Cat Cafes in Taiwan

Yuanlin, Changhua County

Tai Zhi Yin (泰之飲) is a small, casual Thai restaurant on Zhongzheng Road in Yuanlin City, Changhua, that bills itself as a cat-friendly eatery where you can eat and then play with the cats. Several resident cats live in the dining room and wander between the tables, and they are used to being stroked; regulars come back as much for the cats as for the food. The owner is Thai and cooks homestyle dishes without MSG: green curry, pad thai, basil pork, Ayutthaya boat noodles, shrimp cakes and Thai milk tea, at budget prices and in generous portions. Anyone who is nervous around cats is advised to order takeaway. It is a relaxed, family-friendly place rather than a structured cat cafe: there is no entry fee or time limit, and payment is in cash only.

Chiayi City

Meowmi Cultural & Creative Cafe II (喵咪文創咖啡二館) is the second branch of a well-loved Chiayi cat cafe, tucked down a lane off Minguo Road in the city's East District. It is furnished with antiques and vintage pieces, and its brick-and-wood rooms feel like a collector's house. Around eight resident cats, including a friendly ginger, share the space with two gentle dogs; many of the cats will climb onto laps without being asked, and staff introduce them when you arrive. The minimum order is one drink and one dessert per person. The kitchen serves pour-over coffee, yoghurt bowls, pizza and cat-themed desserts. Because of the dog the front door stays locked, so phone the cafe to be let in. Young children are not admitted. There is no parking at the door, but paid car parks are nearby.

Chiayi City

Meowmi Cultural & Creative Cafe (喵咪文創咖啡館) is the original branch of this Chiayi cat cafe, on Zhongshan Road in the city's East District, a short walk from the second branch. Its resident cats, among them several black cats and a tortoiseshell, live mainly upstairs at the top of a narrow staircase. They are known for settling on visitors' laps and kneading, though a few prefer not to be touched, and staff explain the house rules on arrival. The minimum order is one drink and one dessert per person. Seating is limited to 90 minutes from when your food arrives at weekends and whenever the cafe is full. Weekday tables can be booked by phone; at weekends it is walk-in only, so expect a queue. Cheesecakes, brownies, ice cream, teas and drinks with alcohol are on the menu. Children under six are not admitted.

Chiayi City

Luo Cheng Cat Tea House (洛澄貓咪茶品店) is a small tea shop in a row of units on Daya Road, Section 1, near Lantan in Chiayi's East District, where the staff are a team of cats. Maine Coons are the stars, and the cats work in rotation, so who is on duty changes from day to day; the owner happily explains each one's personality. An elderly Shiba Inu named Dou Dou also makes appearances. Visitors take off their shoes and wear the slippers provided. Seating is limited, so the shop stays calm. The menu centres on brewed teas, milk teas and fruit teas served in pretty teaware, plus coffee, waffles, croissant waffles and small desserts. The shop sometimes holds birthday events for its cats and sells acrylic cat charms. It is cash only, and the restroom is a short walk outside, with slippers provided.

Puli, Nantou County

Mong Du C (萌度C) is a cat cafe on the second floor of a building in the Mong Garden (水与松萌萌園) leisure park on Nancun Road in Puli Township, Nantou. You don't need a park ticket to visit the cafe. The room has a calm Japanese feel, with lots of natural wood and floor-to-ceiling windows. A group of resident cats, ragdolls among them, roams the room; staff introduce each cat's personality and where it came from. When the cafe is busy, especially at weekends, the cats may be kept in their own area to stop them slipping out, so weekdays offer the most contact. The minimum spend is NT$150 per person. The menu covers coffee with customisable latte art, including photo lattes printed with your own picture, plus Mont Blanc, mille-crêpe cakes, half-baked cheesecake, pudding and afternoon tea sets. It is a popular stop for families.

Huwei, Yunlin County

Sunny Cat (日光下的猫) is a rescue cafe on Linsen Road, Section 2, in Huwei Township, Yunlin, run as a halfway house for stray and abandoned cats. The ground floor is a regular, pet-friendly dining room. Upstairs is the cat room, where a large group of rescued cats, from playful kittens to long-haired cats saved from breeding farms, wander freely among the tables, nap in the windows and settle on laps. Once a cat is ready, it can be adopted. The cafe matches each cat with an adopter through several visits rather than handing it over on the spot. Visitors switch to indoor slippers before going up, and staff give children gentle guidance on handling the cats. The kitchen serves Japanese-style curry rice, brunch plates, soufflé pancakes, sundaes, coffee and sparkling drinks. Yunlin has no public animal shelter, so every order helps support the cats.

• Adoptable cats

Yuanlin, Changhua County

Village Bella (鄉村貝拉貓餐廳) is a Mediterranean-style cat restaurant on Sanmin Street near Yuanlin Station in Changhua, which has been running for about ten years. The ground floor is the dining room. Upstairs is the cat room, home to a group of seven or eight resident cats, several of them long-haired, who are used to people and happy to be stroked. To go up, settle your bill first, then change into indoor slippers and sanitise your hands on the stairs. You may stroke the cats but not pick them up or chase them, and flash photography is not allowed. Treats for the cats are sold at the counter. The menu is mostly pasta and risotto, with set-meal add-ons, brunch plates, fried snacks, honey toast, soufflé pancakes and ice cream. There is a minimum spend of NT$100 per person and a 90-minute limit, and children are welcome.

Yuanlin, Changhua County

Xiao Mao Mu Mu (小貓沐沐), formerly known as A Bit Cat, A Bit Interesting (有點貓有點意思), is a small cat cafe in a townhouse on Xianghe Street in Yuanlin City, Changhua, which now also offers astrology readings. A handful of calm resident cats share the bright, homely room, and some will hop onto a lap, but this is a quiet place to spend time with a few cats rather than a crowd of them. Read the rules posted outside, then ring the bell. Shoes come off and socks are required, and hands are sanitised at the door. Children under eight are not admitted, and the cats must not be fed, picked up or chased. There is a minimum order per person and a 90-minute limit; booking ahead is advised. The menu includes honey toast, soufflé pancakes, lasagne, s'mores skillets, matcha lattes and coffee.

Chiayi City

PAWS&PAUSE (貓の驛站) is a bright cat cafe on Shixian Road, Section 4, in Chiayi's West District, built for slow afternoons and remote work. At least six resident cats, each with a distinct personality, roam the clean, airy room. They have names like Gongwan, Diandian and Mitian, and will happily nap on a jacket or bag left on a chair. Staff disinfect tables between guests and keep the space free of cat smells. No reservations are taken. On weekdays the minimum is one drink per person, while at weekends it rises to NT$300 per person, and time limits depend on how busy it is. Children of preschool age and under seven are not admitted, and customers' pets are not allowed. The menu runs from coffee, matcha and hojicha lattes and fruit teas to croissants, Basque cheesecake and pasta, and tables have power sockets for laptops.

• Walk-ins welcome

Chiayi City

Old Cat Coffee (老貓咖啡) is a cat cafe hidden in a quiet lane off Mituo Road in Chiayi's East District. About six lazy, very different cats share the ground floor with visitors, drifting between the tables and curling up beside guests. The friendliest of them act as the cafe's official greeters. The house is decorated with cat touches throughout. There are board games to borrow, and an upstairs area where children can play, while the cats stay downstairs. The menu covers coffee, lattes, pancakes, Basque cheesecake, pudding and canelés, with a few hot savoury dishes that can sell out by late afternoon. It is a relaxed place for groups and families as well as for anyone who just wants to sit with a cat and switch off. Booking ahead is a good idea at busy times.

Yuchi, Nantou County

Zou Qi Lu Mao (走起擼貓, "let's go pet the cats") is a cat restaurant on Yuchi Street in Yuchi Township, Nantou, a short drive from Sun Moon Lake. Its spacious dining room is shared with a group of fluffy ragdoll cats who are the restaurant's main attraction. Some greet guests at the door and jump onto tables; others spend the afternoon asleep. The same owners also run cat-themed lodging. The menu offers American-style burgers, pasta, clam linguine, steak, coffee and tea at fair prices for a cat venue, and there is a modest per-person minimum spend. Large groups should book ahead through the restaurant's LINE account, since dishes are cooked to order and can take time. Customers' own pets are welcome if kept in a stroller or carrier. Holiday arrangements are announced on the Facebook page.

Chiayi City

IN COFFEE is a late-night cat cafe in a wooden old house on Zhongyi Street in Chiayi's West District, a few steps from the Wenhua Road night market. Seven mixed-breed resident cats live throughout the cafe, padding along the shelves above the bar, sleeping by the chairs and occasionally stepping onto a laptop. The minimum is one drink per person. There is no time limit off-peak, though seats are limited to 90 minutes when it is full at weekends. Please don't tease or pick up the cats, keep an eye on your food and devices, and close the door behind you so no one slips out. The menu includes coffee, caramel milk tea with an optional ice-cream bar, fruit sodas, cocktails and desserts such as Basque cheesecake and berry tarts. Leashed or strollered pets are allowed.