Thousands Turn Out To Attend Elaborate Funeral For Japan’s Most Famous Cat

In an outpouring of grief usually reserved for the passing of a cultural icon, thousands turned out at the weekend to bid a final farewell to a cat credited with saving an obscure Japanese railway line from financial ruin.

An estimated 3,000 people, including railway officials, attended Tama the cat’s Shinto-style funeral on Sunday, days after she died of heart failure aged 16 – the equivalent of about 80 human years.

Tama became Japan’s most famous cat after she was appointed honorary stationmaster  in 2007.