Are you a cat lover? Then I have the place for your next holiday. The little island of Aoshima off Japan’s coast line will be just perfect for you. There are about 120 cats on the small island and only about 10 of then are neutered so you can bank on it that the population is going to rise.
They were first brought to the island (well a few of them) to get rid of the mouse population. Instead of that they seem to have gone on a fertile frenzy and just multiplied … and multiplied. There are no natural predators and with the population dwindling to now just around 20 people the cats are totally outnumbering the population. In fact they have become a bit of a tourist attraction with two ferries a day coming from the mainland so people can come and see the cats. This has made the remaining locals worried about the effects of tourism on their lives and their island.
This little island is not alone. The city of Istanbul is home to thousands of cats – so much so that it is sometimes referred to as Catstanbul. Cats are the only creatures allowed to enter the Mosque. The local residents love them and the streets are lined with cat food and water bowls and even little houses to protect them from the weather.
Not just Istanbul apparently but Kotor is another Cat Capital. The history is rather interesting. (from Culture Trip) – The attitude towards cats is said to have developed from folklore, with the Montenegrin people holding the belief that cats saved the town of Kotor. It is reported that in 1918, during the revolt from the Austro-Hungarian navy, the Slav sailors would bring their ships into The Bay of Kotor, and with that their cats. Because the ships would bring in cats from all over the world, the feline population of Kotor is as diverse as it is extensive.
- Statistics Show There Are 600 Million to 1 Billion Cats in the World
- Around 100 Million Cats Are Wild
- There Are 480 Million Stray Cats
