Nitama
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More Than 500 People Mourn The Death Of Nitama, Beloved Train Stationmaster Cat

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It's a sad time for cat lovers. Nitama, a beloved train stationmaster cat, passed away back at the end of November. The cat was beloved with hundreds turning out to its funeral.

This feline will probably have more people come to its memorial than I will. Nitama passed away at age 15 on November 20. On December 13, officials held a funeral for the cat at Kishi Station. The cat had been the second-ever cat train stationmaster at Wakayama Electric Railway Co.'s Kishigawa Line

Sadly, Nitama never recovered from an illness she contracted in October. More than 500 people turned out for the funeral. This included colleagues and fans alike. The crowd gathered at Wakayama Electric Railway Co. They honored her with the title of "Honorary Special Stationmaster."

Nitama Remembered

Mourners gathered at a painting of the late cat and offered words of remembrance as well as prayers. They left flowers and cans of cat food near the train station to mourn.

"She worked diligently and provided irreplaceable comfort," said Mitsunobu Kojima, president of Wakayama Electric Railway and chairman of the funeral committee. "Nitama, please watch over Wakayama Electric Railway from heaven alongside Stationmaster Tama."

Nitama had been the stationmaster at the train station since 2015. She succeeded the original stationmaster, Tama. Tama was the first to hold the position, but sadly passed away. The train station adopted Nitama after someone found her hiding under a car. When Tama died, Mitsunobu promoted the cat to the position.

"The reason I appointed Nitama as a successor to Tama is that she had teaching experience from Tama directly," said Mitsunobu. "Tama was very mild, and she seldom got angry, though she was strict with her subordinate Nitama."

It's a sad time, but the legacy of the two felines will live on at the station. Let's pour out a can of cat food in rememberance.