Ecologist Masako Izawa of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa said she thinks there are fewer than 1000 Iromote cats in the wild. There may be only 100. This cat is endangered because of habitat loss, meaning that human beings build things in the places where they live. Some cats are hit by cars when they come to the road to eat dead frogs, dead lizards, and other animals that have been killed by cars. They are also endangered because domestic cats mate with them. Veterinarians have taught people on Iriomote Island to spay and neuter their pet cats to prevent this, the local government has tried to stop people from driving too fast and the government of Japan has made part of Iriomote Island a wildlife protection area.