Here is the “Island of Old Cats!”

According to SAEDNEWS, citing Faradid: The island covers only about 0.5 square kilometers and is currently home to around 80 cats and only three elderly residents. The ratio of cats to humans is approximately 27 to 1.

Aoshima was formed in the 17th century and was once a thriving fishing community with nearly 900 residents. Fishermen brought cats to the island to deal with rats that were damaging their fishing nets.

However, with the decline of the fishing industry in the 20th century, residents gradually left the island, while many cats remained and rapidly multiplied.

About ten years ago, the cat population reached 200, but in 2018 a large-scale neutering program was implemented, reducing their number to less than half. Since then, no new kittens have been reported.

Today, all the cats are over 7 years old, and about one-third suffer from inbreeding-related diseases. They live in abandoned houses and deteriorating buildings damaged by storms and time.

One of the elderly residents, a woman named Naoko Kamimoto, known as the “mother of cats,” feeds them twice daily and provides medical care. The cats’ food is mainly supplied through donations from all over Japan.

Given the declining human population and lack of economic opportunities, Aoshima may become completely uninhabited within a few years. At the same time, the cat population is also decreasing.

Nevertheless, the island remains a unique tourist attraction, with visitors traveling by boat to see and feed the cats. Ultimately, Aoshima is a rare example of human–animal coexistence, but also a quiet story of the gradual decline of both.