In the 1950s, over a thousand people lived on Tashirojima, an island in Miyagi Prefecture. Now, there are around a hundred, with the majority being in their 70s. Cats, however, thrive on the island and now may outnumber the locals. People feed and care for the cats, believing that cats bring good luck. Now tourism has sprouted up around the animals, with vacationers visiting the island just to see the cats.
Japan has two other islands that are competing for the title of “Cat Island.” With so few people living on these islands, cats have basically taken over. If your idea of heaven involves multitudes of cats, you may want to retire on one of Japan’s cat islands.
[xyz-ihs snippet=”NaturalPetCare”]