Houtong Cat Village visit experience, Taipei
As I was scouting for places to visit around Taipei, Houtong cat village came to my attention. Houtong cat village is not too far from Ruifang station (5-6 kms) that all tourists flock to but Houtong cat village is not included any of the day tours from Taipei that I was exploring, probably because not all tourists like cats. So if you've to visit Houtong cat village you've to plan on your own.
What to expect at Houtong Cat Village
Houtong is a village full of feral cats, fed and taken care by locals. As soon as you step out of the train stations you can see several cats on the streets. Villagers have cleverly turned the spot into a tourist attraction and there are cat themed cafes and souvenir shops to commercialize on the frenzy.
The cats are pretty fat, indicating they are well fed. The cats of Houtong village are not too fond of strangers coming close to them and pet them, unless you've some food to offer. You can feed them or try your luck petting them.
My experience: I took an early morning train and reached Houtong by about 6.30 AM- at this time the shops were all closed. I walked around the town, spent some time with cats and returned to Taipei.
Houtong cat village experience may not match what you get in Istanbul or other destinations popular for cats. But if you are a cat lover might be worth a short visit. I've seen more cats in Valparaiso Chile, Srilanka as well.
How to reach Houtong Cat village:
There are direct trains from Taipei main station that takes about one hour to reach Houtong. Ticket fare was 50 TWD (125 INR or 1.5 USD) one way. Depending on from where you start other train options will also be available.
Cats can be found right outside the train station but you can walk around and explore more.
Nearby: Shifen waterfalls is 20kms, Jiufen old street is 7 kms
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