Shrine honors cats at Japanese island where they outnumber humans

A cat walks across the altar at Cat Shrine on Tashirojima island in Ishinomaki, northeastern Japan, May 18, 2024. Tourists watch cats getting fed at a cafe on Tashirojima island in Ishinomaki, northeast of Japan, May 18, 2024.

On a small island off Japan's northeastern coast, visitors make offerings at a shrine for unlikely local guardians: cats.