In addition to selling delectable cat-themed sweets, the convenience store chain wants to increase cat adoptions and pet food donations.
Family Mart has celebrated Japan’s Cat Day (February 22) since 2022 with all kinds of adorable, feline-themed snacks and a tongue-in-cheek name change to “Family Nyart” (nya meaning “meow” in Japanese). The now-annual campaign has proven to be a major success, with Nekonomics (neko is “cat”)–the term for revenue driven by cat-themed products and services–showcasing the economic impact of cats in Japan.
Last year, as a special thank you to cats everywhere for helping drive customer satisfaction and profits, three Family Mart branches with “cat” in their names, plus the branch within company headquarters, hosted a pet food drive to collect people’s unused cat and dog food. Within two weeks the chain had collected approximately 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of food, which equates to a 70-gram (2.5-ounce) daily diet for almost 3,000 adult cats. This year, the food drive is back but has expanded to encompass a total of nine Family Mart locations throughout the country, including those with cat-loving owners and those that are located near one of Japan’s so-called “cat islands.” Donations began being collected on February 10 and will be accepted through March 2.
▼ Look for one of these hard-to-miss donation boxes inside of the nine designated branches
The food drive isn’t the only special event that’s going on this year, as Family Mart’s Shibuya Cat Street location in Tokyo–named so because of the large number of cats that can be spotted in the area–is also trying out something brand-new this year. In an effort to spread awareness about rescue cat adoption as well as organizations that foster cats, staff have set up photo displays of rescue cats that are currently available for adoption in the basement level of the store centered around the tables for dining.
▼ A news feature introducing the cat photo exhibition
The 17 featured cats were selected from six pet adoption agencies that are participating at an adoption fair event in the nearby Ebisu district. No two of the more-or-less life-size photos are exactly the same, with the felines featured in a striking variety of poses.
In a fun twist, the photo displays are even showcased in a number of places within the room, including higher-up, tricky-to-reach spots that the cats themselves would likely find quite purrfect.
Basic information such as the name, sex, age, and personality traits are also displayed next to each cat, along with a QR code to easily access more information about potential adoption.
▼ For example, here’s Momo…
▼ …and here’s Suko at your service!
The rescue cat photo exhibition will run through March 9 at the Shibuya Cat Street Family Mart location, so be sure to swing by before then if you’d like a glimpse of the furry friends.
Now that that cat’s out of the bag, you might also be interested in reading up on other rescue cat adoption tactics in Japan, such as this public bath-themed cat cafe or this cat cafe with yoga classes.
Store information
Family Mart Shibuya Cat Street shop / ファミリーマート 渋谷キャットストリート店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Shibuya 1-22-10 Toho Building #2
東京都渋谷区渋谷１丁目２２－１０ 第２東邦ビル
Open: 24 hours, 7 days/week
Source: Shibuya Keizai Shimbun
Top image: Family Mart
Insert images: Family Mart
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