10 Cat-Only Pet Stores in the U.S.
(and 5 honorable mentions)
Have you ever gone shopping for your kitty, only to be overwhelmed by products entirely for dogs? Do you feel like your feline companion doesn’t get the retail dedication they deserve? We’ve rounded up the 10 best cat-focused pet stores in the U.S. and five honorable mentions.
Qualifications needed to make the list:
- Must be a brick and mortar pet store located in the U.S.
- Must sell cat food, cat treats and cat litter
- Must sell products exclusively for cats
The Kitty Bodega was started by Angie Velasquez in 2022 in order to give the cats in her community a better life. Her knowledge and expertise have helped improve a vast number of cats and their owner’s lives.
Kitschy Cat Shack was started in 2016 by Lisa Zomaro. She takes a holistic approach to cat health including a focus on nutrition and exercise. Store cat Betty provides quality control for toys and treats.
In 2015 Cathy Hilscher started Cat’s Kingdom in order to focus on holistic care and feline nutrition with the goal to help as many kitties as possible live their best lives. Store cats Augustus and Moo cannot recommend the raw food selections highly enough.
Just Cats Store was started in 2016 by Nicole Kay. It not only provides cat supplies for your pet kitties, a portion of their proceeds go to help cats in need. They have an in-house adoption center for cats that has helped find homes for over 500 cats so far!
In 2013, Irene Leija was considering opening a dog resort when research led her to realize how saturated the dog market was and how little was available just for cats. She designed a store with specialized tranquil grooming services and retail for cats and a to bring greater awareness to how awesome it is to work with cats.
Sherry Cassin opened Meow Mini Mart in 2018 because she saw a large number of pet cats being underserved at traditional pet stores. Her store is geared towards cat parents and gives them the store that their cats deserve! Sherry designed an exclusive collection of fashion cat collar that are crocheted by a Peruvian family co-op.
Errin West and Priscilla Rodriguez are the owners of The Cat Connection, which was started in 1985. The Cat Connection not only boasts a huge cat-themed retail section, but offers cat boarding and grooming as well.
Cat’s Exclusive was founded in 1981 by Dennis Wackerbarth in order to fill cat-specific needs such as veterinary care, boarding and supplies. The staff at Cat’s Exclusive prioritize cat health and carry veterinary recommend products such as low litter boxes, raised bowls and raw foods.
Betsey Qualley started The Smitten Kitten in 2008 after failing to find an excellent groomer for her Himalayan cat. She knew that cats have specific grooming needs that are different than dogs, and added cat boarding and retail to the store. Today there are two Smitten Kitten locations in Iowa.
Nancy Howard opened The Whole Cat and Kaboodle in 2013 in order to provide a place for cat adoptions as well as grooming and boarding. The staff aim to educate customers on cat nutrition and behavior modification. It’s one of the only stores with a cat cafe as well!
Honorable Mentions
Cat stores that did not meet all of the qualifications above but are so cat-centric we couldn’t leave them out.