Houtong Cat Village

Part of my Taiwan series.

This blog post is dedicated to cats. So many cats.

A recent tourist attraction in Taiwan is Houtong Cat Village. Once a mining village in the hills of North-eastern Taiwan, it’s now infamous for many kitties and kitty-themed cafes. A friend recommended it to me, and after I left Jiufen, I headed over to check out this rumored cat heaven.

Disclaimer: I like cats, but I’m a little bit scared of them.

Bright and early, I headed out from Ruifang train station, taking the TRA train to Houtong and arriving at around 10am. Pretty much immediately, you can see cat decor everywhere—there are lanterns, paintings, and signs all dedicated to furry friends.

Stemming from the train station is the “catwalk” where you (and the cats) can walk safely from each side of the town to the other.

The little village itself is an old mining town turned tourist attraction—and in my honest opinion, you can tell it’s a rather recent change. Much of the town is the way I imagine it’s been for decades, including how the geographic layout of the town is split between the rail station.

In every nook and cranny—or right out in the sun—you can find cats lounging. This all started with Chan Bi-yun, a retiree who took in a neighbor’s cats and their kittens. By 2008, the small town began to get notoriety online, which led to the town becoming a tourist destination for Taiwanese nationals and foreigners alike. Many, if not most, of the cats are chipped and vaccinated.

There’s now a museum dedicated to miners, and several cafes and restaurants, all cat themed of course.

If you walk away from the train station and toward the upper street of Houtong, there’s several cafes sitting side by side, overlooking the gorgeous view below.

I went to 躲喵喵咖啡馆 Hide & Seek Cafe for brunch, picking their sun-dried tomato wrap. The tomatoes were…not sundried and in fact, I didn’t enjoy it that much. BUT I think the worker was new and stressed, and there was a huge group of French tourists in front of me. So, make of that what you will. The cafe is gorgeous and their salsa was really good (as a chips and salsa aficionado, you can trust me on this).

Fun fact: I went to wash my hands in the bathroom before I ate, and a lady walked in before me. She asked me, in French, if I just wanted to wash my hands, and I replied “sí.”

My French high school teacher, I am so sorry.

It’s a gorgeous little town, nestled in the mountains with a riverbed down below. My pictures make me wistful for it now, but at the time, I remember feeling a little frustrated at how many people there were. I felt pressured to move on quickly because others wanted to take photos of the cat I was petting.

Even in February, the tourist off-season, Houtong was VERY busy, and the paths were loaded with tourists. The town isn’t very big, and the walkways aren’t either. For all the cats there were (and there were many), there were even more tourists.

I had to wait a while to get some photos of this little guy

Don’t mind me complaining, though, cause I was just another tourist, too. Perhaps if you go on a weekday or sometime early in the morning or late in the evening, you’ll get a bit more peaceful one-on-one time with the kitties.

To end my time in Houtong, I got an iced coffee at the little cafe behind the tourist’s center.

cats don’t rule everything in houtong—koi fish chill out here too

There was some construction going on next door, so while Houtong to me feels like its tourist interest has boomed beyond their current capacity, I think in a few years it’ll look very different.

And by going, you’re helping a little town that needs and wants visitors to come. I say, if you’re a big cat person, definitely go. If you’re not, consider it only if you’ve got the time to spare.

Thanks for reading!