A trip to Goodwill usually means browsing racks of secondhand clothes, checking out the furniture section, and hoping to find something you didn’t know you needed. But at one Goodwill location, the main attraction isn’t what’s on the shelves. It’s the cats.
Goodwill Industries Serving Southeast Nebraska has transformed its Cat Connection space in Lincoln into the city’s first cat café. Visitors can book time to relax with adoptable cats while enjoying a coffee drink from an on-site café. It’s a different kind of Goodwill outing, and one that gives animal lovers a chance to meet a potential new companion.
From cat hangout to cat café
Cat Connection first opened in March 2026 through a partnership between Lincoln Goodwill and Capital Humane Society. The idea was to give shelter cats a comfortable temporary home where people could visit, play with them, and get to know their personalities outside a traditional shelter setting.
The space was designed for visitors to spend time with the cats, whether they wanted a quiet place to unwind or were considering adoption. In August, Goodwill expanded the concept by adding café service, making Cat Connection Lincoln’s first cat café.
The new addition is Ellie’s, an on-site training café where visitors can purchase coffee drinks, including specialty lattes. Instead of choosing between a coffee break and a visit with some furry friends, guests can enjoy both in the same place.
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The cats are looking for more than a little attention
The cats at Cat Connection come from Capital Humane Society and are available for adoption. Visitors can spend time with them before deciding whether to take the next step, offering a chance to see how a cat behaves in a relaxed setting.
Goodwill has also furnished the space with secondhand décor and furniture, bringing a little of its thrift-store identity into the café. The cats have a comfortable place to stay while they wait for new homes, and visitors get to enjoy their company in a setting that feels more like a living room than a shelter.
If you meet a cat you’d like to adopt, a Capital Humane Society kiosk on-site lets you request an adoption appointment. The shelter then follows up about the adoption process.
There’s another purpose behind the coffee counter
Ellie’s isn’t just there to serve lattes. According to Goodwill’s announcement about the café, the coffee counter is also intended to provide food-service skills training for people who qualify for its programs.
That means the expanded space supports both Goodwill’s employment mission and its partnership with the local animal shelter. It’s an unusual combination: a café, an adoption space, and a training opportunity, all under the Goodwill name.
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How to visit Goodwill’s cat café
Cat Connection is located at 1731 O Street in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s a separate destination, not a cat lounge inside a thrift store, so plan your visit accordingly.
You can book visits in advance through Goodwill’s Cat Connection reservation page. Listed options include a 30-minute visit for $12 and a two-hour visit for $40, with other session lengths available. Check the booking page for current prices and openings before heading over.
The location is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Goodwill’s visitor rules also state that booking members must be at least 16 years old and that children must be supervised at all times.
