International Cat Day: There is an island where you can go and play with hundreds of kittens

Cat lovers probably can't imagine anything better than a house full of furry friends – but on Lana'i Cat Santuary in Hawaii they have the run of a whole island.

While most people think of Hawaii as a place for surfing and sipping cocktails by the water, a few residents are spending their time on dry land building the most heavenly sanctuary for lost and abandoned cats, creating what is effectively a hotel-cum-adventure playground for felines.

Based on the island of Lana'i, the sanctuary is home to 495 cats who can roam and play to their hearts content within 250,000 square feet of land filled to the brim with climbing logs, huts and resting spots and not a cage in sight.

The happy moggies have been snapped by the staff playing, greeting guests and snoozing in the sunshine with their friends.

And better yet, anyone can visit. The sanctuary is open to the public daily from 10am until 3pm and visitors have travelled from far and wide to play with the hundreds of cats who are more than happy to accept visitors into their open-air home.

Visitors who cannot be parted from their new best friends are also able to give a permanent home to cats they fall in love with as the staff facilitate adoption, free of charge. During their stay they are given all necessary medical care so they are easy to move to a new nap stop when required.

For those who cannot take a cat home the sanctuary has an 'adopt in place' facility that allows you to donate money on a one-off or monthly basis for the cat of your choice or just to bring a few more toys to the whole place.

While it may be a bit of a journey to get to Hawaii, you're guaranteed it will be infinitely better than any cat cafe back home – and you can return home with a new friend.

Lanaicatsanctuary.org