This Japanese Island Has More Cats Than People

With the state of the world right now, a lot of us are turning to our pets for comfort. Cats and dogs have few worries, and we could learn a thing or two from them. So imagine what it would be like to live on a 'cat island,' many of which are located on islands around Japan. The cat island we're focusing on today is called Aoshima, and yes, you can visit the island. Time to start planning your post-quarantine trip.

Posted by nightqueen

Aoshima is a tiny island near the bottom of Japan. It was once a busy fishing village, but as the work moved elsewhere the people did too. Today, around 15 residents (human) live on the island, most of whom are over 75. And then there are the cats.

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It's hard to keep track of the cat population on Aoshima, but it's estimated that there are around 120 cats living on the island. But how did 120 cats make their way to an isolated Japanese island? Originally, the fishermen of the island had an infestation of mice that would wreak havoc on their fishing boats. And what's the perfect solution to get rid of mice? Cats.

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The cat population began to multiply rapidly, and soon the cats far outnumbered the humans living on the island. Presently, the ratio of cats to humans is around 6:1. That's six cats per person. I think that would suffice for me.

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Although all of the residents on Aoshima are elderly, they take it upon themselves to make sure all the cats are fed. There have also been efforts to neuter many of the cats in an attempt to curb the skyrocketing cat population.

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But for the meantime, it doesn't look like the cats on Aoshima are going anywhere soon. And that's good news for all of us, because it makes me feel a little better about the world that there's an island full of cats.

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