Tashirojima, Cat Island, Japan

Tashirojima Island, Japan. Home of cats. And a few people.

Would you love to go to an island that is ruled by cats? Well okay, not ruled exactly (thought I bet that is what they think) but on the Japanese island of Tashirojima there are more cats than people. The island is tiny, only about 8 square miles. You can cover it in 1 day, and undoubtedly pet a LOT of cats. It's paradise for crazy cat ladies and crazy cat gentlemen.

 Around 100 humans live on this island. No one is exactly sure how many cats live there. The population has dropped dramatically, from about 1000 in the 1950's.There are only two villages on the island,Nitoda and Oodomari.Cat Island was mainly a farm for silk worms and a little haven for fishermen. The production of silk worms has died out, and now only a few fishers and people in the kitty tourist trade live there. The Island got inhabited by so many cats because of a mouse problem. Mice seriously threatened the silk worm trade as silk worms are one of their favorite snacks. They brought in cats as mice are cats favorite snacks. Ingenious!

This is our town bub!

The cats got a pretty  good deal, because as well as plenty of mice to feed on, the fishermen became very fond of them and they got plenty of fish to eat. Cats themselves are very good fisher-kitty's and the fishermen watched them for signs about the pattern of fish and weather. The feline-fisherman team was a great success.

Cats is the best fishers! Silly hoomins with their nets.

Among the main stop offs on the island is a cat shrine called neko-jinja. The story behind the shrine is sad but sweet. One day the fishermen were throwing rocks to each other to weigh down their nets. A cat was hit and killed by one of the rocks. The fishermen felt so bad for the loss of the cat that they buried it and built a shrine for it. It still stands, and is one of the tourist attractions of the island. Many people come and leave little cat statues, toys and idols, as this is supposed to bring good luck.

Now that tourism has become one of the main trades on the island, there is now even a inn called Hamaya for all those cat enthusiasts out there who would like to come and stay. I believe they even run their own blog to keep everyone updated of the affairs of cat island.

Neko-jinja.Of course, cats have always known they should be worshiped.

The islanders see the cats as both friends and an opportunity to attract tourists, and hopefully a few new residents as they are in dire need of them. One of the attractions is a cat named Tare Mimi Jack, meaning Droopy Eared Jack. He was featured in a movie about cats. The movie was called Nyanko the Movie and was assumably quite successful considering that three sequels have been made. Jack was featured in the original movie, and an update on his life made in each one of them. A lot of people go to the island in an effort to find Jack and take a picture with him.

Now this is the purrfect accommodation!

Besides Jack, many other cat photo contest are being held on the island. Many buildings have also been built in the likeness of cats. They are pretty cute. Just like their furry inspiration. If you'd like to stay in one the trip from Tokyo is about four hours. The closest town is the port of Ishinomaki, and I have heard that visitors travelling from afar should fly to Sendai.

 If I ever end up going to Cat Island I can't help but think of taking a big sack of cat nip with me. Then all the cats on the Island would love me, and I would have tons of cute furry kitty minions following me around. If I ever do end up going. Who knows, maybe I will even find Jack of the Droopy Ears. I will make sure I have tons of room on my camera, considering I can't stop myself taking pictures of my own cats all the time. Hopefully you enjoyed this post, please comment, share and tell me if you did!

Cat Breed Profile: The Scottish Fold

The Scottish Fold.  How Owldorable!

Ah, the Scottish fold. One of my personnel dream cats. How can you not love them in their undeniable cuteness? They look like furry little owl cats. They have big round eye's, characteristic folded ears and the cutest rolly poly bodies to go with the rest. Not to mention a great personality. Aren't your "must cuddle cat" instincts going wild?


History:
All Scottish fold cat's are descended from one very special kitty. Her name was Susie, and she lived on a farm in Scotland in the 1960's. Susie had a very unusual feature caused by a mutated gene. Her ears were folded down onto her head, giving her the resemblance of a very cuddly owl.  When she delivered her litter of kittens, two of them had her folded ears.Luckily for all us cat fanciers, she and her furry little bundles of joy were spotted by a fellow cat enthusiast. His name was William Ross, a neighboring farmer. He got his mits on one of her kittens, and officially registered the Scottish Fold as a breed. Along with the help of a buddy and conveniently a geneticist Pat Turner, he bred 76 kittens. Let us all give thanks to Susie and William (and Pat) for giving us this unique cat breed. A little over half the kittens were born with folded ears.

I'm cute. Now feed me hoomin!

Character:
All cats have a lot of character, and the Scottish Fold is blessed with a sweet temperament. Whether with folded or straight ears of course. Let us not be earist! Scottish Folds are cute no matter what.

Straight ears is no excuse, you need to give me tons of pettins.

Affectionate,loyal, soft-spoken, intelligent, adaptable and gentle are just a few of the words used to describe this breed of cat. They are also very playful cats! They act like big kittens. They keep their playfulness well into their adulthood (maybe us hoomins should take note!). Their loyal nature shines through as they have a tendency to get particularly attached to one person in a household. Thankfully, their affection does not spell extreme clingyness. They are content to be with you when you have time for them, and appreciate just sitting by your side as you go about your daily business. This breed is famous for sitting in a unique position. They sit upright with their legs stretched out straight in front of them. They then place their paws on their lovely stomach. This is known as the "Buddha position".

                                      

The "Buddha position" 

Health concerns:
Scottish Folds are generally healthy cats, with an average lifespan of 15 years. However, there is a condition known as Osteochondrodysplasia (sheesh that is a big word). This is basically the fact that the folded ears of the Scottish fold are caused by a defect in the bone and cartilage of their ears. A healthy Scottish Fold only has its ears effected by this condition. However, breeding a Scottish Fold with folded ears with another Scottish Fold with the same ears is a serious no-no. This can cause kittens to be born with various degenerative bone and joint diseases. Please, pay attention to this and ensure that if you want to get a Scottish Fold kitten, you will take extreme care in finding a breeder. Make sure that the parents have different ears. Some breeders also breed Scottish Folds with other breeds to decrease the chances even more. One populare paring is with the British Shorthair. They have similar heavy set bodies and round faces, and this means kittens with the wonderful grey coat and orange eye's of British Shorthairs. This is shown in the picture of the "Buddha position" to the left.


So in conclusion, Scottish Folds are an adorable and unique looking cat breed. Take care of their health, and cherish them for the cute little owl cats they are. They will be your loyal affectionate little companions, and make you laugh with their goofy antics. If you liked reading this article, please share it and comment. I'd love to hear your opinion, and if you have a cat story you'd like to share please feel free.

Mr. Serious Scottish Fold approves of this blog post.

Introduction to my cat-tastical menagerie!

Hello and welcome to my readers, who I am assuming are also cat lovers. This blog is dedicated to cats, of all shapes, sizes and breeds. I found myself reading about cats because I find them interesting (and insanely cute), and I thought I would share that with you. This blog will be full of our cute furry little friends. There will be a variety of  posts featuring different breeds of cat, their origin and characteristics. It will also feature helpful articles on cat behavior, cute and touching true life stories about cats, fantastic finds of things you would love to buy for your kitty and much much more. Stay tuned and get the catnip ready!