Are there rats on Cat Island?

Aoshima: The Most Famous Cat Island The island itself is 1.6km long. The reason cats first made it to the island is because of fishermen who wanted to deal with the local rodent problem. However, after the rats were gone, the cats stayed and had a population boom.



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Since the cats on Aoshima Island have been cared for and pampered down many generations, they are docile and friendly. You can feed, pet, or just straight up chill out with them, and who knows, you might even discover a thing or two about yourself, in the process.

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Cotton plantation ruins are scattered around the island. The remains of slave huts dating back to the 1700s and Arawak Indian caves can be explored. Cat Island also prides itself on producing The Bahamas' finest Rake 'n Scrape music and holds an annual festival dedicated to it.

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Felines were introduced to combat rodents on fishing boats, but remained on the island and reproduced in large numbers. The feline inhabitants of Aoshima are fed by food donations from all over Japan. The cats also eat the small creatures of the island and some food from visitors.

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Approximately 50 miles long but as little as 1 mile wide in some locations, Cat lies slightly north and east of the Exumas across Exuma Sound. The western waters are shallow banks typically 10-20 feet deep, while the east coast faces the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by beautiful but dangerous reefs.

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Cats were originally introduced on ships because the fisherman had to deal with a rodent problem. But the cats then remained on the island and reproduced, thus the population increasing almost exponentially.

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At its height, upwards of 800 people lived on the island; however, that number has vastly decreased over the past 70 years as younger people moved away, sardine fisheries depleted and closed, and jobs moved to the cities.

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Most resorts on Cat Island are located on the western coast of the island, which is washed by the shallow waters of the Bahama Banks. If you explore the western coast of the island, however, you can swim in the Atlantic Ocean and experience the pink sand wonder of Cat Island.

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