Who cares for the cats on Cat Island?

While the animals can wander about wherever they please, they're largely taken care of by the Aoshima Cat Protection Society, which has recommended that all of the cats on the island be spayed or neutered in order to gradually reduce their population.



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Aoshima, Japan, AKA Cat Island, has a human population of nine human retirees and over 200 feral cats.

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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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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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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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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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Aoshima (Cat Island) Featured in In fact, the place is almost deserted, with only around 16 individuals living there, but the habitat undoubtedly belongs to 160 cats. Veteran human residents will tell you stories of how it came to be so. Around 800 fishermen who once lived there, left the island for better fortune.

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