In this cycle, we’re going to have a look together on how cats and dogs are doing around the world. Where they are pampered and people forego them and where, to the contrary, the pets suffer and their situation is critical. Today, I will introduce you to islands, where more cats than humans live.
You will find several cat islands in Japan, about a dozen. They are called cat, since the cat population there has highly exceeded that of humans. One of such islands is Aoshima. Here live about 8x more cats than humans. It is a little island, only about a kilometre and a half long.
People started to take cats to the island 380 years ago, so that they would get rid of mice that plagued the fishermen boats. In 1945, about 900 people still lived here. However, today, you will find only 16 people here, mostly elderly, who haven’t succeeded in finding a job after World War II. But there are more than 140 cats that live here and the locals say, that the island is a paradise for them.
The cats are fed mostly by tourists, of which there is quite a few. Well, just admit it, who of you wouldn’t want to see an island full of cats :). The fluffies occupy mainly deserted houses or they show off in the fishermen village. And they are not picky at all. They survive mainly on rice balls, energetic bars or potatoes. But their life is void of any fear of natural predators. However, not so long ago, the inhabitants of this island had to ask for help. In winter, the tourism died down because of stormy sea and the cats started to starve. After an appeal, food started to flow from all of Japan and allegedly, the cats have never been happier.
You won’t find a single car or store on the island, not one restaurant or a snack-bar. A ferry comes here twice a day with the number of visitors limited to 34 and the cat lovers don’t complain. The cat population started breeding uncontrollably about 10 years ago, when the number of people living here decreased and there was no one to reduce the number of cats. Today, there are only about 10 neutered cats.
You can view Thomas Peter’s gallery here.
The second cat island is Tashijorima. Even here, the population decreased after the World War II from 1000 to about 100 inhabitants. Most of them make their living by fishing or in the tourist industry. Contrary to Aoshima, you will find several touristic trails here and also one or two bistros.
Even though in 2011 the island was hit by a tsunami, which caused great damage, the cat population has survived this catastrophe almost intact. To this island, cats were imported to get people rid of mice as well. In this case, the mice did not terrorise the fishermen’s boats, but the silkworm moth, a caterpillar kept for silk. Over time, there were fewer and fewer people on the island, while the un-neutered cat population was growing. Today, it is 6x greater than the human one.
Here, the people believe, that feeding the cats will bring them wealth and happiness. According to this tradition, a cat sanctuary was even built here, known as Neko-Jinja. It is located approximately in the middle of the island, between two villages. The cats used to go begging into pubs to the fishermen, who would stay there overnight. Over time, the fishermen started to like them and began to attribute prophetic abilities to them. Following their behaviour, they would determine, how the weather is going to be like or how many fishes there will be.
Would you also like to go and see one of the cat’s island as much as I would?
Doing yoga with a dog, or doga in other words (the combination of “dog” and “yoga”), has become popular in the United States of America, but it has not become so popular in the Czech Republic yet. What is it about and what benefits does this sport have...
Earlier, this heart disease was attributed only to certain pure-blood breeds. Nowadays, it can even occur in cross-breeds. Another disease which reminds us of how important regular preventive check-ups at the vet are.
Days are getting colder and it is time again to prepare our furry friends who live outdoors for winter. All cats (whether they live outdoors or only go outside occasionally) need our greater attention in this season.
A Somali cat is a long-haired version of Abyssinian cat, one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. But it does not have an interesting or long history itself. Even though it is named after an African country, first Somali cats were born in the United...
Until recently, Cairn terriers were the most popular terriers in Great Britain (until they were overtaken by Westies). It comes from Scottish island Skye and it used to hunt foxes and otters here already in the times of Mary, Queen of Scots. That’s...
A team of Swedish athletes one of whom is Mikael Lindord regularly attends one of the most difficult races in the world to challenge other teams – the Adventure Racing World Championship. When Mikael and his friends stopped in the middle of an...
Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of...
Adopting a dog senior might save his life. They also need stable home and love which unfortunately can never be fully provided in the shelter. Nevertheless, most people who are considering adoption as an option automatically look for a puppy or at...
The International Rabbit Day is celebrated on the fourth Saturday or Sunday in September. This year, it was 22 September. This annual celebration of a cute mammal with long ears, short tail and a velvet coat is not only meant for the million of rabbits...
Do you also follow the recent trend which encourages us to come back to our roots and mind our planet more? I am personally very happy about that. More and more households live according to zero-waste and non-toxic principles and we don’t forget about...
Cats enjoying themselves in a doll house are a hit on Iceland. Their creators probably didn’t expect so much fame and first of all, they didn’t create the whole project for money, fame and for a short-time amusement. There is a much more noble purpose...
Your furry friend might get poisoned in a minute, only a few seconds of carelessness or a slow reaction is enough, especially if your dog is similar to mine and “eats everything he finds on the way”. Fortunately, my dog hasn’t been poisoned yet but I’m...
