Japan’s famous cat island may soon lose its feline residents, insider warns
By Bryan Ke
Aoshima, an island in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture home to around 130 cats, is reportedly in danger of losing them all. Known Aioshima tipster @aoshima_cat, who frequently shares updates about the island, wrote in an X post on Sept. 8 that the cats may “cross the Rainbow Bridge in a few years,” a euphemism hinting that they might die soon.
- About the island: Aoshima is the most popular of Japan’s cat islands, which are known locally as “nekojimas.” Making headlines throughout the years, it has seen tourists come in droves to visit, feed and interact with the cats, which settled there after being brought in to combat rodent infestations in the 1940s. In October 2018, the local government implemented a sterilization program for the felines under the recommendation of the Aoshima Cat Protection Society, as it had become difficult for the island’s then-13 human residents — averaging 75 years old — to care for them. Only five residents remain in Aoshima, including a 73-year-old woman known as “Cat Mama” who has cleaned up after the felines and helped feed them every day since 2013.
- Driving the news: @Aoshima_cat attributed their prediction to Aoshima’s aging feline population, noting that the cats are now over 7 years old and have not given birth to kittens since the sterilization campaign. Ferry services to and from the island may also be reduced or canceled if tourists stopped visiting altogether. The tipster also noted, “When ‘Cat Mama’ grows old and leaves the island, it will be the end of Cat Island.” They described it as a “sad story, but I think if every cat can live happily until the very last one, that will be the final chapter of Cat Island.”
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