Best Cat Destinations Around the World for Cat Lovers
Cats and travel might sound like an unusual combination, but there are cat destinations around the world that travelers like myself flock to. From cute cat cafes in Seoul, South Korea to city parks in Peru.
There are unique cat attractions around the world that have become must-visit experiences for animal lovers.
Whether you are planning your next international adventure or simply looking for unusual travel ideas, these cat destinations around the world offer memorable experiences, local culture, and plenty of adorable photo opportunities.
For cat lovers, these destinations are more then just tourist attractions. They are places where communities care for local cats, and travelers connect over a shared love of animals, every corner seems to come with a furry surprise!
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Cat tourism has always been popular, but seems to have become increasingly popular thanks to social media, viral travel videos, and a growing interest in animal-friendly experiences.
Cat Cafes, cat islands, and cities known for their feline residents seem to offer a slower and more memorable style of travel that appeals to photographers, animal lovers, and cultural travelers alike.
I’ve always sought out cat destinations along my travels. I grew up with cats and absolutely love them! Below you can find some of the famous cat attractions and destinations I’ve visited while traveling the world in search for cute kitties.
Asia
Ojima Island: Okinawa, Japan
Connected to Okinawa’s main island by a short bridge, Ojima Island is known as a laid-back fishing village with amazing tempura shops, and a large population of stray cats. You’ll notice cats lounging all over the island and many begging for food.
Ojima is not officially one of Japan’s famous cat islands but it’s a hidden gem for cat lovers visiting Okinawa.
Visiting Ojima Island is perfect for those that want to try local Okinawan tempura, enjoy the beautiful ocean views, and socialize with the local cat population.
Sanagi Island: Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Japan is known for its cat islands and one of my favorites is Sanagi Island. Located in the Seto Inland Sea, Sanagi Island is one of the lesser known cat islands.
Sanagi Island, is a small island that is home to a small population of residents along with dozens of cats that roam the quiet fishing villages on Sanagi Island.
Sanagi offers a peaceful and authentic atmosphere where visitors can enjoy the slow paced island life, experience rural Japan, and spend time with the local feline residents.
Sanagi Island is accessible by ferry from Tadotsu near Marugame.
When Jill and I visited Sanagi Island, I felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We didn’t run into any tourists. It was just us, locals, and the dozens of cats that greeted us while walking around.
Houtong Cat Village: Taiwan
Tucked away in the mountainous region of northern Taiwan, Houtong Cat Village is one of the most famous cat destinations in the world. What was once a quiet coal mining town has transformed into a paradise for cats and cat lovers.
In Houtong Cat Village, there are hundreds of friendly cats, cute cafes, shops, and all things cats. It truly is a cat lovers paradise and it’s an easy day trip from Taipei.
The village gained international attention when local villagers started caring for abandoned cats in Houtong and sharing photos. I think social media definitely helped the town go viral.
Today, visitors can explore Houtong Cat Village by wandering the alleyways, visiting local cat-themed shops, eating at local cafes, and taking photos of the adorable cats throughout Houtong Cat Village.
From Taipei Main Station, the journey by train to Houtong is only an hour. You can combine a day trip with popular places like Jiufen.
Cat Cafe's: Seoul, South Korea
We really enjoyed our time in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to visiting S. Korea for our first time we were well aware of cat cafe’s.
Surprisingly we only ended up going to one, we did go to a puppy cafe as well which was cute, but this is about cats right? Not dogs! We’ve been to other cat cafe’s around the world, but the one in Seoul stood out and it was around the corner from where we stayed.
Here is how it works. You come in, take off your shoes and pay, usually drinks are included. Once you enter you can sit there and pet the kitties, play with them, or just take photos with them. It is funny being in a small space with 10-20 cats at one time.
Some of them don’t want to be bothered by anyone while others just love to play. Either way, it is great that the cats get attention and used to people before hopefully being adopted!
Mikan the Orange Cat: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
In the city of Kaohsiung, located in southern Taiwan, there is a local cat celebrity and honorary station master that goes by the name Mikan.
Mikan the adorable orange cat, can be found at the Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Metro Station in Kaohsiung.
The station itself and many other metro stations in the Kaohsiung area have embraced Mikan’s popularity with cat-themed decorations and merchandise, creating a fun and memorable stop for both train enthusiasts and cat lovers.
Europe
Cats of Dubrovnik
There was not really a “cat attraction” in Dubrovnik, but the whole city seemed to be a playground for cats, they were everywhere!
Dubrovnik seems to be the best place for cats, inside the walls, there are no cars, small alley ways, and plenty of fun places for kitties to explore.
Around every corner we would see a kitty, especially in the evening times, there would be groups of them.
All the cats were well taken care of. Apparently the restaurants leave out their leftover food at night for the cats, primarily fish. We would see piles of cat food in random locations.
At one of the main bus stops, we saw a rough looking kitty, he’s been through a lot. It was great to see that no one forgot about him as he had food in the mornings.
People in Croatia seem to love their cats. Plus the weather is always nice there!
Cat Obsession: Kotor, Montenegro
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Doing our research prior to visiting Kotor, we read that they are obsessed with cats in this small medieval town.
We were very much looking forward to visiting Kotor because of this reason. Apparently, back in the day, during time of plague, the cats would eat the rats that spread the horrible disease. Because of this, it is likely cats saved hundreds if not thousands of people, so they are basically worshiped in Kotor.
There were cats everywhere, but not as many as we saw in Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia, not sure why? Smaller town and crowds perhaps.
There was a cat museum in Kotor, no way in hell we could pass that up, besides it was only a Euro (Montenegro uses Euro’s). Umm, it was not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting displays of cat toys, or famous cats from the area.
In reality it was full of very odd paintings, postcards with cats, and photos of men during war with cats on their laps. I don’t think I would say this is a must do, but for a Euro it was fun.
North America
Save a Gato: San Juan, Puerto Rico
This has got to be one of my favorite cat attractions/rescues to date! Save a Gato is a rescue organization in San Juan that traps, neuters, and releases cats in Old San Juan.
I believe they also foster and adopt kitties out. But once the cats are taken care of at Save a Gato, they are released back to their colonies, more places need to do this!!
The best thing about the cats of Old San Juan is the location. You can walk outside the walls around the Forts along the coast and you will see cats everywhere along the trail, sunning on the rocks, in bushes, etc..it was quite fantastic!
Cats love soaking up the sunshine by the beach just like we do I guess! If you come here, you are guaranteed to see cats.
They all looked well taken care of and seemed to be friendly. Once you exit the trail and get back into Old San Juan, don’t worry, there are cats all around town.
Hemingway House: Key West, Florida
Home of the six-toed cats! That’s right, a visit to the Hemingway House is not only famous to view Ernest Hemingway’s belongings and works as a writer, but also to see the popular polydactyl (six-toed) kitty cats.
His home lies within Key West, Florida on Whitehead St and is home to about 50 cats that sleep around both inside and outside the house. The cats even have their own replica of the Hemingway House.
Apparently six toed cats were popular among sailors in the early 1900’s, for several reasons. They were considered good luck, the extra toe allowed for better grip while at sea and made them better mousers.
Hemingway received a six toed cat from a sailor named Snow White and that is where it all began!
Now a days, you can tour the Hemingway House and visit the cats. During the day, you can catch them sleeping on the furniture, under tables, or outside relaxing in the shade.
The grounds also includes a cemetery for the cats and there is a vet that takes care of them all.
Cashnip Kitty, Tulsa, Ok
The story goes, there is a small business downtown and they have an office cat. For a few days, the employees would come to work and see a few dollar bills laying right by the door.
This would be almost a daily occurrence and they finally found out that drunk people would walk by the business, see the cat in the window and play with it using a dollar bill.
Eventually the dollar would fall into the office and the cat would claim victory over their money!!!! Since this occurred so often, the business made it into a thing and now they donate all the money to the local homeless shelter.
South America
Kennedy Park (Kitty Park): Lima, Peru
Kennedy Park (Kitty Park), is kind of where it all began. We were in Miraflores which is an upscale area in Lima, Peru.
We were visiting a Pre-Inca Ruin and the tour guide mentioned something about a cat park. Did we hear that right, “Cat Park?” We quickly asked the guide if he really meant a cat park, and sure enough, it was true.
We arrived at Kitty Park and saw cats everywhere, I read that there are about 100 cats here give or take, and they are all cared for by a group that spays, feeds, and takes care of them all.
For the most part they were all in good health, a few had bandages and medicine on wounds, but it is good to know they are cared for.
We spent close to a week in Lima, I believe we stopped here at least three times. The cats were all friendly and enjoyed pets and belly rubs.
It was funny, you could look into the bushes and see 5-10 curled up taking a cat nap. They were literally everywhere, on benches, people’s laps, tree’s, trails, etc..
Conclusion
From the famous cat islands of Japan to the historic streets of Montenegro and Peru’s cat-filled parks, these destinations prove that travel can be both unique and wholesome.
For cat lovers, visiting these places offers more then just cute photos, it creates memorable experiences, connections, stories, and opportunities to aid and care for cats around the world.
Whether you are relaxing in a cat cafe in Asia or spotting cats around Dubrovnik these destinations add a little extra personality to any trip.
Have you been to any of these cat destinations around the world or want to share other fun places for cat lovers? Leave a comment so we can all enjoy more cat attractions. Safe Travels!
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