Caretaker of Japanese cat island would like you to stop sending them food now

When the caretaker of one of Japan‘s cat islands asked Twitter for help feeding the island’s residents, they got much, much more than they bargained for.

Here’s the original message from the caretaker of the Aoshima cat island.

青島の現状をご理解ください。
青島には食べ物を買えるお店がありません。自動販売機もありません。
島民は船で本土まで行き必要な物資を調達します。
しかし、その船は
冬場になると強風により欠航が相次ぎます。

— 猫の島　青島 (@aoshima_cat) February 20, 2016

Here’s a translation, courtesy of Rocket News 24:

Please send cat food to Aoshima. We are steadily running out of food.

Naoko Kamimoto
Aoshima Cat Protection Society
52 Aoshima, Nagahama-cho, Ozu-shi, Ehime Prefecture

In case you need our phone number, please contact us individually.

The caretaker continued…

青島の現状をご理解ください。
青島には食べ物を買えるお店がありません。自動販売機もありません。
島民は船で本土まで行き必要な物資を調達します。
しかし、その船は
冬場になると強風により欠航が相次ぎます。

— 猫の島　青島 (@aoshima_cat) February 20, 2016

Translation:

“Please understand our current situation. There are no stores to buy food here on Aoshima. There aren’t any vending machines either. The people here acquire their necessities by taking a boat to the mainland. However, it’s extremely windy in winter, and boat service is often suspended.”

Two days later, people granted the caretaker’s request.

本日、青島へ渡っております。
40個以上の荷物が青島へ届けられます。
皆様からの沢山のご支援
本当にありがとうございました！ pic.twitter.com/TW7u9Gb43h

— 猫の島　青島 (@aoshima_cat) February 23, 2016

Translation:

“Today, I am heading to Aoshima. Over 40 packages are to be delivered. Thank you so very much, everyone, for sending us supplies.”

But then it got to be too much.

沢山のご支援ありがとうございました。
現在、猫のご飯が保管場所に入らなくなり
待合所に置いてあります。
今の状態ですと3月末まで充分な量のご飯を確保できていますので
一旦支援を止めさせて下さい。
よろしくお願いします。 pic.twitter.com/eCQnn3DKOe

— 猫の島　青島 (@aoshima_cat) February 23, 2016

Translation:

“Thank you for all the supplies. We can’t get any more cat food in the storage area, so we put it in the waiting room. With things the way they are now, we have enough food to last until the end of March, so please don’t send any more for now. Thank you very much.”

Seriously, people. Enough already.

支援物資（猫ちゃんのエサ、ご飯）の青島への発送は停止願います。
予想以上の大量のエサ（ご飯）が青島に届いてしまい、保管場所がなくなりました。４月まで大丈夫です。皆さんありがとうございました。
それにしても青島の猫たちの人気はすごい pic.twitter.com/Rffwnxie85

— 猫の島　青島 (@aoshima_cat) February 25, 2016

Translation:

“Please stop sending supplies (cat food) to Aoshima. We got far more than we ever expected, and there’s no more storage room. We’ll be fine until April. Thank you all very much. Wow, the cats of Aoshima are incredibly popular!”

Of course, what’s left unsaid is that too much cat food makes the cats too reliant on people. And when they get too reliant, they get mean. And when they get mean, they go all John Cena on you. That, after all, is why they have their own island in the first place.

H/T Laughing Squid | Photo via Sayoko Shimoyama/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)