After hearing much about Houtong Cat Village, nicknamed cat paradise, I decided to visit the small town in July during summer break this year.
Once the biggest coal mining town under Imperial Japan’s colonial rule, Houtong is located in the mountains of northern Taiwan and now houses around 100 villagers and 200 cats, with nearly a million annual visitors. In the late 20th century, the decline and eventual closing of the coal mines and a large-scale brain drain left Houtong derelict with a dwindling population. In 2008, photographer Jian Peiling posted photos of the stray cats that had gathered in the quiet town, attracting countless cat lovers and leading to the rebranding of the former mining town as a cat’s paradise, where they live freely and comfortably, taken care of by local residents and volunteers. Since then, a feline-themed tourist industry has emerged as a source of income for the locals.
At first glance, there are large numbers of food and water bowls scattered around the town. The first few steps seem to promise a “cat paradise” just as the media proclaim, where cats are undisturbed and have unlimited high-quality food and clean water.
Upon closer inspection, deeper into the town, there are numerous problems to be found. Bowls placed in darkened corners at the ends of abandoned streets with cat food that looks months-old are the main food sources. Out of range of governmental attention, there are many clusters of cheap cat food, full of food colouring and covered in dirt, lying on the ground. If not cleaned up, these may begin to rot or attract pests to the area, which could be an annoyance to the residents but may even more importantly attack the stray cats, which are generally on the skinnier side and are prone to sickness. Preservative packets, containing silica gel, are also spotted in the bowls at times. This is not only a choking hazard but is also toxic, which is particularly dangerous to stray cats as they are often on the smaller side and small amounts of silica gel could cause intestinal issues that require medical care, which is scarce.
The sink that cats drink from also does not seem sanitary: there were many dishes soaking in the sink, which may contain unwashed food that has rotted or could attract flies. This could potentially lead to health issues, which is also a problem when cats are drinking water with floating algae in it. It cannot be guaranteed to be safe, and the water source seems not to have been cleaned for some time too. Local residents perhaps do not see this as an issue, but the cost of medical treatment if the cats were to get sick might become a financial burden.
Moreover, many shops sell low quality cat food and cat teasers to the visitors which is really concerning. It causes various health problems to the cats which could serve to be a big problem.
From what I have seen, I believe that the negative effects that animal tourism industry in Houtong has on the cats overweighs the benefits. The anthropocentric and exploitive nature of human society ignores the needs and welfare of the commodified cats in Houtong, and instead continues to advertise it as a “cat paradise.” While the tourist industry benefits from the sales of low-cost cat food and teasers, the cats suffer prevalent long-term health issues. The inadequate medical care and lack of clean food and water further perpetuate this, as does the low awareness of the significance of TNVR, leading to new generations of cats being born into these conditions.
The local government should take a more active role in attempting to communicate with independent residents and volunteer groups; without the authority and resources of the government, it would be difficult to achieve the goals that would bring the most benefits to the cats. Initiating regulations that would limit the harmful behavior of tourists and the overall tourist industry, or providing resources that would improve the welfare of the animals, could perhaps be the first steps to bringing Houtong closer to a “cat paradise”.
