The photo is beguiling. Three community cats sitting patiently, hunched up, just outside the open sliding door of a supermarket (“Family Mart”) in Japan. Are they politely waiting to be allowed inside at the command of the store manager? Or are they just window shopping?
There has been a spate of furry intruders into the Family Mart so polite feline behaviour was pleasant indeed and most welcome.
A series of photos appeared on Twitter of stray/feral cats outside the store. Of course some, the bolder ones, go inside:
And are then quietly ejected (this cat is a Japanese Bobtail but a random bred one):
The answer for the politeness is probably something as mundane as warmth. Quite possibly the store has a fan heater above the door pointing downwards. In addition the immediate area around the store will be several degrees warmer than out on the road where these cats live. Also I’d bet that some customers give them the odd treat. You know what they say: where there is a source of food community cats will settle and form colonies.
Then there is the welcoming soft mat which is taylor made for grooming on:
This is just a little insight into the lives of Japanese community cats. The white cat ejected from the store is a Japanese Bobtail!
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