Many years ago, the town of Houtong, Taiwan, was a prosperous mining community.  It was one of the many industrial towns that thrived thanks to Taiwan’s burgeoning coal industry.  Then, of course, the world changed, manufacturing fell off, and Houtong quickly became deserted as people streamed out, leaving the town to find work.  However, Houtong might be coming back, this time as a tourist destination for cat lovers as the town is full of free-roaming friendly felines!

The town is about 200 people versus about 100 cats, and the friendly and approachable nature of the masses of felines has been drawing tourists and, most importantly, rave reviews from visitors all over the world.  However, the reinvention of the town as a cat mecca wasn’t intentional.  It was the result of cats doing what cats are wont to do, as 58-year-old retiree Chan Bi-yun’s five kittens turned into an army.

“I started raising five cats that belonged to a neighbor who passed away nine years ago and they gave birth to more and more kitties,” said the woman, who also owns a cat-themed souvenir stall.  “Now I feed about half of Houtong’s cat population.”  That crazy cat lady might have just saved her entire town!

Tags: Houtong, Taiwan, town full of cats, tourism, unusual tourist destinations, unusual towns, unusual animals, town becomes cat paradise, 200-person town full of cats, cats, cat-lovers town, Chan Bi-yun

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