森林小徑 文心店

Taichung City · 1.0 mi / 1.7 km

森林小徑 健行店 is the Jianxing Road branch of Forest Path, a Taichung restaurant group whose dining rooms double as home to friendly shop cats. Located in the North District, it is a lively family restaurant where several cats wander between the tables and let diners and children stroke them; at least one has learned to 'shake hands', so keep play gentle. Pets are welcome, and the staff are attentive with families. The menu is broad: risotto, pasta with pesto or cream sauces, karaage chicken, milk and other hotpots, red-wine beef stew, pizza and volcano pancakes, plus coffee and desserts. Expect a busy, sometimes noisy atmosphere at weekends, and book ahead online for larger groups.

Taichung City · 1.1 mi / 1.7 km

Glocke Bakery G貓甜點 is a dessert bakery and rescue-cat halfway house on Zhongtai West Road in Taichung's North District, near the National Museum of Natural Science. The cat-loving owner gave up a medical career to bake, and the ground floor is a bright cafe selling natural, additive-free cakes and tarts, from the signature lemon tart to strawberry mille-feuille and salted chocolate tart. Upstairs, the second floor is home to rescued cats waiting for adoption; they can be shy at first but soon come out to play. The minimum spend is one drink, and there is no time limit for visiting the cats. Doors must be kept closed, and the shop stresses that it is a halfway house where the cats' welfare comes first. Adoptable cats are listed on the website.

• Adoptable cats

Taichung City · 1.6 mi / 2.6 km

瓦茲•貓咪咖啡廳 (Wazi Cat Cafe) sits in a lane off Section 2 of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung's West District, close to the busy Calligraphy Greenway shopping area. The cafe is housed in a striking black building with a large glass-walled room filled with plants, and the cats can roam overhead along raised walkways as well as among the tables. The resident cats are described as gentle and affectionate, though only a handful may be out on a given day. There is a minimum spend of NT$150 per person on weekdays and NT$300 at weekends, with no service charge; visits are not time-limited unless the cafe is full, when a 90-minute limit applies. Payment is by cash or bank transfer. Bookings are taken online through FunNow. The menu covers toast, desserts, coffee and tea.

Taichung City · 1.6 mi / 2.6 km

洄流餐食 Stream is a cat restaurant in a renovated old house down a lane off Shuangshi Road in Taichung's North District, close to the Yizhong Street shopping area. Around nine to ten resident cats take turns 'working' in the dining room; they are friendly and well groomed, and guests may stroke and photograph them as long as they clean their hands first and let the cats come to them. The kitchen is the other draw, serving brunch plates, bagels, karaage chicken, pork cutlet, salmon risotto and filet steak with carefully plated dishes and good-sized portions. The restaurant is also pet-friendly, so dogs may visit with their owners. Meals are generally limited to two hours, and table bookings are taken by phone.

Taichung City · 1.7 mi / 2.8 km

正當冰 台中西區有貓好樹店 is the Taichung shop of Justice Ice Cream, a brand known for natural ice cream made without additives, on Section 2 of Taiwan Boulevard in the West District. As part of the brand's No More Stray programme, the spacious, clean shop doubles as a halfway home for rescued cats, and a large group of friendly, well-groomed cats lives among the tables while they wait for adoptive families. Staff show visitors how to feed the cats small pieces of natural dried-fish treats. Besides ice cream and affogato, the kitchen serves full meals such as chicken meatballs and herbal chicken soup, plus waffles, puddings, shaved ice and drinks. The shop is occasionally booked for private events or taste-education classes, so check its social media before visiting.

• Adoptable cats

Taichung City · 1.9 mi / 3.0 km

森林小徑 精誠店 is the Jingcheng branch of Forest Path, a Taichung chain of family- and pet-friendly restaurants known for their resident shop cats. Tucked into a lane off Jingcheng 9th Street in the West District, it has bright floor-to-ceiling windows, an outdoor garden with sofas, and a ground floor where several friendly cats stroll among the tables and accept gentle head scratches. Dogs can join their owners on the floor, and children are welcome. The kitchen focuses on carefully sourced ingredients and serves pasta (the karaage pasta and salted egg yolk dishes are favourites), baked gratins, risotto, pizza, volcano pancakes and desserts, plus coffee and tea. Walk-ins are usually accommodated, but booking online is wise at peak times.