Aoshima, Ehime

This article is about the island in Ehime Prefecture, also known as "Cat Island". For the island named Aoshima in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, see Aoshima, Miyazaki. For the "Cat Island" in Ishinomaki, see Tashirojima.
Aoshima
Native name:
青島
Aoshima in 1981
Aoshima is located in Japan
Aoshima
Aoshima
Location in Japan
Geography
LocationSeto Inland Sea
Coordinates33°44′10″N 132°28′55″E / 33.736°N 132.482°E / 33.736; 132.482
Area0.49 km2 (0.19 sq mi)
Coastline4.2 km (2.61 mi)
Highest elevation90.8 m (297.9 ft)
Administration
Japan
RegionShikoku
PrefectureEhime Prefecture
CityŌzu, Ehime
Demographics
Population6[1] (2019)
Ethnic groupsJapanese

Aoshima (青島, Aoshima), also known as Cat Island (猫の島, Neko no shima), is an island in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, known for its large number of feline residents and small number of human residents. Felines have been reported by news outlets to outnumber humans by ratios between 6:1[2] and 10:1,[3] but as elderly inhabitants of the island have died, the ratio has greatly increased to almost 36:1.[note 1] Felines were introduced to combat rodents on fishing boats, but remained on the island and reproduced in large numbers.[5][6][2]

The feline inhabitants of Aoshima are fed by food donations from all over Japan.[7] The cats also eat the small creatures of the island and some food from visitors.

The island is roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) long.[citation needed] It was formerly part of Nagahama in Kita District, but as of 2005, is part of Ōzu.

The human population has decreased since sardine fisheries depleted and jobs moved to cities. As of February 2019, only six human residents live on Aoshima.[4]

The New York Times reported on May 10, 2023, that the island's human population has dropped to five.[8]

  1. ^ a b Shiho (June 23, 2019). "世界中から人が集まる瀬戸内海のネコ天国「青島」で過ごす濃密な８時間" [Spending a dense 8 hours on cat heaven "Aoshima" in the Seto Inland Sea that people from all over the world come to visit] (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun Globe. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  2. ^ a b Meyers, Chris (March 2, 2015). "It's raining cats and tourists on a Japanese island". Reuters. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ehimeshimbun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Setouchi, Minami (February 22, 2019). "愛媛県・青島「猫の楽園」の未来 昨年の不妊・去勢手術後もトラブルがたえず…" [The future of "Cat Paradise" Aoshima, Ehime: Neverending problems after last year's spaying and neutering surgeries] (in Japanese). AERA dot. Retrieved 2019-10-12. 昨年10月には210頭の猫が不妊・去勢手術済みであることが確認されたわけだが、実はそのほかに、未手術の猫が10数頭ほどいたことが後になってわかった。不満を持つ島民がこっそり隠していたのだ。
  5. ^ Kirkpatrick, Nick (March 3, 2015). "Cats outnumber people on this mysterious 'Cat Island'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  6. ^ Taylor, Alan (March 3, 2015). "A Visit to Aoshima, a Japanese 'Cat Island'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  7. ^ "The Cats of Japan's Cat Island Eat Well Thanks to Food Donations". Life With Cats. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. ^ Yanagihara, Hanya; Hamada, Kyoko (2023-05-10). "Why Do Cats Hold Such Mythic Power in Japan?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-12.


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