Sigh. I’ve spent the day snuggling with my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow. Japan’s Tashirojima, also known as Cat Island, was most likely destroyed by the tsunami.

Tashirojima is a small island in Miyagi prefecture, famous for its large stray kitty population. Hundreds of cats live here, outnumbering the humans on the isle! more than humans. In Japan, cats are known to bring wealth and good fortune (the Maneki Neko, or beckoning cat statue, is seen everywhere). There are at least ten cat shrines and over 50 stone cat monuments on the island, which is known as a peaceful and magical place to visit.

Sadly, the small islands off Northeast Honshu (Miyagi prefecture) were near the epicenter of the 8.9 magnitude Japan earthquake. Cat Island was definitely hit hard by the tsunami. And… brace yourself… the isle was most likely completely or partially submerged.

I am doing my very best to find 100% definite news about the status of Cat Island. I’m scouring the Japanese media and eyewitness reports for accurate information — and will update you here and on Twitter.

Let’s hope for the best. And please keep in mind the animals that were stranded and hurt by the Japan disaster.

Here’s a list of animal rescue organizations you can donate to.

The Animal Rescue Kansai is located in Japan, and relief goes directly to the animals affected.

Stay strong, everyone, and give your pets a hug. I’ll keep you posted on the status of Cat Island here and on Twitter.

UPDATE: Promising news! A few sources (see the comments) are saying there much building damage at Tashiro-jima. But the cats and people seem to be okay; the island is not submerged. However, they desperately need human and cat food, and officials aren’t putting much attention to this island. So please donate to organizations that will help the cats (see links above).