This former mining community in northern Taiwan city has transformed into a cat haven.

Houtong was once a thriving coal town, hosting 6,000 workers along with their families.

But when the mine dried up in 1990, the town was quickly abandoned.

But in 2008, a cat-loving photographer discovered that the deserted village had become a cat sanctuary.

In an unexpected twist, the village is now a tourist attraction for humans who love our feline friends.

Taiwan is a self-ruling island located south of China, which China sees as a renegade province.

Interestingly, Taiwan’s incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen is a well-known cat lover. Some attribute her pro-independence stance to her love of cats, citing the animal’s independent nature.

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