congenitaldisease:

Tashirojim, or as it’s more commonly known (for obvious reasons), “Cat Island” is a small island in Ishinomaki, Japan. With only approximately 100 people living on the island and thousands of stray cats, it’s a cat-lovers dream come true. It is believed that the population of cats thrives due to a belief that feeding cats will bring good fortune. Dogs are even prohibited from the island! In the middle of the island lies a small cat shrine. The story behind this shrine lies with the fishermen of the island. They said that the cats would come and beg for fish, and they would often give into the cats and feed them. On one occasion, the fishermen were collecting rocks for their fixed nets and one fell, killing one of the cats. Feeling guilty and upset about the loss of the cat, they buried it and built a shrine.