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Twenty-five cats stuck inside a shopping mall in Japan gutted in an explosion after a major earthquake have been rescued, the operator said on Thursday, triggering huge relief on social media.
Momo, Kohaku, Tango, Shandy — a fluffy Norwegian Forest Cat — and the others were in Cat Cafe MOFF on the ground floor of the Aeon mall in Kashima when the deadly 7.1-magnitude quake hit on Tuesday.
The mall was evacuated and employees returned to retrieve the cats when a huge explosion — likely caused by gas — ripped through the building, and staff “hurriedly evacuated”, the cafe said.
At least 34 people died in the quake, according to authorities in the southwestern Kumamoto region.
