Cat Cafes in Taichung City

Taichung City

貓樂貓咖啡 LaLaport 台中店 is a cat cafe on the third floor of Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Taichung in the East District, next to Taichung Railway Station. It is run by a licensed pet business, and pedigree kittens and cats, including short-legged Minuet cats, are displayed and offered for sale. The bright room has window seating, and the resident cats, many of them short-legged breeds, can be stroked, though they tend to choose their own company. Visits are sold as packages: an afternoon-tea plan at NT$300 per person for one hour, or a meal plan at NT$500 for two hours. Guests wear shoe covers and wash their hands at the sink in the room. The menu includes pasta, risotto, fries and drinks. A sister branch operates at LaLaport Nangang in Taipei.

Taichung City

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

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

貓邸老咖狐獴餐廳 is a small cat and meerkat restaurant on Dongguang 1st Street in Taichung's North District, a 7-10 minute walk from Jingwu railway station, and the flagship of the Cat Boss (貓老闆) group. The dining area is split in two: an inner, fenced room where about four friendly cats, including an affectionate black cat, mingle with diners, and an outer section without cats. The meerkats live in an enclosure for their safety, though guests can still see them up close. Shoes come off at the entrance, and the rooms are clean and free of cat smell. Seats are few, so phone booking is strongly advised; reservations are held for only five minutes. The menu features risotto, pasta, Matsusaka pork, set meals and cat latte art. Children under ten must keep quiet and move gently.

Taichung City

先龍覺醒貓咪咖啡廳 is a bright cat cafe on Section 3 of Liming Road in Xitun District, Taichung. Sunlight pours through a glass roof onto cat trees and rope climbing frames that run up to the bookshelves, and a group of clean, friendly pedigree cats spends the day playing, climbing and napping in a dedicated cat area, which guests enter for a small extra fee. There is no time limit on time with the cats, which makes it popular with families: children can play with the cats while parents relax. The cafe is also laptop-friendly and has a meeting room that can be rented. Coffee, light meals and snacks are served, and staff are chatty and welcoming.

Taichung City

貓多多飯館 is a no-frills neighbourhood eatery on Chenggong 2nd Road in Dali District, Taichung, whose name promises 'lots of cats', and it delivers. A large group of friendly cats roams the simple, air-conditioned dining room and is happy to be stroked, and the place is notably free of cat smell. Unlike most cat restaurants, it keeps prices low and serves home-style Chinese food: generous fried rice (the green pepper beef is a favourite), fried noodles, and soup noodles such as tomato-based cat's ear pasta soup, with free black tea. A larger portion costs only NT$10 more. The owner cooks and serves alone, so expect a wait at busy times. Payment is simple and the atmosphere is relaxed and family-friendly.

Taichung City

倫家Cafe Lun's House is a booking-only brunch cafe in a renovated 40-year-old house on Section 2 of Zhongshan Road in Taiping District, Taichung, near National Chin-Yi University and Pinglin Forest Park. Three very friendly resident cats share the space, mostly in the roomy upstairs dining area, and they are known for settling on tables, chairs and laps; a Ducati motorcycle near the entrance completes the look. The cafe does not admit children under 12 or pets, and reservations are required. The kitchen serves eggs Benedict, avocado dishes, honey apple chicken, garlic butter pork, house-made bread, desserts, and drinks such as osmanthus latte and Sicilian sparkling coffee. Street parking nearby is limited, so allow time to park legally.

• Booking required

Taichung City

逗貓空間 is a simple, low-cost cat play space in a lane off Wenhua Road in Xitun District, Taichung, near the Feng Chia night market. It was set up for students and families who would like to spend time with cats but cannot keep one at home, and any profit goes towards caring for stray cats. Entry costs NT$100 per person for 90 minutes. Seven or eight cats live here, several of them very affectionate, and a capsule machine sells treats that quickly draw a crowd of cats. No food or drinks are served. The air-conditioned space also has a children's play area and a sandpit in the basement, making it a popular rainy-day or summer stop for parents with young children.