When talking to my college friends, I think we can all agree that saying goodbye to our pets was one of the hardest parts of leaving home. For my entire life, I grew up in a household of cats, so coming to college and not having a feline friend to snuggle with was definitely a missing piece of my life that made me homesick during the semesters. But now, I’m super jealous of prospective students and current students, because they get the added benefit of having a cat lounge right in downtown Iowa City!
Iowa City’s newest experience is its first-ever cat lounge called Kitty Corner Social Club. The lounge opened its doors in early March 2025 as a way to build a community for cat-loving locals who wanted to spend time with some kitties. The space also serves as an adoption center, and already, almost half a dozen cats have been adopted in the few weeks that the lounge has been opened!
Local organizations have also used the lounge as an event and community space. For example, last week, senior citizens from the senior living community down the street were allowed to come into the lounge and pet the cats. This is just the start of everything the Kitty Corner Club has to offer, and the positive buzz is making it the hot new business that everyone needs to check out!
When visiting, each visitor has the choice of paying for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour of hangout time (all with varying prices) and the only request is to take your shoes off and keep food outside, and then you’re good to go in. Inside, the lounge is a perfect balance of cat playground and human living room. There are places for people to relax on sofas, perch on the floor, or stand around while watching the cats. There are also massive bookshelves filled with board games, a fake fireplace, feline decor, and cat toys to make the hangout more fun. In the very back, there’s a spot to make tea or purchase a seltzer to sip on and my personal favorite is the wall of cat portraits which gives visitors the names of each cat and whether or not they like their bellies scratched (good to know to avoid unnecessary scratching!). As for the cats themselves, there are definitely some that are tired out from all the visitors, but there are plenty of others who soak in all the love and pets.
If you come to campus, definitely spend some time visiting the cat lounge! Kitty Corner Social Club is located right across the street from the Pentacrest, and they allow walk-ins or reservations. Enjoy the experience and shower those cats in love!
