Tag - cats

 
 

CATS

Since arriving at ARK as a nervous kitten, Donut has really grown into herself and opened up to people.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Feb 27, 2025
Red tabby Donut is full of sweet energy
Always having a good time, Donut is eager for attention — and food.
Cat-related sweets sold by 7-Eleven in Tokyo. Employees of 7-Eleven have helped develop 23 types of cat-related products this year, compared with just five last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2025
Japan's Cat Day sees companies capitalize on 'a-meow-zing' economic boon
This year, products and services related to cats are estimated to generate ¥414.50 billion more than last year.
“Mornings Without Mii,” Mayumi Inaba’s 1999 memoir, charts the course of the author’s 20-year relationship with her calico cat, Mii.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 16, 2025
'Mornings Without Mii': A cozy cat memoir that gets down in the muck
Mayumi Inaba’s 1999 memoir charts the course of the author’s 20-year relationship with her calico cat, Mii.
Timid though he may be at first, Tangelo warms up quickly and shows an eagerness for human companionship.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Feb 14, 2025
Tangelo the cat is oh so sweet
This 10-year-old feline is yearning for love and attention from a warmhearted soul.
Though he comes from a troubled home, Bach is a sweet fellow who loves to play.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 24, 2025
Bach the bobtail will warm your lap and heart
This tuxedo cat loves to play with toys, but is just as happy taking it easy.
When not zipping around, Bingo loves to cuddle and even play games on the smartphone.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 9, 2025
And Bingo was her name-o
Since finding each other at an adoption fair, Tara Podias and Bingo have become inseparable.
Cats sit on steps at Grazing Plains Farm in Newton, Kansas, in May. Researchers are keeping a close eye on the mounting cases of bird flu infections in cats.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 28, 2024
New bird flu mutation discovered in U.S. as cat infections cause alarm
Several experts cautioned that it was too early to determine whether these changes would make the virus more transmissible or more severe in people.
Jolene used to be so scared of humans, but has grown a lot calmer over time.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 19, 2024
A green-eyed cutie who loves to eat
Jolene used to be terribly scared of humans, but she’s considerably calmer now — especially when it’s mealtime.
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Dec 17, 2024
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
Cat memes continued to thrive and evolve in 2024. In Japan, they're not just for jokes — they’re for storytelling, venting and a little therapy.
Masayo Ishimaru, the head of volunteer group Tanpopo no Sato, cuddles cats rescued from a pet hoarder, in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2024
Local governments tighten rules on pet ownership as hoarding persists
Municipalities are introducing mandatory reporting requirements for owners of large numbers of pets as well as fines for non-compliance.
Rossini No. 4
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Dec 2, 2024
Meet the tuxedo cat named after an opera maestro
Another handsome cat in ARK’s long line of operatic felines, 8-year-old Rossini comes with his own furry self-cleaning black-and-white tuxedo.
The grey tabby cat Dorayaki is timid and cautious, but a gentle and patient person will certainly gain his trust over time.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Nov 18, 2024
Scaredy-cat looking for his safe place
Someone gentle, caring and patient would be the best fit to help this poor thing overcome the fears from his past.
In recent years, anglophone publishers have perked up to the potential of “healing fiction,” driven by a healthy appetite for East Asian literature. Japan figures prominently in this literary landscape, and a fondness for felines in the "iyashikei" (healing type) genre has proven commercially viable abroad.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 2, 2024
Cat companions and the 'healing fiction' boom
Japan's "iyashikei" (healing type) cultural products are gaining audiences, and non-Japanese readers are craving cozy feline literature in translation.
Healthy, affectionate and incredibly cute, Jessie also loves other cats and will even tolerate dogs.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 28, 2024
Jessie wants to be your sunny new friend
Young orange tabby Jessie is a sweetheart who’s simply out of luck.
Kazuhiro Soda’s “The Cats of Gokogu Shrine” follows not only the felines that live on the grounds of the title shrine in Ushimado, Okayama Prefecture, but also the local community members, many of whom are of retirement age.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 25, 2024
‘The Cats of Gokogu Shrine’: Documentary paints intimate portrait of a community in decline
While stray cats that inhabit the grounds of a local shrine take center stage, the film also celebrates the aging humans doing their best to preserve their neighborhood.
Lauretta is much calmer and more demure than her operatic name might suggest.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 14, 2024
Named for an opera, Lauretta is more adorable than dramatic
Named after the daughter of Gianni Schicchi in the Puccini opera of the same name, it was Lauretta’s big, round face and lovely eyes that won her the name.
“The Cats of Gokogu Shrine” centers on a local shrine in Ushimado’s Honmachi district, which has become home to a colony of street cats.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2024
Kazuhiro Soda embraces the wisdom of street cats
The filmmaker turns his camera closer to home in his new documentary, “The Cats of Gokogu Shrine,” and brings a community into focus.
Laidback and friendly, Ice-T is a calm presence befitting his cool name.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Sep 30, 2024
Noto earthquake survivor Ice-T is in need of a new home
A big cat with a beautiful coat of ginger and white, Ice-T’s soothing purr is sure to warm your heart.
Verdi took some time to warm up to ARK volunteers, but you'd never know to watch him now.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Sep 2, 2024
Verdi is looking for a home as affectionate as him
No wallflower, Verdi has proved himself a star among ARK personnel.
Apple’s nature is as gentle as her coloring despite having survived some very horrid conditions.
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Jul 29, 2024
Shy but sweet, Apple is a treat looking for a home
Despite her wariness, Apple is prone to bouts of talkativeness with a meow that is just the cutest.

Longform

Pedestrians commute through Shibuya Station in central Tokyo, an area that is almost never devoid of people.
As the rest of Japan shrinks, Tokyo grows