Traveling Taiwan: Houtong Cat Village (part 16 out of 24)

Houtong Cat Village

It’s an understatement to say I have a soft spot for cats. So when I heard that Taiwan had a village full of cats, my trip simply would not be complete without visiting the Houtong Cat Village.

Houtong Cat Village

Upon arrival at the train station, everything is cat themed. Even the pineapple cakes are made in the shape of cats. Most of the cats are running loose, skipping over rooftops or lazing in little cat homes and carriers everywhere. Of course, the cats are the rock stars here, and those little fur balls definitely know it and live it up.

Taiwan 2013 012

Houtong Cat Village

Houtong Cat Village

Aside from the feline fun, the Houtong Village also has a lot of other fun stuff to offer. It’s got a bustling row of restaurants, food stalls, and souvenir shops where you can get everything from fried pork intestines to noodle soup and a number of cat-shaped candies and pastries. For locals, it’s a nice weekend getaway from the city to hang out with adorable cats and catch a meal.

Houtong Cat Village

Stores even sell cat food you can feed to the animals. I was chewing on my ahi tuna jerky that I brought from the States (my American princess diet made it hard for me to stomach all the fried and high carb/sodium food offered that I used to scarf down as a kid) and I shared some with the cats until I saw this sign that informed me not to feed human food to the cats, among other things.

Houtong Cat Village

Houtong also offers a bit of a mini-hike where, once you get past some of the drying laundry, you can catch some pretty sweet views from a mountainside perch up in the lush greenery.

Houtong Cat Village

Houtong Cat Village

Houtong Cat Village

Of course, even up in the secluded mountain foliage, I found a kitty friend to play with.

Houtong Cat Village

Next up, bay-side biking in Dansui.

Dansui, Taiwan

Thanks for rating this! Now tell the world how you feel - .
How does this post make you feel?
  • Excited
  • Fascinated
  • Amused
  • Disgusted
  • Sad
  • Angry
This entry was posted in Food & Drink, Shopping. Bookmark the permalink.