Wednesday, July 29, 2009 1:25am (Japan time)
First week off of classes, but still plenty to do. Bubbles went out to her new home on Monday. She went to a good home in Kobe and can be seen here, immediately bonding with her new mom! The rest of the kitties have been dealing with the warming temperatures. I went out and picked some tall stalks of grass for them to play with, and also thought up a new game. I turned a garden tray over and put some snacks in the slots for the kitties to get out. I used small slices of a kind of fish sausage, called chikuwa, that is popular in food for humans here. The cats love this rare treat, and were really excited to hunt for the little hidden pieces. See pictures of their playtime…
On Saturday, I went out to ARK to spend the evening with Liz and Susan Mercer, before Sunday’s Barbecue on ARK’S new Sasayama site. We had a nice dinner, and caught up on all of each other’s news. The barbecue on Sunday was great fun, and worries about the rain turned out to be unnecessary. It did pour when we arrived to set up, but slowed and then stopped altogether by the time most guests arrived. The new site is in such a beautiful location, with the river, mountains, and clean fresh air. I think everyone who came out, found themselves dreaming at one point or another of the amazing new facility that will be there in the future. Watching the dogs run around the fenced in area, with their adoptive families obviously happy to be there too, was very encouraging, and a happy sight for those of us in animal welfare. I stayed out at ARK through Monday, which gave me a chance to see their new cat house. Built and designed by Okuda san, it looks lovely, comfortable, and well thought-out. See pictures from the barbecue, as well as the new cat house here.
I can tell why the kittens are better at the new game…their smaller footsies can fit better in the slots!
It is getting more humid here in Maine as well finally. Its just about breaking into the 80’s finally, so I have pulled the dehumidifier out and it cooled my house nicely without having to switch to a/c. The cats seemed ok with it too.
I love seeing all the pictures of the kitties. And they seem to all get along pretty well. I wish mine weren’t so possessive…they won’t let any other “pets” in the house.
Is that a picture of Fantasia there with some greenery in her mouth?
If so, her fur looks fabulous!
What a nice location for a barbeque!
That’s a picture of Grace, who does look like a younger version of Fantasia. We decided that the kittens were starting to get on Fantasia’s nerves, so moved her to one of the adult enclosures. Now she and Grace are in the same enclosure, so we are frequently asked if Grace is Fantasia. You can certainly tell them apart when they are side by side, because Fantasia continues to have her skin condition, making her fur a little more sparse. Grace would have been adopted long ago, if not for her challenged behavior regarding toileting. We employed many strategies, but she stubbornly refuses to consistently use a litter box. Luckily, mistakes are not much of a problem when there is concrete and a hose for cleanup, so Grace can live out a happy life here at the shelter!
I can’t wait to see the new state of the art shelter go up at the location of the barbecue! It’s exciting to see the plans for the new dog areas, and cat areas. The cats will have a view of a butterfly garden! I’ll provide updates on the building progress, as I hear them. ARK, and it’s founder Elizabeth Oliver, have been such an inspiration for smaller groups getting started. You can take a virtual tour of their current facility on their website at: http://www.arkbark.net/e/index.htm