Cover Cat lovers, these destinations are purr-fect for you (Photo: Roberto Jr Saldana/Unsplash)
Cat lovers, these destinations are purr-fect for you (Photo: Roberto Jr Saldana/Unsplash)
1 / 1
For travellers who travel with curiosity rather than a checklist, these destinations for cat lovers reveal something unexpected: cities and towns where animals are not attractions but stakeholders in daily life
Some cities advertise nightlife, cuisine or shopping. But other places? They prefer to reveal themselves through whiskers, paw prints and a surprising number of locals who seem to understand that cats are not pets so much as civic stakeholders. Across Asia, cats have become unofficial mascots, spiritual symbols, pest controllers and, sometimes—quite literally—tourism ambassadors. These destinations don’t stage feline affection for Instagram; they’ve grown around it. What emerges is a travel map shaped not by cat cafés alone, but by history, geography and communities that learned long ago how to coexist with creatures that refuse ownership.
Below, a considered tour of places where cat culture feels organic, embedded and deeply telling of how a place works. Cat lovers, are you ready?
In case you missed it: 15 a-meow-zing cat cafes to visit in Malaysia
1. Tashirojima, Japan
A short ferry ride off Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture, Tashirojima has become shorthand for “cat island”, though the reality is more quietly practical than whimsical. Cats were historically encouraged to protect silk farms from mice, and over time, the human population dwindled while the cats stayed. Today, feline-shaped lodgings and shrines coexist with working fishing docks and elderly residents who see cats as part of daily infrastructure rather than novelty. The island’s rhythms—slow, tidal, unhurried—suit animals that prefer observation over obedience. Cat lovers who visit quickly learn that here, felines are neither curated nor coaxed; they simply are.
2. Houtong Cat Village, Taiwan
Houtong was once a coal-mining hub connected by rail to Taipei, its fortunes rising and falling with industrial demand. When the mines closed, cats appeared, followed by photographers, volunteers and eventually a full-scale preservation effort. Today, the village balances infrastructure for visitors—cat bridges, murals, small museums—with genuine care programmes run by locals. The cats are healthy, monitored and visibly woven into community life rather than staged apart from it. It’s a case study in how animal stewardship can revive a place without flattening its past.
3. Tokoname City, Japan
Best known for its ceramic heritage, Tokoname’s relationship with cats is subtle but persistent. Along its historic “Pottery Footpath”, visitors encounter ceramic maneki-neko figures nestled beside kilns and alleyways, many created by local artisans rather than mass-produced souvenirs. The real cats appear gradually, lounging near workshops or navigating narrow lanes with the confidence of long-term residents. Here, cats function as both symbol and presence. They echo the town’s reverence for craftsmanship, patience and continuity. Cat lovers here can enjoy the calm and the purrs.
4. Houtan and ‘City Cat Island’, Shanghai, China
Shanghai is not a place commonly associated with animals roaming freely, which makes its semi-formal “cat zones” particularly striking. In redeveloped waterfront areas like Houtan Park and residential enclaves nicknamed “City Cat Island”, local caretakers manage feline colonies with precision—feeding schedules, veterinary rotations and discreet shelters built into urban landscaping. These cats exist alongside cat lovers, but also joggers, cyclists and office workers without spectacle.
5. Temples and riverside areas in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
In Phnom Penh, cats tend to appear in places of transition: temple courtyards, riverbanks, old colonial buildings slowly adapting to modern use. They are tolerated, occasionally fed, rarely fussed over. This understated coexistence reflects a broader cultural rhythm—animals occupy space without demanding narrative. For travelling cat lovers, the experience is observational rather than interactive, offering insight into how Southeast Asian cities integrate animals without institutional frameworks or tourist packaging.
6. Aoshima, Japan
Aoshima, in Ehime Prefecture, offers a more rural counterpart to Tashirojima, with cats outnumbering humans by a wide margin. Originally brought in to manage rodents, the cats today roam freely through paddy fields, residential streets and quayside paths. There’s no formal cat infrastructure here; there doesn’t need to be. The animals are woven into the village’s cadence, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it corners and slow mornings. Travellers arrive with cameras but leave with something less expected: an unforced glimpse of everyday coexistence.
7. Samut Songkhram, Thailand
In Thailand’s Samut Songkhram province, conservation initiatives have drawn attention to cat welfare, particularly through local preservation centres that document and care for stray and community cats. Thailand, in general, has a long-standing cultural affection for cats; their presence in temples, markets and homes is common and normalised. Unlike the packaged experiences of cat cafés, Samut Songkhram’s efforts reflect grassroots collaboration between municipalities, animal advocates and residents. The cats here are not attractions but part of a broader ethic of compassion and coexistence.
8. Istanbul, Turkey
On the Asian side of Istanbul—particularly in Kadıköy and Üsküdar—cats aren’t just tolerated; they are embedded into daily social infrastructure. Locals routinely provide food, water and shelter in public spaces: near cafés, market stalls, parks and even ferry docks. The cats in Istanbul are not homed pets but community cats with apparent status: pedestrians step around them with natural consideration, baristas place bowls by doorsteps and commuters greet familiar felines en route to work.
This isn’t contrived friendliness so much as tacit social contract: an understanding that these animals, like the Bosphorus currents, belong to the lived city. It’s a model that contrasts with Western pet culture precisely because responsibility here is communal and un-curated.
9. Kuching, Malaysia
If Asia has a capital of everyday cat culture, Kuching makes a strong case. Its name literally translates to “cat”, and the affection is visible everywhere: bronze cat statues anchoring roundabouts, feline motifs along the waterfront and a dedicated Cat Museum that treats local obsession with anthropological seriousness rather than kitsch.
What distinguishes Kuching from novelty “cat islands” is scale and normalcy. Cats move freely through markets, cafés and residential streets, supported by informal community caretakers and organised spay-and-neuter efforts rather than tourist-fed excess. They’re relaxed, well-socialised and largely integrated into daily city life—not mascots, just neighbours. For travellers, the charm lies in that ordinariness: a city where cats are neither pageantry nor afterthought, but quietly, confidently at home.
Sasha Lim-Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila, she also covers entertainment and dining, as well as a broad range of topics. She was the former digital editor at Esquire Philippines and was the digital managing editor at Spot.ph, and now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
