Mark your calendars, cat lovers! 8 August is International Cat Day. Created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the event invites cat enthusiasts, cat owners, cat fanatics, and cat extremists to celebrate cats and all things feline around the world.
Not sure how to celebrate International Cat Day? We are here to help!
Here are seven vacation destinations for cat lovers around the world where felines are celebrated all year round.
Cats of Cape Town, South Africa
Escape the rat race and live like a cat in Cape Town for a day or two! Pamper yourself with a stay at Cape Town’s first and only cat-themed holiday apartment in District Six. Birth home of the KAT KULT, the Cat Condo is an eclectic vacation rental for humans with a fetish for felines. The industrial warehouse-style loft unites cats and humans in the most unusual ways. Kitted with all kinds of cats — aside from the real-life ones — the Cat Condo is where cat addicts come to play, stray and stay. Put on your cat eyes as you roam around the streets of the Mother City and beyond. Discover cats in the most unusual places and spaces while you get a taste of a cat’s life in Cape Town. Book a cat-cation at the Cat Condo in Cape Town and take a walk on the wild side!
Cats of Aoshima Island, Japan
The cats of Aoshima Island in Japan outnumber the humans six to one. A colony of cats was originally brought to the island to deal with the rodents that plagued the fishing community. Ever since then, cats have taken over the island, with their population growing steadily each year. A trip to Aoshima is best done as a day trip from the mainland city of Matsuyama.
Cats of Santorini, Greece
Famous for its blue and white architecture, the eponymous island of Santorini in Greece has an impressive feline population. The island’s cats are cared for by residents and visitors alike and there are several organizations dedicated to helping to support their health and well-being. Should you fall in love with a little Santorini cat while on your holiday, you will find several animal organizations that facilitate out-of-country adoptions.
Cats of Osaka, Japan
Forget ocean views. A room with a cat view is the latest trend at Neko Yokujo & Neko Hatago, a unique mixed-use space in Osaka, Japan, that combines a cat cafe (Neko Yokujo) and a capsule hotel (Neko Hatago). The floorplan is such that the cats’ play area is directly adjacent to the back of hotel guests’ sleeping spaces. But rather than a solid wall separating the areas, the back of each sleeping compartment has a pane of glass, serving as a window that gives each person staying in the hotel a view of cats, the best possible view of all.
Cats of Istanbul, Turkey
Cats are a fixture of Istanbul’s outdoor markets. The Sultans of Istanbul welcomed cats to the city to keep it free of vermin during the Ottoman Empire. Over the years, the street cats became a welcome fixture, treasured as resourceful companions to residents. Today, the residents of the city care for the cats of Istanbul by leaving food and water out for them while the felines roam the neighbourhoods.
Cats of Houtong, Taiwan
This remote village is reinvented itself as a cat lover’s destination. Though it used to be a coal mining community, Houtong has reinvented itself as a cat lover’s destination. This remote village in Northern Taiwan is home to more than 200 cats, which draw a growing number of visitors each year. For your best chance of spotting these cats, head outside the village’s busy centre and stroll around the riverside path. Here, you’ll spot felines napping under benches and along the ledges of the aptly named ‘cat bridge’.
Cats of Rome, Italy
Tourists aren’t the only ones who flock to Rome – the city’s population of stray cats also seek refuge at the city’s many ancient ruins. In the Largo di Torre Argentina, a square containing some precious remains of temples and Pompey’s Theatre, there is a must-visit cat sanctuary called Torre Argentina. Visitors to the Torre Argentina sanctuary will have the opportunity to learn about the ruin’s history while bonding with the cats over your shared love of Roman history. You can even bring them home with you as the sanctuary facilities adoptions both within and outside Italy.
