Cat Island Aoshima

24/04/2025

Cats that don't come to the feeding area

The number of cats in Aoshima is 70 cats.
The number of cats that come to the feeding area is 20 cats.
Of the cats that do not come to the feeding area, 35 cats eat in the morning and evening near the cat's mother's house.
Ten of the cats are sick and they are fed a special diet by the cat's mother.
They are placed inside the warehouse, where other cats do not enter, and they slowly eat a special diet.
The special diet is a mixture of cat food and pouches (liquid food).
A special diet is a diet for weak cats suffering from diseases.

Tourists are prohibited from entering this place.
Since the corona infection, they have been off-limits to the area where the islanders live.

15 cats are house cats of residents living in the eastern part of the island.
This is the distribution of cats in Aoshima now.
Some cats go back and forth between feeding grounds, cat moms' places, and eastern homes.

Until 8 years ago, cats from all over the island came to the feeding area.
The number of tourists has decreased since 6 years ago, and since the corona infection, the number of tourists has plummeted.
Cats couldn't eat even if they go to the feeding area.
In the center of the island, a cat mother fed the cats.
After that, the number of cats gathering at the feeding area decreased.

22/04/2025

A lot of tourists were visiting Aoshima

Aoshima on April 19 were visited by a large number of tourists.
There were many tourists from Hong Kong and China.
They feed the cats canned food and Chao churu.
The cats were eating a delicious treat.

Foreign tourists have come to the island after seeing social media that introduced Aoshima in its heyday eight years ago.

20/04/2025

Julie-chan on April 19

Julie-chan is fine.
He has nose cancer and you can see his nose melting away.
He has a good appetite and eat canned food and Chao churu.
The cat's mother feeds Julie-chan a special diet every day.
She feeds him a mixture of cat food and pouches (liquid food).

I think he has only a few months left to live, but Julie-chan is doing well.

19/04/2025

Aoshima on April 19

I cross to Aoshima by the afternoon ship of April 19th.
There are more than 30 tourists on board the ship.
There are more Hong Kongers and Chinese than Japanese.

When the ship arrives at the island, the "cat mother" is taking the rope of the ship.
It is an island with only three islanders.
The cats are doing well.
Julie-chan is doing well.

15/04/2025

Explanation of the April 13 TV broadcast

The place where they photographed the people on the island is still a tourist-free area since the corona infection control measures in 2020.
We tourists are not allowed to enter the inhabited areas of the island.

A cat's mother feeds her sick cats a special diet.
She feeds the cats a mixture of cat food and pouches (liquid food).

There are 20 cats that come to the feeding area in the morning and 25 cats at evening.
Other cats are fed by the cat's mother in the morning and evening.
They don't come to the feeding area.

For the first time, I learned that there are blind cats.
A cat mom is feeding a blind cat.
It is said that 70 old cats will cross the rainbow bridge in about two years.
Before that, I don't know now what will happen to the treatment of the liner.

Take care of all the cats until the end.
This is the credo of the cat mom.

12/04/2025

皆様へ

今の青島の姿がNHKで放送されます。
ご覧になってください。
番組名　ドキュメント２０ｍｉｎ．
　　いま猫の“楽園”で　
放送時間　２０分
放送日　４月１３日（日）深夜　０時～０時２０分
ＮＨＫの案内では４月１４日となっていますが、実際は日曜日の深夜です。
再放送日　４月１６日(水)　午前１１時３０分～１１時５０分

いま、猫の“楽園”で...〜愛媛県・青島〜
初回放送日：2025年4月14日

周囲４キロ、瀬戸内海の小さな島。静かな漁師町だったが、１２年前、猫の“楽園”と数々のメディアが特集し、観光ブームになった。その一方で、年々減少する島民。この青島は、穏やかな風景とは裏腹に激しく変化をしてきた。島民の願いは「島を記録すること」。変わりゆく島の中で、彼らはどのような思いで日々を過ごしているのか…。淡々と美しい島の風景と人と猫のありのままの日常を見つめる。

周囲４キロ、瀬戸内海の小さな島。静かな漁師町だったが、１２年前、猫の“楽園”と数々のメディアが特集し、観光ブームになった。その一方で、年々減少する島民。この青島は、穏やかな風景とは裏腹に激しく変化をし...

12/04/2025

Leisurely scenery

These photos were taken 10 years ago.
The population of the island at this time was 15 people, and the number of cats was 150.
The cats were young.
When the fishing boat returned to the island, the cats rushed there.
The cats were pleading with the fisherman to give them fish.
A small fish was thrown to the cats.
It was a leisurely fishing village scenery.

Today's old cats are not interested in fish.
They eat the treat and Chao churu.
Now it is an island of 3 islanders and 70 old cats.

10/04/2025

Fishing boat and cats

These photos were taken 10 years ago.
Aoshima cats were lively.
When the fishing boat returned to the island from fishing, the cats came there.
The small fish that could not be sold were distributed to the cats by a fisherman on the spot.
For the cats, the fish was delicious and a treat.
It was a world where the expression of naïve cats suited.

Now there are fewer islanders and cats.

07/04/2025

Cat jealousy is amazing

Jealousy among cats is amazing.
There was a cat named Choco-chan.
He is now deceased.
Choco-chan was always spoiled by the cat's mother.
He was held and cuddled by the cat's mother.
Eventually, the other cats were outraged by his special treatment.
There are only a limited number of cats that can be held by a cat mother.
Choco was bullied by other cats and his right cheek was injured.
(Photo 1) ~ (Photo 7) June 2017

The cat's mother healed Choco's wound.
Choco's wound healed after one month.

Even after that, Choco-chan continued to be spoiled by the cat's mother.
He was held and pooped by the cat's mother.
Again, the other cats were jealous of Choco.
Choco-chan was bullied by other cats and hurt both his left cheek and his right cheek.
(Photo 8) ~ (Photo 14) May 2018

Subsequently, in October 2018, a whole head was spayed.
The bullying of Choco-chan was gone.

04/04/2025

Wink-chan
A female cat who was born blind in her left eye

Wink-chan was born nine and a half years ago.
She was born blind in her left eye.
Wink-chan runs around energetically every day.
She is still doing well as of March 26, 2025.
She doesn't come to the feeding area very often, so there is not much information about her.
Wink-chan eats the cat food directly from the cat's mother every day.

(Photo 1) ~ (Photo 5) Date taken in February 2016
(Photo 6) ~ (Photo 10) Date January 2017
(Photo 11) ~ (Photo 14) Date September 2018

02/04/2025

Many cats played in the canola flower field 6 years ago

This is a scene from 6 years ago, when there were many young cats.
There was the canola flower field in the east of the island.
The cats played "hide and seek" and "tag" there.

Now there are only old cats, and there are no more cats playing in the canola flower field.

Photo taken on March 5, 2019

30/03/2025

Cats eating a delicious dinner

This is the scene of dinner on March 26th.
Dinner begins at 3 p.m. when the afternoon ship arrives.
Cats eat canned food and cat food on paper plates.
They are eating the pouch and cat food deliciously.

Cats are aging, and I think many cats will cross the rainbow bridge in the next two years.
Cats eat delicious food and live leisurely.
There is no one to bully cats in Aoshima.
There are no crows, no dogs, and no cars.

28/03/2025

Julie-chan on March 26

This is Julie-chan on March 26th.
He has advanced nasal cancer and the tip of his nose is melting.
He was eating chao churu deliciously.

(Photo 4) ~ (Photo 9) The filth-like thing in the photo is a "pouch".
At first, Julie-chan is eating a pouch (liquid food), but he is presented with a chao churu in front of him, and he eat it.
He looks pitiful, but he is moving well.
I want him to live well until the end.

26/03/2025

Aoshima on March 26

On March 26, there are 30 tourists on the morning ship and the afternoon ship.
There are many families with children.
Many tourists are heading to Aoshima for spring break.
There are 20 cats gathered at the feeding area.
Tourists give the cats canned food, liquid food, and Chao churu.
The cats eat them deliciously.
There are more tourists than cats.

I meet Julie-chan, Ai-chan, and Wolf.
Details will be reported to you at a later date.

23/03/2025

The ship on March 23 was full

I headed to the pier to get on the ship on the afternoon of March 23th.
The ship was full and I couldn't get on it.
There was a sign in the waiting room that said "Full today".
Since April 2020, during the Corona epidemic, ships have rarely been full.
Due to favorable conditions such as spring break, Sundays, and good weather, many people headed to Aoshima island.
The parking lot was full.

21/03/2025

The feeding area 5 years ago

I was planning to go to Aoshima today, but I gave up going there because the wave height was 1m.
The height of the waves when the ship leaves is 0.5 m.
Even in March, there are many days when the waves are high.

The photo shows the feeding area five years ago.
It got a little warmer and the cats were taking a leisurely nap.
Dokin-chan was also here.
A little girl was playing with the cats.
She changed the location of the cats.
She brushed the cat.
She fed the cats cat food.

Photo taken on March 17, 2020

19/03/2025

Odd-eyed cat, a strange cat who used to be in Aoshima

An odd-eyed cat was in Aoshima.
His right eye was blue, and his left eye was a normal eye.
An odd-eyed cat was very rare.
His name was "Odd".
He died in October 2018.

17/03/2025

The Cat Who Crossed the Rainbow bridge Sabu-chan

Sabu-chan crossed the rainbow bridge in November 2022.
He was a charming cat.
He was a male cat with a respectable tail.
He had a cute squeal.
He was mistaken for a female cat.
"Meow~n"
Sabu-chan was a cat with a laughing face, a normal face, and a lot of facial expressions.
He was popular with overseas tourists.