Every cat from Cat Cafe MOFF has been safely evacuated after a powerful earthquake partially collapsed the Kumamoto shopping mall where they were housed, the cafe confirmed this week.
The Rescue
Cat Cafe MOFF, located inside the Aeon Mall in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, announced on July 29 that all 25 of its resident cats had been safely rescued and evacuated from the mall, days after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the region. Staff, working with local fire and police departments, were able to enter the damaged building and bring the cats out safely.
“With the generous understanding and tremendous cooperation of the fire department, police, and everyone at Aeon Mall,” the cafe said in a statement, its team was able to reach and evacuate all of the cats.
The cafe said the cats are now undergoing individual health checks and are being cared for by specialist staff who rushed to the scene once access to the site was possible.
The Earthquake
The rescue followed a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto Prefecture, killing at least 14 people. Part of the Aeon Mall, which employed roughly 2,700 people and housed around 200 stores including international retailers, partially collapsed after what officials believe was a gas explosion that occurred roughly an hour after the quake struck. Several people were confirmed dead in the mall collapse, with a small number still listed as missing in the days following the disaster.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi mobilized thousands of military personnel to assist in search and rescue efforts, saying “every second counts” as crews worked to reach anyone still trapped. The region was already recovering from a larger, more destructive earthquake in 2016, and officials said a historic castle in the area sustained fresh damage in this latest quake.
Why the Story Resonated
Customers had reportedly been evacuated from the mall after the initial quake and before the explosion occurred, but the cats at Cat Cafe MOFF were left behind as the situation on site remained too dangerous for immediate entry. News of their eventual rescue spread quickly online, offering a small point of relief amid otherwise grim coverage of the disaster’s death toll and ongoing search efforts.
The cafe has not yet announced when or whether it will reopen at the Kumamoto location, with recovery efforts at the mall still ongoing. For now, the focus remains on the cats’ continued medical care and the broader search and rescue operation still underway across the earthquake-affected region.
