Denver Cat Company opened on Tennyson Street in December 2014, less than two months after Oakland's cat café, which makes it one of the first cat cafés in the US. The metro now has four other cat cafés, three of them in Boulder County, each with its own model: one is inside a pet-food store, one gets all its cats from a rescue that works with tribal communities, and one is a nonprofit that trains and employs neurodiverse adults.
The metro also has two cat-only, free-roaming shelters that have been running since the early 1980s, Cat Care Society in Lakewood and Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue in Denver, and several places that take cats with FIV or FeLV. A few big names have changed, too: the Dumb Friends League is now Humane Colorado, and MaxFund is now True Companions.
This guide covers the Denver area, which for us means about 40 miles around downtown: the city, its suburbs, Boulder County and Castle Rock. It walks through the cat cafés, the places to adopt, the rescues worth knowing, how to volunteer or foster, and what to do if you find a cat. Opening hours, fees and booking details change, so we leave those to the venues' own sites and our listing pages.
At a glance
| If you want to… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Visit a cat café in Denver | Denver Cat Company (Berkeley) or Teddy Cat Cafe (near Platt Park) |
| Visit a cat café with kids | Teddy Cat Cafe (ages 6 and up, with a parent) |
| Visit a café near Boulder | The Happy Beast (Lafayette), Purrfect Pause (Boulder) or Elevated Communities (Longmont) |
| Adopt with no appointment | True Companions, or the Humane Colorado Buddy Center in Castle Rock |
| Adopt from the city shelter | Denver Animal Shelter (W Bayaud Ave) |
| Adopt a cat with FIV or FeLV | Cat Care Society, Angels With Paws or True Companions |
| Volunteer or foster | Denver Animal Shelter, Humane Colorado, Cat Care Society or Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue |
| Found kittens | Leave them with their mother if she's around; The Feline Fix takes kittens 16 weeks and under (contact it first) |
| Help a feral colony | Denver's Shelter-Neuter-Return program, plus low-cost spay/neuter at Humane Colorado or The Feline Fix |
Cat cafés
Two of the metro's five cat cafés are in Denver itself. The other three are in Boulder County, 18 to 30 miles from downtown.
Denver Cat Company, Berkeley
Denver Cat Company is at 3929 Tennyson St in the Berkeley neighborhood, between boutiques and restaurants on historic Tennyson Street. It opened in December 2014. The Denver Post and Denverite have both described it as one of the first cat cafés in the US, and University of Denver news noted it opened less than two months after Oakland's.
About 20 rescue cats live there at a time and roam free, with ceiling-height scratching poles hand-wrapped in rope; Denverite told visitors to look up, down, in the corners and in the cubbyholes for them. All of its adoptable cats come through Denver Cat Rescue, the café's own nonprofit, which pulls cats from rural and county shelters facing an overpopulation of adult cats. By its own count the café has helped more than 6,000 cats find homes (as of 2026).
Adopters typically need to be 21 or older and meet the cat in person first.
Teddy Cat Cafe, near Platt Park
Teddy Cat Cafe, at 39 E Florida Ave just off South Broadway near Platt Park, opened in 2022. Its founder volunteered and fostered at Denver Animal Shelter first, and the café focuses on the cats shelters find hardest to place: in its own words, "shy, older, under-socialized cats or bonded pairs needing to be adopted together, and cats who have been at the shelter the longest."
The café acts as a foster home for several local rescues, including PawsCo. Adoptions go through each cat's rescue, and the café says 100% of adoption fees go to its partner shelters. There's also a gift shop, the "kitty mercantile." Children typically need to be 6 or older and come with a parent.
The Happy Beast, Lafayette
About 18 miles from downtown, The Happy Beast is a natural pet-food store at 1230 Etna Dr that runs a cat café, with a fenced outdoor catio. The cats come from two rescue partners, Gray Muzzle Society and Mother Gaia Animal Rescue, and they're up for adoption. Children under 7 typically aren't allowed.
Purrfect Pause Cat Cafe, Boulder
Purrfect Pause, at 5290 Arapahoe Ave in Boulder, opened in May 2022 and describes itself as a "relaxation center, boutique, cafe, and cat sanctuary." Every cat comes from the foster homes of RezDawg Rescue, which works with Navajo Nation, Ute and Zuni Pueblo communities. Visitors typically need to be 8 or older, and shoes come off at the door.
Elevated Communities Cat Cafe, Longmont
Elevated Communities Cat Cafe, at 1240 Ken Pratt Blvd in Longmont, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission includes job-skills training and employment for neurodiverse adults. It lists Animal Rescue of the Rockies among its partners.
Where to adopt
Denver Animal Shelter
Denver Animal Shelter, at 1241 W Bayaud Ave, is the City and County of Denver's open-admission shelter, serving all of Denver County. You can browse its animals online or stop by to see them in person. Cats who aren't suited to life in a home can go out through its Working Cat Program.
Humane Colorado
Humane Colorado was called the Dumb Friends League for 115 years, until it changed its name in 2025. It was founded in 1910. It has two adoption shelters in the metro: the Leslie A. Malone Center at 2080 S Quebec St in Denver, and the Buddy Center in Castle Rock, which welcomes walk-in visits. It also runs the Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur, and a Working Cats program whose fees are always waived.
Cat-only shelters
- Cat Care Society, Lakewood. A limited-admission, free-roaming cat shelter founded in 1981. It started on the second floor of a cat-only vet clinic near downtown Denver and moved into its current building in 2001. Cats are caged only when medically necessary, and there are outdoor catios. It takes cats with FIV, FeLV, diabetes or kidney disease, and its "Lonely Hearts Club" flags cats that need extra help finding a home. It receives no government funding, and by its own count it cares for more than 1,200 cats a year (as of 2026).
- Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue, Denver. "Saving feline lives since 1982" from 2390 S Delaware St. It's limited-intake and free-roaming, with indoor and outdoor spaces and no time limits on how long a cat can stay. It gives priority to seniors, cats with medical or behavioral needs, and local owner surrenders, and adopts out FIV-positive cats on a separate fee schedule. In 2025, by its own count, it helped 1,037 cats and made 977 adoptions.
- Angels With Paws, Lakewood. A cage-free cat rescue on Kipling Street. CBS Colorado described its focus in 2026 as medically vulnerable cats: FIV- and FeLV-positive cats, seniors, neonates, and cats other facilities won't take.
Other shelters
- True Companions Animal Shelter & Clinic, Denver. The no-kill shelter known as MaxFund, in Denver since 1988, took its new name in March 2026. Its cats live in two buildings, the Cat Shelter at 720 W 10th Ave and "Meow Manor" at 958 Inca St, and you don't need an appointment to meet them. FIV- and FeLV-positive cats and feral cats are among its adoptable categories. It has its own clinic.
- Aurora Animal Shelter, Aurora. The city's municipal shelter, at 15750 E 32nd Ave.
- Foothills Animal Shelter, Golden. Calls itself "Jefferson County's only full-service shelter." Visitors browse the adoption center at their own pace, and its "Working Whiskers" program places independent cats in barns and workshops, with fees waived.
- Riverdale Animal Shelter, Brighton. Formerly the Adams County Animal Shelter. It's the open-admission shelter for Brighton, Commerce City, Federal Heights, Northglenn, Thornton, Bennett, Hudson, Lochbuie and unincorporated Adams County. You can stop by during open hours to meet adoptable pets.
- Boulder County: the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, founded in 1902, takes in the animals impounded in unincorporated Boulder County. Longmont Humane Society has its shelter in Longmont.
- South and west: the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley in Littleton serves south Denver communities, and the Evergreen Animal Protective League, established in 1981, is a shelter for dogs and cats in Evergreen.
Adopting at a pet store
Animal Friends Alliance runs an Everyday Adoption Center with cats inside the PetSmart at 10460 Town Center Dr in Westminster. Other rescues hold adoption events at Denver-area pet stores; check each group's site for current stores.
Rescues worth knowing
Many of these rescues are foster-based, with no building: their cats live in volunteers' homes until they're adopted. These stand out for what they take on.
Seniors and special needs
- Gray Muzzle Society, Morrison. A volunteer-run, foster-based rescue for senior and special-needs dogs and cats, founded in 2020 by people with shelter experience. Animals with advanced or expensive medical needs may stay with a foster for the rest of their lives, which it calls "fospice." It's one of The Happy Beast's café partners.
- Mother Gaia Animal Rescue, Lafayette. A licensed, foster- and volunteer-based rescue that takes on special-needs medical cases. It's The Happy Beast's other partner.
Kittens and bottle babies
- The Feline Fix, Commerce City. A nonprofit, working for more than two decades, that runs a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, rents traps for trap-neuter-return, and fosters kittens 16 weeks and under, including bottle babies. It isn't a shelter, so contact it before bringing kittens in.
- Colorado Feline Foster Rescue. All-volunteer and foster-based, with no facility. It was founded in July 2020 to take kittens and cats other rescues won't, because of medical issues or because they're high-risk neonates. By its own count it has more than 75 foster families (as of 2026).
- Denver Kittens, Denver. A foster-based kitten rescue that also runs a limited monthly spay/neuter voucher program with Spay Today, for families who can't afford other options and for trap-neuter-return trappers.
Community cats and TNR
- PawsCo, Denver. A volunteer-run, foster-based, all-breed rescue with about 300 volunteers by its own count (as of 2026). It runs spay-neuter-return programs for community cats with local shelters, and Denver Animal Protection names it as a partner in the city's Shelter-Neuter-Return program.
- Forgotten Felines Rescue, Aurora. A volunteer-powered nonprofit since 2009 that traps, feeds and shelters colonies, fosters, and adopts out cats.
- Agents of Chaos TNR. A trap-neuter-return group for community cats in the Denver area that also places cats and kittens for adoption. It takes TNR help requests through an online form.
Other models
- Denver Cat Rescue. Denver Cat Company's nonprofit arm. Its cats come from rural and county shelters facing an overpopulation of adult cats, and it also takes owner surrenders. By its own count it has more than 100 foster families in the metro (as of 2026).
- RezDawg Rescue, Lafayette. Since 2012 it has worked with Navajo Nation, Ute and Zuni Pueblo communities, bringing dogs and cats to Colorado foster homes and running mobile spay/neuter clinics. It supplies every cat at Purrfect Pause.
- Twice Purrfect Feline Rescue. A small, all-volunteer foster rescue founded in 2017, with no facility. Adoption visits happen in the adopter's home.
Volunteering and fostering
Many of the shelters and rescues above need help, and several have cat-specific roles: cat-room care, socializing shy cats, transport, adoption events and fostering. Many start with an application and an orientation, and many set a minimum age. Requirements change, so check each group's volunteer page.
- Denver Animal Shelter typically takes volunteers from 16 (some roles 18), and juniors 8 to 15 with a parent, after an in-person orientation. It asks for about two hours a week for six months.
- Humane Colorado has more than 70 volunteer roles, including cat-kennel care and adoptions, and more than 1,400 volunteers by its own count (as of 2026). Volunteers typically need to be 16 or older and give three hours a week for six months.
- Cat Care Society volunteers start at 16, work a weekly two-hour shift, and pay an onboarding fee. Applications open periodically.
- Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue takes volunteers 18 and up on their own, teens 14 to 17, and kids 8 to 13 with a parent, for animal care, events and transport. It typically asks for four hours a month.
- True Companions lets volunteers start in its cat shelter at 9, with a parent until 15, and asks for six hours a month for six months.
- Riverdale Animal Shelter takes volunteers from 16, for eight hours a month over six months.
Fostering: Denver Animal Shelter's foster kittens are mostly underage or underweight, stay about two weeks on average, and come with supplies. Humane Colorado runs a Junior Foster Parent program for ages 12 to 15. Cat Care Society's fosters (18 and up) take cats with special medical or behavioral needs. Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue needs fosters for neonates, medical recovery, shy cats, seniors and fospice. Foothills asks fosters to be 18 or older, complete Fear Free certification and have a home visit. Kitten fosters are also in demand at The Feline Fix and Colorado Feline Foster Rescue.
Found a cat?
In Denver
For a stray or injured animal, call Denver Animal Protection dispatch at 720-913-2080, any time of day. For other questions, call 311.
Denver runs a Shelter-Neuter-Return program for community (feral) cats. If you trap a cat and bring it to Denver Animal Shelter, you'll need the address where you found it, so the cat can be returned there. A cat with a tipped ear has already been fixed, so don't trap it. The shelter doesn't do the trapping itself, and PawsCo is one of its release partners.
Kittens: don't bring kittens to Denver Animal Shelter without their mother. Humane Colorado's advice: if the mother is there, leave the family together; if you haven't seen her and she hasn't come back after a few hours, take the kittens to the nearest shelter. The Feline Fix takes kittens 16 weeks and under, including bottle babies; contact it first.
A sick or injured community cat can go to Humane Colorado's Pet Admissions.
Elsewhere in the metro
- Aurora: contact Aurora Animal Services. To take part in Aurora's SNR program for community cats, a caretaker has to register and get a permit from Animal Services.
- Jefferson County: Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden.
- North-metro Adams County cities: Riverdale Animal Shelter in Brighton.
- Unincorporated Boulder County: call Boulder County Communications at 303-441-4444; impounded animals go to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Inside the cities of Boulder, Erie, Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville, animal control is handled by each city's police department.
Low-cost spay and neuter
- Humane Colorado offers low-cost spay/neuter appointments for community cats (it doesn't trap) and has a clinic for owned cats at its Veterinary Hospital at CSU Spur.
- The Feline Fix in Commerce City runs a spay/neuter clinic and rents traps.
- Spay Today is a nonprofit, high-volume clinic at 1401 Ammons St in Lakewood. Denver Kittens' vouchers are used there.
- Bergen Spay & Neuter Alliance runs mobile clinics across Colorado and fixes feral cats as part of trap-neuter-return.
- Humane traps can be rented from Cat Care Society, Foothills and The Feline Fix, according to Humane Colorado's feral cat resource guide.
- Planned Pethood International in Conifer has been a nonprofit vet clinic since 1990.
The Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund, paid for by a state tax checkoff and "Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet" license plates, gives grants to local groups for spay/neuter surgeries and other care.
Cats that aren't suited to life in a home can get jobs instead, through Denver Animal Shelter's Working Cat Program, Humane Colorado's Working Cats and Foothills' Working Whiskers.
If you can't keep your cat for a while
Cat Care Society's Temporary Care Program gives cats shelter, vet care and food for up to 30 days while their owners get through a crisis, and its Nibbles & Kibbles pantry gives out free emergency cat food. Humane Colorado has a Pet Assist program, and Denver County residents can look at Denver Safe Haven.
Annual cat events
- Cat Fest Colorado, every November at the National Western Complex in Denver. Many Colorado rescues bring cats to adopt, and Yellow Rose Cat Club hosts a TICA cat show. The festival started in 2022 and also has Loveland and Colorado Springs editions.
- Tails of the Painted Cats, Cat Care Society's gala and auction of artist-painted fiberglass cats. It debuted in 2011 and is now held every other fall; the 10th was in 2025, when the painted cats toured Lakewood venues and Tennyson Street businesses before the gala.
For what's happening this month, see cat events on MeowScout.
FAQ
Can you adopt a cat from a cat café in Denver?
Yes. Denver Cat Company's cats are adopted through its nonprofit, Denver Cat Rescue, which typically asks adopters to be 21 or older and meet the cat first. At Teddy Cat Cafe, adoption goes through the cat's rescue. The Happy Beast's cats in Lafayette are adoptable too.
How many cat cafés are there in the Denver area?
Five. Denver Cat Company and Teddy Cat Cafe are in Denver; The Happy Beast (Lafayette), Purrfect Pause (Boulder) and Elevated Communities Cat Cafe (Longmont) are in Boulder County.
Is the Dumb Friends League the same as Humane Colorado?
Yes. The Dumb Friends League renamed itself Humane Colorado in 2025. Two other names have changed too: MaxFund became True Companions in 2026, and the Adams County Animal Shelter became Riverdale Animal Shelter when it moved into a new building in 2020.
Where can I adopt an FIV- or FeLV-positive cat in Denver?
Cat Care Society takes cats with FIV, FeLV, diabetes or kidney disease, and Angels With Paws focuses on medically vulnerable cats, including FIV- and FeLV-positive ones. True Companions lists FIV- and FeLV-positive cats for adoption, and Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue adopts out FIV-positive cats.
I found kittens in Denver. What should I do?
If the mother is there, leave them together, and don't bring kittens to Denver Animal Shelter without her. If she hasn't come back after a few hours, Humane Colorado says to take them to the nearest shelter. The Feline Fix takes kittens 16 weeks and under; contact it first.
Where can I volunteer with cats in Denver?
Denver Animal Shelter, Humane Colorado, Cat Care Society, Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue and True Companions all have cat roles, and many of the rescues above need fosters.