Aoshima Cat Island

The place where the most cats live per capita is one of the Japanese islands – Aoshima. In this post, we will tell you in detail about the intricacies of life among cats.

Aoshima Island in Japan is a cat's paradise

On the Japanese island of Aoshima or Aoshima, there are 6 times more little fuzzies than people – more than five hundred cats live here, and there are only about a hundred people, and mostly elderly people. This small secluded place belongs to cats.

Mostly red cats live everywhere on the island: wherever you go, they are everywhere. Fluffy tails gather in large mewing groups for regular feeding, which is carried out by locals and tourists. Guests often come here just for this, since there are no hotels, restaurants, shops on Aoshima, in a word – nothing.

For reference

There is more than one Aoshima in Japan, and more than one "cat island". There are about eleven similar places in the Land of the Rising Sun, where countless populations of these animals live. The island we need is located in Ehime Prefecture.

Where do cats come from on the Japanese island

Aoshima was once a bustling fishing village, but now only a handful of locals remain on it. The island itself is small – only about one and a half kilometers long, and for the first time the cats were brought here by fishermen to catch mice. The number of mice turned out to be much smaller than the rapidly increasing cat population and the natural balance was disrupted.

Representatives of the purring community began to multiply rapidly and uncontrollably. The local authorities tried to solve the problem, but it was impossible to stop them. More and more kittens were born from countless feline families.

The locals were oppressed by the striped owners of the island and began to slowly leave Aoshima, besides fishing began to decline. The houses were deserted, and the island became a full-fledged residence of cats.

Local authorities continue to work to control the number of cats, but Aoshima has long been a tourist attraction, although there is absolutely nothing else to offer tourists except cats.

How to get to Aoshima

You can get to the "cat island" using the only ferry that runs between the ports of Io-Nagahama (Iyo-Nagahama) in Ozu and Aoshima Island.

All the island cats know when the ferry is approaching and rush together to the pier, because food arrives with tourists. Feeding places are indicated in the guidebook, which is distributed to travelers on the ferry, it is not allowed to feed animals at the pier.