Ito isn’t the only one who values the lives of these stray cats. As detailed in a 2013 piece by JapanTravel, the playful animals brighten the most darkened days in Tokyo; in a cemetery in the Yanaka neighborhood, mourners can be seen stroking the more outgoing felines, and some even set out food for the cats. When a familiar stray cat living in a train station recently died, commuters set up a memorial in his honor, complete with flowers and kitty treats.