Photo/Illutration Samples of the Maya Nyamber Card issued for domestic cats on Amami-Oshima island in Amami, Kagoshima Prefecture, are shown at the city hall on Feb. 21. (Kazuaki Kanda)

AMAMI, Kagoshima Prefecture--While all residents of Japan are issued a My Number Card, domestic cats on Amami-Oshima island will also soon get a similar "Maya Nyamber Card."

But unlike humans, the felines won't be getting the cards for social security and tax purposes. 

Instead, they will be issued by five municipal governments from April to protect rare wild animals on the World Natural Heritage site. 

Intended for spayed or neutered cats kept indoors, the card is aimed at encouraging owners to take appropriate care of their cats and prevent them from becoming feral.

"By issuing the card, we want to increase the number of owners who keep their cats indoors and accelerate momentum to eliminate unwanted cats," said Hiroyuki Hirata, chief of the section in charge of the World Natural Heritage designation at the Amami city government, who also acts as chairman of a council addressing various cat-related problems. 

Feral cats have long caused trouble on the island.

They prey on the Amami rabbit, which is designated as a special natural treasure by the central government, and other precious species, prompting authorities to capture stray felines.

The Maya Nyamber Card name is inspired by the Individual Number Card issued by the central government, commonly known as My Number Card. While "my" is replaced by "maya," which means cats in the local dialect, "nyamber" is a wordplay on "nyan," which sounds like the meowing of a cat.

The cat ID card will be issued by a council for cat-related issues set up by the municipal governments of Amami, Setouchi, Tatsugo, Yamato and Uken, each of which has its own ordinance for appropriately raising domestic cats.

The card will bear the name and address of a pet cat, in addition to the color of its fur, an emergency contact number other than the owner and a photo.

The ID card will be issued on condition that the cat is registered as required by the ordinance, it is implanted with a microchip containing identification information, it is spayed or neutered and it is kept indoors at all times.

Applications are accepted at each municipal government for 1,000 yen ($7.50) apiece.

Perks offered by the municipalities include providing cat owners with information on cat adoption and inviting them for photo exhibitions and other events, in addition to hosting a lottery event once a year offering prizes.

To make the ID card even more beneficial, the council plans to solicit shop operators willing to cooperate in offering perks.

Stray cats from urban areas and free-range felines become feral while they live in the mountains.

The municipalities are calling on cat owners to take proper care of their pets.

While about 2,500 cats are registered on the island, approximately 1,600 strays have been confirmed, according to the council.

More than 90 percent of domestic cats have been spayed or neutered, while 73 percent are implanted with a microchip.

(Kazuaki Kanda is a stringer for The Asahi Shimbun based in Amami-Oshima island.)

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