given a baggie of treats, we ended up using most of our treats on our little favorite fella but there definitely was enough for everyone! I'll sure be coming again soon!! My top 3 places in Tucson! The price is 12/person for an hour but that includes a free drink so it's ENTIRELY worth it! Ps to anyone planning on bringing their kids here, teach them manners! This is essentially a foster home and so many of these kitties just got here. Don't let your kids stomp, scream and especially don't let them jump down the stairs from the kitten room! Thanks! read more

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How can you not give 5 stars to a place full of adorable rescue kitties?! It's a great space where you can just casually hang out with all the beautiful cats. The entrance fee is $10, and you can be there for as long as you wish. There is a small fridge with some drinks and snacks and I've heard that the owner is working on a dessert menu. I wish it could be more of a coffee shop idea with more tables so you can spend some time working/doing homework as right now I don't see anyone coming there too often. It's a wonderful cause and a lot of rescue kitties in Tucson are getting new homes thanks to El Jefe Cat Lounge! read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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My daughter and I had a really fun evening here, watching a movie and playing with all the cats. She loved the kitten room. In her words, "Best day ever!" We had drinks and some popcorn, and the staff were friendly and talkative. We'll definitely be back! read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - Lower level - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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El Jefe Cat Lounge has lots of cute, lovable cats ready for your attention! Kudos to the owners for creating a space that is enjoyable for the cats, relaxing for humans, and conducive for matching people to cats. The three-story space teems with plush couches, cat beds, window seats, cat trees, wall-mounted climbing ramps, balls, toy mice, and more. The cats have plenty of food, water, and clean litter boxes (i.e., no cat funk smell the night we were there). Amazingly, we didn't notice any growling or hissing the entire 1.5 hours we were there. Because the cats spend lots of time with humans, most are quite friendly and like petting, playing, and brushing. The second floor has a space for meditation/yoga with cats, and there are a few small shelves of cat-related goodies (e.g. socks, cards) by the front door. El Jefe partners with the Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter. What's not to love? Check it out! read more

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Stopped by tonight to check it out. What a fantastic idea to be able to see the cats in a natural environment. You can see which personality like better to ply with or adopt. If you are looking to adopt, I very much enjoy this place. It's much better than just seeing a bunch of cats in cages. Stop by and check it out. read more

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10000000 stars. The staff are professional and the cats are cat tastic. What a lovely concept to have cats live in a beautiful 3 story dwelling to find their furry ever home. The cat a chinos are the cat's pajamas. I had my birthday party here and it was a phenomenal feline fine time!!! You can play cat bingo and stretch like a feline for cat yoga!!! Happy and healthy cats and a relaxing and positive experience. read more

Do NOT recommend for kids!! I brought our kids who have three cats at home and are very experienced with cats. They were bitten twice and scratched 3 times completely unprovoked within 20 minutes of arriving. $60 later, we left at the half hour mark. Not worth the risk! Go to the humane society and play with kittens for free. read more

Charging 12$ to play with catsfor an hour, plus coffee, or other snacks is ludicrous.We should be visiting various shelters, locations and purchasing a beverage elsewhere. Our shelters here welcome visitors, people who desire to play with them, also consider adopting. Fees from a ? cafe? Are unreasonable. read more

If you need a kitty fix, this is the place. We had our four beloved cats die within 15 months of each other. We had to move because our landlord sold the house. We are temporarily living with some very kind friends until we can find a place in which to live. So in the meantime, we've been without a kitty and we have withdrawals. We decided to pay El Jefe a visit. It satisfied. We enjoyed visiting with the cats. My only beef is that most of the older cats weren't all that friendly. They were definitely interested in the treats! But as far as being loveable, not this batch. The kittens were fun. There was one who just purred and purred when I first touched him and just loved the pets. Now that's what I was really looking for. Most of the older cats didn't even want to play. They must be bored with everyone trying to play with them. Reservations were easy and very reasonably priced. They provide a free drink: bottled water, soda, canned coffee. So that is a nice touch. They also sell ice cream, I think it was either Brushfire BBQ's or the Hub's. Maybe neither. Masks are required, but then you do have that free beverage... 5* = A top favorite. Mind-blowing good. I will definitely return and I will go out of my way to go here. Worth every dime of my money. 4* = Outstanding. Tucson-top-tier. Some elements not quite as good as it gets, but it still is worthy of my regular business. 3* = Good experience. I might do repeat business if it is convenient, the only option, the only one in its category, or on a whim, but would not be among the first thing to come to mind. Would definitely recommend you trying it to get your own take on it. 2* = Not so good. Would not recommend at all. Waste of money. 1* = How are they still in business? Stay away at all costs! read more

I had such a great time at the little cat cafe! I am not usually around cats but I wanted to get familiar in case we decide to add to our family. Some of them were crazy precious! I wanted to adopt right away but unfortunately I was returning home that day and the rescue that they partmer with wasn't open. We opted for the treat bags and omg if you ever want to be surrounded by little furballs that is THE way to go lol in minutes I felt like the Pied Piper of Kitties! The kittens were in quarantine because they had some sort of parasite (maybe ringworm??) But they still let you visit just make sure you wash your hands very thoroughly afterwards! Would definitely go again next time I'm in Tucson! read more

Such a great place to spend a few hours with cute cats. Relaxing and clean! So nice that the cats can be adopted too. So glad we decided to go here. read more

We recently visited the El Jefe Cat Lounge to participate in their biweekly bingo event and had an amazing time! The cost was pretty reasonable at $14 per person, which provided you with the bingo cards, access to the cats for an hour, and a beverage of your choice. They also offer other events like yoga too, so definitely check this out if you're into that kind of stuff. The space itself is really nicely laid across 3 floors, with a beautiful mural decorating the staircase downstairs. They also have made an effort to separate the kittens for the older cats, which is really nice, depending on the type of interaction you want to have. El Jefe also sells some packaged ice cream treats too (including flavors from the Hub!). Check this place out and help support the great work they do in the animal community! And yeah, in case you're wondering, it does smell catty in here. If you walk into a cat cafe that doesn't smell somewhat like cats, they probably only have a few cats on premises. El Jefe has 30 cats, so just be prepared if you aren't used to litter and general cat odor. But, be prepared to be enchanted by the space itself and all the sweet cats, looking for their forever homes. read more

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A must see! Best cat cafe I've been to! I've been to a handful but have never seen so many cats and such a luxurious space - they even have their own TVs! $12 for an hour was what we paid and came with a cooler drink (liquid death water, Coca Cola, jarritos, etc) We went at 1pm on a Sunday and there was no one really around so the cats just flocked to us. I've never had so many cats actually interested in me before much less at a cat cafe. The funniest thing that happened is there was a chonky cat named Beth that got adopted. I thought Beth was a retired Tom cat because of her big jowls, stance, and attitude. She had a LOT of attitude. My friend was feeding some other cats treats (they have these $2 baggies where you get like over a dozen temptations) and Beth was very about the treats. Beth did not want to leave, so much so that she did the comedic claws to the wall (scratching post) when the worker tried to bring her over to the carrier. Luckily the adopter admired the attitude because Beth was certainly not giving a good interview. I'm sure she'll settle in nicely at her new home. I also got a little $1 cat squishy thing on my way out. The local art on the wall is very cool, they say that they have local artists come in once a month for Q&A and to hang up more art. My friend said they also had cat yoga and movie nights there! Awesome place, I consider $12 a splurge and I was totally satisfied read more

read website before coming in! a 10/10 experience with 3 floors of cats. we made an appointment so we were able to secure a spot. cats are friendly, and you can give them treats. definitely grab a coffee in their cafe next door and come experience this tucson gem. read more

El Jefe Cat Lounge - cat - Pet Adoption Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Cute and cozy atmosphere- the cats here are all adorable! They take really good care of the cats & have fun yoga and bingo as well

What a great endorphin inducing time spent with cats. There were cats to cuddle, cats to talk about, cats to coexist with, cats to give space to, and a room full of kittens. I paid extra to get the treats, the cats were obviously not starving for food because the interest in them was apparent, but not overwhelming. My biggest concern about El Jefe is how many cats I could end up coming home with. The kittens are on the third floor so if you can't do stairs (I struggle with them,) that's just a heads up but there were charming and friendly and adorable cats on the first floor. read more

Originally went to this place a year ago, had a wonderful time. So I thought to bring my mother with me again, a few weeks ago. She fell in love with two adult cats and adopted them. The adoption process was fine, were told they had the cats for about 8 months. So after a week, we notice they are lethargic, running nose and eyes. Have badly knotted fur on their bellies, and hardly eat. I try to contact the adoption company, because we were told to if anything came up in the first few weeks. I called three times before getting a return call and she tried to explain away all our concerns and told us to come in that same day to her vet. I explain I work and ask for an alternative date. I'm given none and finally take them to a vet on my own. So $500 later, I find they are sick, need medicine and grooming. I call back to explain my discomfort with the cats condition and handling of the situation and she proceeded to scold me for seeing another vet and blame us. Now another week later, the cats are having a new health issue and neither the adoption company nor this shelter want to help or take accountability for not providing proper care for these poor cats. AVOID THIS PLACE. It's heartbreaking the condition these babies were left in. read more

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My daughter and I came here today and had a lovely time. We stayed for about two hours and got to meet most of the cats! -They keep 20 cats at a time and all cats are available for adoption! There is a booklet with all the cats and their information including their fees,weight,names etc. -anyone under 18 has to have an adult sign a waver for them -they do sell snacks and drinks! Bringing your own food and drink is allowed. - $10 a person to go into the cat lounge! -there is yoga and meditation classes as well! - 3 stories to roam around and play with the cats - board games are available I recommend swinging by and playing with the cats and maybe even taking a cat home! Great place to go to cuddle and have fun as well. read more

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