Tashirojima, off the Japanese coast, is sometimes called Cat Island. Incidentally, there is another Cat Island off Hawaii. The Japanese Cat Island has this name because, apparently, there are about 100 people living on the island but there are 300 cats. Initially they were brought to the island to kill mice to stop them preying on silkworms because silkworms were used in the textile trade on the island. Then the fishermen got involved and fed the cats and then they conveniently multiplied and before anyone knew what had happened there were a lot more cats on the island than people, which shows in the photograph below:
This fascinating island, a place to visit for the devoted cat lover, is about 7 km offshore from Japan. You may remember the devastating tsunami that followed an earthquake off the coast of Japan in 2011. The tsunami destroyed a nuclear reactor that was on the coast and the surrounding area causing a lot of destruction and the mass evacuation of the entire area. Incidentally, many pets were abandoned at that time because their owners were ordered to leave their homes at short notice.
The video below is very interesting because it shows what I would describe as genuine Japanese Bobtail cats howling at the impending tsunami. It appears that they have predicted the oncoming tsunami and are howling a warning. I say that these cats are Japanese bobtails because if you look carefully you will see that the cats in the foreground in the video have shortened tails. These cats do not look like the classic American Japanese Bobtail cats but I suppose one could say that they are genuine Japanese Bobtail cats.
Note that the person who did the filming inadvertently failed to use his iPhone in the correct orientation so the video is on its side but nonetheless I think it is a very interesting little video both for the fact that the cats are giving warning of an impending tsunami (it appears) while at the same time being what I have referred to as genuine Japanese Bobtail cats
wow 300 that would be alot of cat food to feed them. great seeing them relaxed in their environment. I remember when once i played cat meows etc on my smartphone my cats did not like it at all!!! . They were very defensive its like they knew what those meows were and meant. So i took it off as didnt want to upset them. Took them awhile to calm down and realise it wasnt real.
A few of those cats remind me of the cats in the fish-market of Worli in Mumbai.Nice to see a complete colony of cats in a very relaxed mood living the ultimate cat life.
OMG!
First, let me say that I love seeing all of the relaxed colony of sorts.
But, the “warning” cats had quite an impact on Damon who is right here on my desktop. I had to stop the video half way because he was distressed and begging for comfort.
It’s freaked me out, and I won’t play the rest in his presence.
I agree it is definitely a bit disturbing for cats in the house. Charlie reacted and was unsettled. Perhaps the call/howl is a warning sound and therefore cats who hear it feel anxious. Can you imagine a place like this in the US? Would they allow all these cats lying around the streets?
That cat scene would never happen here.
This place is like paradise to me.