Fun Places for Cat Lovers to Visit

Sign outside Hello Kitty theme park

By Julia Williams

This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me even slightly: I have a “cat-themed” bucket list. What might that be, you ask? Well, it’s a detailed list of all the cat-themed places I want to visit before my demise. Lest you think that would be a really short list, I assure you it isn’t. There are, in fact, so many fabulous feline-inspired things to see worldwide, that I would need to live (at least) several hundred years to cross them all off.

The wildly popular cat-obsessed blog, Catsparella, only contributed to my longing by featuring some purrfect pussycat travel destinations in a series of great posts called Around the World in 80 Cats. Every day for months I salivated worse than Pavlov’s Dog, and sulked that my pink leopard suitcase and I wouldn’t be heading to the airport any time soon. Here are just a few of the feline-themed destinations on my bucket list:

Hello Kitty boat ride

Hello Kitty Theme Park: Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo

It takes a special kind of bravery for a middle-aged woman to admit that she (still) likes Hello Kitty. But I do. And despite the fact that the target audience for Sanrio Puroland is 3-6 year olds, I would go there in a heartbeat, and I would have a wonderful time. Never mind that the reviews on Trip Advisor range from “Every Hello Kitty fan’s dream come true” to “A complete waste of time and money.” Besides, Wikipedia claims that “the park has become one of Japan's most popular attractions.” So there! The park is run by the Sanrio company, creators of Hello Kitty, and features live musicals, restaurants, attractions, parades, fireworks and rides, including an “It’s a Small World” type boat ride. For diehard Kitty fans, the extensive gift shop offerings alone would be worth the trip.

Catskill, New York:  Cat n’ Around Festival

Yes, it makes perfect sense that a tiny town called Catskill would find a way to celebrate the divine feline. Every summer since 2007, 40+ fiberglass cats take up residence along Catskill’s Historic Main Street, adding a healthy dose of charm to an already quaint place. The larger-than-life decorative cat statues are handmade by local artists, and each year there is a new, original litter. The kitties are on display from May to September, and then auctioned off to raise money for charity. I became aware of this unique cat-themed travel destination a few years ago after it was featured on the awesome – but alas, short lived – TV show Must Love Cats. I can’t think of a better reason to visit upstate New York, can you?

The Kuching Cat Museum in Malaysia

Kuching Cat Museum entrance

What’s a metropolis to do when their very name means Cat City? Pay homage to the venerable feline with cat statues everywhere, of course. But why stop there? Kuching didn’t, and their one-of-a-kind Cat Museum has become a must-see attraction for feline fans worldwide. Inaugurated in 1993, the museum features 2000+ feline exhibits, artifacts, art, photographs, statues, stamps, posters and – perhaps most intriguing of all – a mummified Egyptian cat dating back to 3500 BC! The museum is much more than just a collection of cat memorabilia, however; it’s also a research center devoted to exploring the rich cultural history of our feline friends.

The Hemingway Home/Museum in Key West, Florida 

Cat chillaxing at Hemingway Home

The former home of Ernest Hemingway is a must-see destination for literary types, who enjoy checking out the rooms and gardens where the celebrated American author lived and wrote for more than 10 years. But cat lovers find the place just as enchanting, thanks to 40-50 felines that have full roaming privileges. Legend has it that a ship’s captain gave Hemingway a white polydactyl (six toed) cat named Snowball, who became the first of many felines to win his heart. Although some say that never actually happened, the museum’s tour guides diligently keep the legend alive, so that the hordes of cat fans keep coming.

Cat inside the Hemingway home

Also on my cat-themed bucket list: lots more Hello Kitty madness including a Sweet Shop in Taipei, Taiwan, a Beauty Spa in Dubai, and Harmonyland, another Sanrio theme park on the island of Kyushu;  a visit to “Station Master Tama” (a calico cat) on the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan; the tiny Pacific Ocean island of Tashirojima (aka Cat Island), where felines outnumber humans; the Cat Boat, a floating animal sanctuary in Amsterdam; the cat-themed train station and cat-shaped bridge in Taipei; and the  Festival of the Cats in the Belgian town of Ypres.

Have you ever been to any of these places?

Hello Kitty photos courtesy of Catsparella
Kuching Cat Museum courtesy of virtualmalaysia.com
Hemingway Home photos by James Willamor

Read more articles by Julia Williams

A Dog's Bucket List

By Keikei Cole, canine guest blogger

It's rough being a dog. We have to guard the home, keep the mailman and deliverymen on their toes, herd cats and pick up garbage. We wash windows, dig holes in the garden, exercise our hoomans, and try to keep them under control at all times. It's a hard job, but we do the best we can. On our down time, my furry siblings and I like to work on our bucket lists. Oh yes, we have lots of things we want to do, too! Here is my bucket list.

1. Visit the factory where they make all of those yummy CANIDAE TidNips™ and Snap-Bits™ dog treats. I'd like be the chief “taste inspector” to make sure each package is up to the company's strict standard of quality and freshness.

2. Learn how to herd sheep. The word around the water bowl is that sheep are easier to manage than a bunch of cats. When I learn how to do that intimidating “Border Collie stare,” felines will have new respect for me!

3. Be the lead dog on a sled dog team with no particular place to go.

4. Go on a real scavenger hunt and roll in everything I find. It would be fun to set up a hunt in some exotic location to experience the local flavors I can't find in my area.

5. Take my human on a cross country trip to find all of the dog friendly motels and wide open spaces where I can run as far as I want. Within reason, anyway – I wouldn't want to lose my human or my ride home.

6. Have a heart-to-heart talk with the mailman and delivery guy, to explain that when I bark, snarl or chase them, it's not personal, I'm just doing my job.

7. Have a daily supply of pillows, preferably with feathers, to entertain myself when I'm home alone. Humans have no idea how fun and relaxing it is to furiously shake a pillow until the feathers fly. It reminds me of falling snow. Besides, cleaning up the feathers is a good way for humans to get exercise, which they need to stay healthy in body and mind.

8. Sneak into a cat show, hide behind the curtain, and howl like a wolf.

9. Run alongside a herd of deer and pretend I'm starved. It's no fun being trapped behind a fence while they stand and stare at me. I feel like I'm in a zoo.

10. Roll around in all of the mud puddles I can find, right after my bath.

11. Go for a walk that lasts until I'm ready to stop. It would be fun to camp out for a night and see what makes all of those strange noises and scents I detect when I'm inside.

12. Have my own reality TV show so the world can see what I have to put up with on a daily basis. Humans can be extremely stubborn and difficult to train.

13. I want to have one day where my human lets me tell off, once and for all, the squirrel that hangs out on a tree branch over my pen, irritating me with his non-stop chattering. Squirrels can be so rude. He's the one invading my space, after all.

14. Do a comprehensive investigative report to find out how and where that other doggie in the mirror goes. Inquiring dogs want to know.

15. Hire my own personal masseuse who has warm hands and knowledge of proper tummy and ear scratching techniques.

16. Become a famous canine photographer, renowned for my photos of humans doing silly, crazy and cute things.

17. Attend a major league baseball game to chase balls that get into the outfield. I hope the TV cameras catch my good side. Note to self – remember to wear the green collar with name, address and phone number on it. Don't want to spend too long in doggie jail after I'm caught.

18. Crash a famous person's wedding. Swim in their pool, and when I get out, shake beside the cake. Then eat whipped cream, race around like Cujo, and jump up on the guests to say “Hi.”

19. Follow any interesting scent I want, no matter where it goes.

20. Audition for a movie role and do my best Lassie impression. Run up to someone, bark while bouncing up and down, turn and run two steps, stop, look back, bark again, take two more steps, stop, look back. Which means “Come quick, Timmy's in trouble again.”

What’s on your dog's bucket list?

Read more articles by Linda Cole