Cat's funeral attracts over 3,000 mourners

Tama, in her role as stationmaster

 Heard of Tama the cat? That name may have little or no meaning to you but would go down memory lane for the people of Kinokawa City, Wakayama, Japan. When Tama's funeral attracted an estimate of 3,000 people who came to pay their last respect, the feline caught the international media once again.

Tama, who died of heart failure at the age of 16 (equivalent of about 80 human years), was born in Kinokawa, Wakayama. She was raised with a  group of stray cats living close to Kishi station. She and the other feline were regularly fed by passengers using the station to commute. In 2004, the station was almost shut down because of financial problems. The nine mile-long (14.5Km) line was losing 500m yen ($4m) a year and the daily passengers dwindled to about 5,000 per day. In an attempt to cut cost, the last employee of the station left in 2006 but Tama stayed on. During this period, Koyama adopted Tama and was appointed honorary stationmaster at the unmanned Kishi station in 2007. This led to the influx of people to the station to see the feline with a custom-made stationmaster's cap perched on her head, welcoming and seeing off passengers.  Her first year on the job boosted the passenger numbers by 10%. Her overall effect on the local economy has been estimated at 1.1bn yen ($8.9m) and her dedication to work earned her the posthumous status of Shinto goddess.

People praying at the altar set up for Tama's funeral (C)ChikaOshima/AP

The governor of Wakayama, Yoshinobu Nisaka, sent a message of condolence describing Tama as a "superstar of tourism" who has made a name outside the shores of Japan.

A girl laying a bouquet in tribute to Tama