Office warns of Houtong Cat Village disease risk

By Chen Hsin-yu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer





The New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office on Thursday warned people visiting the “Cat Village” (貓村) not to touch the cats or bring their own pets, three days after two dead kittens tested positive for feline infectious enteritis.

The Cat Village is a tourist attraction in Rueifang District’s (瑞芳) Houtong Village (猴硐), famous for its many street cats, which the local community cares for.

Feline infectious enteritis is a contagious and potentially deadly viral disease that affects animals in the cat family, but does not pose a risk to humans or other animals, the office said in a statement.

Stray cats eat at a public space in Houtong Village in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office

City workers and volunteers annually administer a combined vaccine for feline parvoviral enteritis, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus to each of the village’s 286 strays that are on record, the office said.

The two kittens, estimated to be about two months old, were not known to the office and did not receive the vaccination shots, it said, adding that the recent cold spell could have compromised their immunity.

Officials are responding to the situation by installing extra signs that warn against pet abandonment and touching or feeding the village strays, it said.

The Animal Protection Act’s (動物保護法) regulations against pet abandonment would be enforced to prevent the spread of the disease, the office said, adding that perpetrators would face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.

City workers and volunteers have completed the latest round of immunizations for the cats and a seasonal disinfection of the area, it said, adding that the public is reminded to use the disinfectant spray bottles in the village.