Island of Cats

    When you think of taking a trip to an island, you probably picture sunny beaches. Maybe you imagine building sandcastles or sipping cold lemonade. 

    In Japan, there is an island that people love to visit. It’s called Aoshima. Most days tourists, sometimes dozens of them, line up to take a 30-minute boat ride there. But they’re not on their way to play in the sand or swim in the sea. 

    They’re headed to Aoshima for a different reason: to play with more than 100 cats. 

    When you think of taking a trip to an island, you might picture sunny beaches. Maybe you imagine building sandcastles or sipping lemonade. 

    Japan has an island that people love to visit. It’s called Aoshima. Tourists line up to take a 30-minute boat ride there. But they don’t go there to play in the sand or the sea.

    They go there to play with cats. More than 100 cats live on the island.

    When you imagine taking a trip to an island, you probably picture yourself building a sandcastle or sipping frosty lemonade on a sunny beach. 

    One of Japan’s popular tourist attractions is an island called Aoshima. Visitors, sometimes dozens per day, line up to take a 30-minute boat ride there. But these travelers aren’t planning to frolic in the sand or swim in the sea.

    They’re headed to Aoshima for an entirely different reason: to enjoy the company of more than 100 cats.

    If you’re a cat lover, visiting this tiny island may sound like a dream come true. Step off the boat, and you’ll see dozens of cute, curious cats. Some may come and sniff your shoes, waiting for a pet. Others can be spotted taking a nap in the shade or climbing on rooftops. 

    You may not even see many other humans for a while. After all, Aoshima is home to more cats than people. Around five humans live on this island—but it hasn’t always been this way. 

    In the mid-1940s, close to 900 people lived on Aoshima. At the time, the island was a busy fishing village. Many of the fishermen had a problem: rats. These pests were taking over the fishing boats. One day, someone had an idea. Why not let a few cats out to hunt the rats? 

    Luckily, this plan worked. Soon the rat problem went away. But years later, so did the people. Over time, the fishing business slowed down. Most villagers moved to cities to find new jobs. But the cats stayed behind.

    If you love cats, visiting this island may sound like a dream come true. Step off the boat, and you’ll see dozens of cats. Some may walk over so you can pet them. Some take naps in the shade. Some climb on rooftops.

    You may not see many other humans. Aoshima is home to more cats than people. Around five humans live on this island. But it wasn’t always this way.

    In the mid-1940s, close to 900 people lived on Aoshima. The island was a busy fishing village. Many of the fishermen had a problem: rats. These pests were taking over the fishing boats. Then someone had an idea: Let a few cats out to hunt the rats.

    The plan worked. The rat problem went away. But years later, so did the people. Over time, the fishing business slowed down. Most people moved to cities to find new jobs. But the cats stayed.

    If you’re a cat lover, this tiny island might be your idea of paradise. Step off the boat, and you’ll see dozens of cute, curious cats. Some may come and sniff your shoes, waiting to be petted. Others can be spotted taking a nap in the shade or climbing on rooftops.

    You might not even see many other humans for a while, because Aoshima is home to more cats than people. Only around five humans live on this island—but it hasn’t always been this way.

    In the mid-1940s, Aoshima was a busy fishing village with close to 900 residents. Many of the fishermen were struggling with a serious problem: Rats were taking over the fishing boats. One day, someone came up with an idea. Why not let a few cats out to hunt the rats?

    Fortunately, this plan worked and the rat problem went away. But years later, so did the people. Over time, the fishing business slowed down, and most of the villagers moved to cities in search of new jobs. But the cats stayed on Aoshima.

    Since then, the number of cats on Aoshima has grown. This has many people concerned. They wonder what will happen to these animals in the future. Will there always be people around to take care of them?

    No one knows for sure. But somehow, the cats always seem to get fed. 

    In 2016, some of the animals’ caretakers noticed they were running low on cat food. They posted a tweet about it. Soon hundreds of boxes started arriving at the island. 

    They were full of cat food from animal lovers near and far. 

    Since then, the number of cats on Aoshima has grown. People are worried. What will happen in the future? Will there always be people to take care of the cats?

    No one knows for sure. But the cats always seem to get fed.

    In 2016, some people noticed that the cats were running low on cat food. They posted a tweet about it. Soon hundreds of boxes arrived on the island.

    They were full of cat food. They had come from animal lovers near and far. 

    Since then, Aoshima’s cat population has increased. Many people are concerned about the animals and wonder what will happen to them in the future. Will there always be people around to look after them?

    It’s impossible to know for certain—but one way or another, the cats always seem to get fed.

    In 2016, some of the creatures’ caretakers noticed they were running low on cat food. They posted a tweet about the supply problem, and before long hundreds of boxes started arriving at the island.

    They were full of cat food from animal lovers near and far.