Tama the stationmaster cat is today’s Famous Feline. She’s a hard working, and much loved feline at the Kishi Railway Station in Kinokawa, Wakayama, Japan.
How could a cat possibly be the stationmaster at a railway station?
It all began in 2006. Wakayama Railway decided to cut costs by switching to an unmanned railway system. In order to ensure that each station was running properly, they were each assigned a local stationmaster. Kishi Station chose a neighbourhood grocer named Toshiko Koyama. Toshiko cared for many stray cats at the station, including her newly adopted cat named Tama.
In 2007, in an attempt to attract more customers to the Kishi Station, railway officials decided to promote Tama as Kishi’s Stationmaster. Tama was happy to accept the position. She was even given her very own stationmaster’s hat to wear while greeting passengers.
Tama the stationmaster cat quickly became a hit with the local travelers. Ridership drastically increased during the next few years, and Tama’s popularity added about 1.1 billion Yen to the local economy.
Tama made such an impact on the Kishi Station that in 2009 the Kishigawa railway line released a new Tama themed train. The train has an adorable cat face on the front, and inside it features all sorts of cat themed décor, including cartoon images of Tama and cat shaped seats. Take a look inside the Tama Densha Train HERE.
Want to learn more about Tama the Stationmaster Cat? Check out a video about her HERE.
Congratulations to one of our past Black Cat Contest winners - Bandit! Click 
