What It Is

Houtong, in Ruifang District, was once one of Taiwan's richest coal towns: at its peak it produced roughly 220,000 tonnes a year, the largest single-area coal output in Taiwan, supporting some 900 households and a population over 6,000. The mines closed as the industry declined through the 1990s, and the village emptied to a few hundred residents. In 2008 a local cat-loving resident began encouraging neighbours to take in strays; the idea spread, and Houtong is now Taiwan's best-known cat village, home to 200-plus cats, mostly sterilised and vaccinated strays living around the old mining structures.

Getting There

TRA to Houtong Station directly — the station sits on the same Yilan Line corridor as Ruifang, one stop before it coming from Taipei, and is served by the same trains used to reach Jiufen and the Pingxi Line. A cat-shaped pedestrian bridge connects the station platform to the village.
Because Houtong is on the direct Taipei–Ruifang rail line, it combines easily with a Jiufen or Shifen day out — stop en route rather than treating it as a separate trip.

What to See

Cat Square, the restored coal-washing plant and mine entrance ruins above the village, and a scatter of cat-themed cafés and shops along the old street. Cats roam freely and are used to visitors; feeding is generally discouraged in favour of the village's own feeding stations.

Sources: Houtong Cat Village history per Wikipedia, National Geographic, Taiwan Obsessed. Checked 21 Aug 2026.