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In Japan, rare bobtail cats are considered good luck. Nagasaki is filled with them
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A stray bobtail cat rests at a park in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on April 26, 2025. - photo by AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
NAGASAKI, Japan (AP) — In Japan, bobtail cats are considered good luck and Nagasaki is the place to find them. They are known as “omagari neko (bent-tail cats)” or “kagi neko (hook cats)” and have their own society of admirers and even a dedicated Shinto shrine. Their tails come in varieties including hook-shaped at the tip, curved or in a bun, explained Kazuya Hideshima, a worker at Omagari Neko Shrine and member of the Nagasaki Cat Society.