Susan's Blog - July 08 entries
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Upwardly Mobile
July 1, 2008 : 1:32 PM
The Herbs have moved into Naruto and Hinata's empty multilevel cage.
They're enjoying the new window view, hammocks, and racing from the top
level to the bottom. All are doing well, on their own, and have started
crying for attention from us. Not so happy about being picked up yet,
but they're becoming more used to it. A sunny day, finally, so a good
day for working in the enclosures. We have a lilac, lemon and an orange
tree growing in the small tree area, surrounded by lattice, to keep the
cats away from the soil. The leaves grow through the lattice and add
some green to the enclosure, but recently we have some type of pest
eating them. I know nothing about gardening, but bought some herbal
pest spray that's safe for pets, and I hope that will let us keep the
nice leaves. We lost a lot of the bamboo leaves to the cats chewing
them, but that's what they're there for, and today I can see some
coming back. People here have warned me, in an emphatic way, not to
grow bamboo close to the house as it's roots will spread and grow under
the house and up through the floor. When I mention that I grow most of
it in large pots, they say it will grow and spread right outside the
pot! I half think they're putting me on. So far no house eating bamboo
yet, but I'll keep my eye out. One thing's for sure, the cats love it.
We try to put a few leaves in the kitten cages most days, for them to
bat around, which they enjoy enormously.
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3 Days and a Party
July 4, 2008 : 10:08 AM
Spent most of Wednesday cleaning and rearranging the kitten room.
Again. Wanted to fit in one more cage so that we can combine two and
make the stooges more comfortable. They returned from Kyoto in a mood
to play and run around their cage, so they need more space to do that.
Curly goes to his new home tomorrow, and I think he'll be pleased to
have lots more space! Wednesday evening, we met with a woman who
offered to come out once a week to pitch in at the shelter. With all of
the kittens, we're feeling overwhelmed these days, so the help will be
very welcome. Aya san is already caring for rescued cats and kittens in
her own home, and her group has rehomed over 100 kittens since last
October. We know there are small groups as well as individuals out
there doing their best on their own. We'd like to find a way to bring
people together so that we can all be stronger and more effective. I
had 5 classes on Thursday, rushing back to check and feed kittens on my
lunch break. Everyone was hungry and not shy about saying so! Davy got
two cans, since I put the food I had prepared for the 3 Stooges in his
cage by mistake, and it turns out he'll eat any amount he gets! He's
really looking good these days. We're thinking of moving him back in
with Peter, his brother, who seems a bit lonely. Met with Takako
tonight after classes to print pictures for our display at our fund
raising event tomorrow. She and Gary have put a lot of time into
planning the event, the proceeds of which will go to help with rescue
and holding costs for kittens from the park. There will be an afternoon
tea and cake event and an evening party with music and food. Hope we
have a good turnout, all goes well, and that I don't nod off in the
middle of it all!
Comments
July 4, 2008 at 8:31 PM
posted by: japancatnet
On my way out to go to the events, with high hopes! The one licking my
face is Miko, who was brought to the shelter at 3 weeks old, by one of
my 2nd grade students . She found her by the road, on the way home from
school. Behind my head is Lilly--she came to the shelter as a kitten,
when David stopped a woman from throwing her and her siblings (in a
plastic bag!) into the river. The white fluff at the front is Iris,
Lilly's sister, and the orange fluff is Muffin, who came at 3 days old,
abandoned in front of a convenience store. There are more cats outside
the frame, since this was taken in the garden enclosure, where sitting
on this bench means it's time for pats and play!
July 4, 2008 at 11:16 AM
posted by: missydog
I hope the fund raising events are very successful. Please post more on
the events. Who are the beautiful cats in that lovely photo?
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For Pete's sake
July 6, 2008 : 1:53 PM
Our events on Saturday raised almost $800, together, for our kitten
care fund. We really appreciate all of Takako and Gary's work in
planning it all and making it a great success. Both events were held in
AT cafe, a trendy little place in northern Kyoto owned by a nice guy
named Tomo. The afternoon tea time get together was a chance to chat
with visitors about what we do, and also about their own cat concerns.
The party in the evening offered a more energetic atmosphere, with
music, conversation, and some dancing. Jannie brought cute gift bags to
give to people who donated over $5, and also brought lots of nice items
to be used for the kittens at the shelter. I stayed overnight in Kyoto,
since it finished so late, and David stayed home to take care of the
shelter. Today, Takako, Gary and I went out for lunch at a tofu
restaurant in a beautiful temple garden. We walked around and talked
about what we learned from our first big event, and what we can do next
time. Tired this evening, but very pleased. Even though we've been able
to rehome 10 of the park project kittens this past month, we still
continue to care for 25, and the financial responsibility is daunting.
With the weather really heating up, we now think we'll need to put an
air conditioner in the kitten room. Our next event will be at the end
of July, and hopefully this will get us through until then!
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Home is where Gigi is
July 8, 2008 : 1:13 PM
Feeling a little more back to normal after the rush to prepare for our
events and then to get through them. In the midst of all of that,
several kittens went to new homes, including the much loved and newly
named "Gigi." He's a lucky boy, with a sunroom, cat tower, and two new
cat pals to play with. The warm weather has been tiring, but today was
a little bit cooler, and after a luxurious 8 hours of sleep last night,
I felt ready to tackle the day! Some sneezing going on in the kitten
room, and as the fan is essential due to the heat, we're worried about
containing the symptoms. Moved Jane, the biggest sneezer, out of the
kitten room. Giving lysine to everyone, as well as an immune system
booster called Peterna, and so far it hasn't spread. Put Pete and Davy
in together, and they are loving rolling around playing with each
other. Also set up extensions on cages so that the bigger kittens have
more room to play. Unfortunately, the herbs have decided that the world
is their litter box, and no amount of cleaning seems to convince them
otherwise. We're trying a different arrangement, and adding additional
boxes to see if that helps.
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Play with us
July 9, 2008 : 2:01 PM
Aya san came today and helped clean the kitten cages, which had Larry
and Moe thinking it was playtime. They have a game in which they reach
outside the cage and try to snag hair or anything else within their
reach--a bobbing head, while wiping down a nearby cage, is much too
tempting to pass up. They don't seem to notice Curly being gone, and I
got the report tonight that Curly (now "Asahi") is settling nicely into
his new home. Concerned because Lala's brother Ume tested positive for
FIV. Lala tested negative, and both are too young for the tests to be
completely accurate. His new family has decided to keep him and hope
for the best. In between classes, I went out shopping for kitten food,
and got an amazing price on some high quality canned food. Also hung
new shelves above the sofa in the kitten room, which will finally give
us a place in there to keep some supplies. We had to move all of the
standing shelves out to make room for more cages. Before all of the
kittens came, as a result of starting our big park project, we used the
room for 2 or 3 quarantines and storing big bags of dry food donated
from ARK. Now that we need to make a trip to ARK to pick up more food,
we're wondering where we're going to put it. The room is now filled
with cages, which are filled with kittens. And though we are moving
some out, more move in. I think the kitten room may be here to stay,
and we'll have to find room for storing food elsewhere.
Comments
July 10, 2008 at 3:01 PM
posted by: japancatnet
Thanks very much for the kind words!
July 10, 2008 at 2:15 AM
posted by: spax
Just wanting to let you know how much I enjoy reading your blog. We
help with our local cat rescue group here in Los Angeles, and I know
how much work this grassroots effort is! While it sometimes seems like
we never make a dent, I have to believe we do. I wish you the very
best, and I gave my japanese friend all the links to your rescue so she
can tell her family and friends In Tokyo about it. I wish we could do
more but just knowing that the kitties have a friend all the way over
there feels good. Thank you so much for all you do!
Andrea
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Cat's Reunion
July 10, 2008 : 2:16 PM
Received pictures and reports on rehomed kittens. They all are doing
well, which is great to hear, as it makes the hard work getting them
there all worthwhile. Momo, the kitten pictured on my very first blog
entry (June 6) and here today, has grown so big that I hardly recognize
her! She has become very attached to her new family and the cat that
already was living there named Colo. Although Colo wasn't too sure
about welcoming her into the family at first, they are now inseparable.
Still lots to find homes for, and 5 little ones coming back from the
vet's clinic tomorrow. No big problems with everyone here these days,
other than Taro's chronic diarrhea. I'll take him with me for another
check, when I pick up the others. He has odd food preferences, avoiding
even the tastiest canned food, and desperately wanting chikuwa--a kind
of fish sausage that people eat in soup. Even crinkling a package gets
him in a frenzy, and he seems to know when I bring them back in
shopping bags from the store. We try not to give them this treat too
often, as it's salty, so I wonder if the salt is what he's craving.
They all enjoy pieces of chikuwa, acting as if it's half toy, half
food--tossing it into the air and pouncing on it before tearing it
apart while growling. If you've never been a room with 20 or so little
kittens growling and gripping their little white rings of chikuwa, the
amusement is hard to explain. Treated the veranda cats to sashimi last
night. The supermarket marks all of the raw fish 50% off before
closing, so if I happen to be there and have a little extra cash I buy
a few blocks of tuna. Also quite the popular treat around the shelter!
No treats tonight on the veranda, but did sprinkle a little friskies on
top of their regular healthy food. Late night enclosure cleanup so that
I could get the trash out on burnable trash day tomorrow, and worried a
little about the noise, knowing everyone has their windows open at
night now. Sometimes at night, I can hear people sneeze in their
houses! We all live very close here, and as creepy as that is when you
think about it, somehow you just get used to it.
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Oh Mickey you're so pretty!
July 12, 2008 : 1:27 PM
Picked up the kittens last night and had a nice chat with the vet.
We're hoping to put up a notice asking for foster care volunteers for
kittens, and he very kindly said he'd help us with it. The kittens are
doing well, except for one with an arm problem, so we picked up 4 of
them and left one to stay at the clinic. Lucky for us, the vet's wife
got them through the hard part, when they could only bottle feed, and
now they can eat some wet food. I still bottle feed them twice a day,
but not for very long, and I think in a week or so they won't need it
at all. We also picked up Mickey, as he's recovered from his anemia. We
brought the little cardboard house that the vet made for him back to
the shelter, and he spent most of the first few hours huddled inside.
The vet said that he liked to drag his little blanket inside the house!
I don't think he remembered much about us or the shelter and was
confused by all of the sounds. We thought he might be able to join his
brothers who are doing well now, too, but he just seemed too nervous to
try it. He's a little more relaxed today, so I'm sure it will all come
back to him. Taro's diarrhea is finally starting to clear up. He had a
drip free day today, and we were even able to give him and Michelle the
new toy that Jannie gave us. It has some figure (mouse?) on an upright
spring and when it is moved, it chirps. They can't get enough of it,
which is starting to make us a bit crazy! The herbs now have 4 litter
boxes in their cage, pretty much covering the entire bottom. Hard to
tell if we've changed their behavior as there isn't much "outside the
box" to go on. The do seem to have increasingly more diarrhea, so that
could be some of the problem. Will need to see the vet about more meds,
to help clear that up. No classes tomorrow, so I can spend the entire
day in grubby clothes doing odd jobs around the shelter.
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Some don't like it hot.
July 17, 2008 : 6:57 AM
A problem with our internet connection has had me off line for a few
days. Still haven't figured out how to solve it yet, but am trying to
add to the blog. Really heating up here. The veranda enclosure cats
have the disadvantage of being up were it's hotter, so they have to be
more creative about finding the coolest places. Most stretch out on the
woven mats that we have covering the surface of the veranda, but
Peaches generally takes the cat hammock, Cho-cho has the wooden pallet,
and George likes to squeeze into a small space under a wooden step. The
humidity combined with the heat makes it hard for everyone to move, but
move we must, and it's only going to get hotter as the summer
continues. Have been taking the newest kittens outside their cage, and
onto the bed, during feeding time. They're still small enough to stick
fairly close to us, and they are very cute! We're keeping them in a
cage in the bedroom for the time being, as it's easier to bottle feed
them regularly, and it also keeps them separated from illness in the
shelter. If we aren't able to find foster care for them, we'll plan to
move them into the kitten room next week. Still have Elroy, who we
expected to easily find a home. Have had several people interested, but
in at least two cases, they wouldn't agree to having him neutered.
We're thinking about sending him to Tokyo, where there's a better
chance at finding a good home, while he's still young. Mickey has moved
in with his two brothers and they're making up for lost time! They are
some of the most playful kittens, and are growing by leaps and bounds,
now that they've recovered from most of their health problems. We're in
a laundry crunch since our 2 yr. old washing machine stopped working
again. Trying to decide between repair, or squeak (more like shake,
rattle and roll) by using the old cranky machine and buy more of the
cat food that's currently on a really good sale. 8 more days until our
kid's English classes break for summer vacation. We'll continue to
teach adults, but most of our classes are with children, so we'll have
a lot more free time to get things done around the shelter.
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A twist of fate--from death row to life in the Garden
July 18, 2008 : 11:03 AM
Two new arrivals. A mother and her kitten were abandoned outside of an
animal control center in a small, dirty cage, and the vet there felt
sorry for them. She called us and asked if we could take them at the
shelter, as they seemed very friendly. We told her she could bring them
out. 97% or more of cats that enter animal control facilities here are
destroyed, so these two were incredibly lucky that someone took pity on
them. It appears it may be their first bit of good luck in some time.
Both have bad diarrhea and had been unable to clean themselves in the
small cage. They were dirty, hungry, and dehydrated, though the vet had
certainly fed them as soon as she found them outside the center. Since
the kitten is around 3 months old, we decided to separate them for
treatment and evaluation. Mom is in a big cage on the veranda. She's
all white with beautiful blue eyes and a bob tail, and still quite
young. The kitten is in a cage in the kitten room, and is desperate for
attention. She is also all white, but has the usual color eyes and long
tail. Will have to come up with names and get them on the re-homing web
site here in Japan. Still have the cage they arrived in, but even after
cleaning it up, the thought of using it anywhere in the shelter bothers
me. The 4 littlest ones continue to bottle feed well, and are content
exploring the bed or sleeping in their cage within easy hunger alert
distance. We hate to move them to the shelter, as they are so very
healthy now, and it's more difficult to keep them that way there.
Creating the kitten room was our plan to separate the kittens from the
occasionally sick adult cats, but of course some of the kittens arrive
sick, and sneezes spread like wildfire. Our biggest health problem with
the kittens these days is coccidium, which we just can't seem to clear
up, despite medicine and careful cleaning. Planning to try another
course of the medicine, and hope for the best. The good news today is
that we fixed our Internet problem, and someone donated an air
conditioner for the kitten room! Washing machine repair guy comes
tomorrow, so we're crossing our fingers that works out well, too!
Comments
July 18, 2008 at 11:42 AM
posted by: missydog
What an adorable kitten, but so thin. It always amazes me that these
poor creatures can still be so loving and seek human attention, even
though they have had such poor beginnings. I will be looking forward to
updates on her and her mother. Fortunately for the cats, it seems you
have some very kind vets there. Great news about the air conditioner.
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Dogs for a day
July 20, 2008 : 1:50 PM
Takako and I spent the day driving out to ARK
http://www.arkbark.net/index.htm Had a chance to see their cats, dogs,
and the mountain scenery. ARK is an amazing place. Even with so many
animals (500?) it remains peaceful and happy. Dogs are walked and cats
are brushed. Many of the animals call it home, and they are lucky to do
so, but for many others, it's their bridge to a forever family.
Elizabeth Oliver, ARK's founder, was our own inspiration in starting
our cat group and shelter. We continue to ask her advice on many of the
day to day animal welfare concerns, and I enjoy just chatting with her
about how everything is going. It was sad to hear that they recently
tried to accept 3 dogs from animal control for re-homing, but were
refused by Osaka prefecture. It would appear that the prefecture would
prefer to destroy these dogs rather than work with ARK, which is not
only a shame for the animals, but also for the animal control staff,
most of whom are intent on saving as many lives as possible. We hope
that people will tell Osaka prefecture just how unhappy this kind of
unwillingness to work with a very reputable animal welfare group, makes
them. Animal control simply is not able to find homes for enough
animals without the support of such groups, and if they actually intend
to follow the government's recent mandate to greatly reduce the number
of animals destroyed, this is certainly not the way to get started.
After spending the afternoon there, we went on to Costco to buy paper
towels, cleaning wipes and other supplies for the shelter. I also
picked up some nice treats for David and I--sharp cheddar cheese,
bagels, and tortilla chips, to name a few! Got home and unloaded the
car, and started bottle feeding kittens. David spent the day working
around the shelter, but bottle feeding is my job these days, and the
kittens know it. When they see me, they immediately start crying. Also
helped do the night rounds in the kitten room. The new white kitten is
starting to relax. We'd like to get her into a bigger cage, but are
full for the time being, with no empty cages. Two kittens may be going
out in a week or so, so perhaps then.
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4 squeaky wheels
July 22, 2008 : 10:12 AM
Have I mentioned it's hot? New air conditioner for kitten room arrived
today. Hoping to get it installed as soon as possible. The kitten room
which is usually bouncing with energy was decidedly droopy today. I had
general housecleaning to do to get ready for our two visitors from
Amsterdam. They're staying in the room I rent for English classes, but
there isn't a shower, so they'll be coming back to the house for that.
Since the shower area is currently also the kitten litter box
disinfecting area, we'll have to do some juggling. It's very nice to
see them, as they both volunteer for animal rescue groups so are able
to understand our motivation here. They just arrived today, and haven't
been out to the shelter yet, so they'll get the tour tomorrow, and a
chance to meet the kittens. Currently trying our best to wean the
youngest group. They are a little over 6 weeks now, so don't need the
bottle, but are still dependent on it for comfort. We've also gotten
into the habit of allowing them to play on the bed during bottle
feeding, so it's hard to say which they'll miss more. They have got
their presentation down--they hold the bars of the cage and cry very
convincingly. David can hold out longer than I can, but both of us end
up caving eventually. It's probably time to get them moved into the
kitten room, but we're waiting for a cage to open up. A current thought
on improving things for the kittens is making a kind of outside kitten
run, that can be easily cleaned between groups. Though they have room
to play in the cages, it's not the same as having space to run around
in. Most of the kittens have now been living in their cages for 2
months, and it's likely to be another month before people return from
their holidays wanting kittens. The air conditioner will certainly make
the living situation better for them, but we like the idea of creating
a play area, and we're going to start planning.
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Cool cats
July 24, 2008 : 11:23 AM
What a difference a drop in temperature makes! Yesterday the kittens
were stretched out in their cages immobile, and today, with the air
conditioner installed, they are back to their playful selves. Larry and
Moe were once again in their favorite snuggling position on their
hammock, which it had gotten too hot for them to do before. We were so
glad this worked out now, as the temperature is going up, and they were
all so miserable. It's also made the clean up easier, since we aren't
soaked in sweat while we do it. The enclosure cats are still stuck in
the heat, but they can move around in the enclosures and find some
cooler places. David went out on the veranda and saw that the new white
mother cat--now named Bunny-- was soaking wet. We recently released her
from her cage on the veranda to move around with the other cats living
up there. She seems to be fairly non responsive to her surroundings,
making us think she's seen some trauma. Hard to say how she got so wet,
but it must have involved one of the water dishes. We decided to move
her back into the cooler kitten room, to be able to keep a better eye
on her. We put her in her baby's smallish cage and her baby (white
kitten newly named Miffy) moved in with Taro (Momo's kitten) and
Michelle (of the Monkeys). Off to a worrying start with growling and a
little slapping, but once Miffy got a go at their toys (they have the
enviable chirping mouse in their cage!), she decided to play nice. Now
they seem like they've lived together forever. Took the littlest
kittens to see our Dutch friends who are staying in the English
classroom. The kittens had a blast running around and around the
room--they have never seen so much space in their lives! Had a scare
because we couldn't find one of them when it was time to go back to the
shelter. But she eventually stumbled out from behind a box, sleepy eyed
and ready to go back. I haven't heard a peep out of them in the last
couple of hours, so I think they really wore themselves out.
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What's bugging me...
July 27, 2008 : 9:29 PM
I went to ARK on Saturday, with our visitors, while David stayed back
to take care of the shelter. Linda and Wim enjoyed meeting Elizabeth,
touring the facility, petting cats, and walking some dogs. The area is
beautiful this time of year, with all of the gardens throughout the
sanctuary in full force. We had Liz's homemade hummus for lunch and
then a huge vegetarian/vegan dinner with fresh vegetables from Liz's
garden--she made some amazing ratatouille! We stayed the night there
and then went to a fund-raising event with an ARK representative on
Sunday. The event was a picnic at Tsurumi Ryokuchi Koen, a very large
park in Osaka city. As with all large parks here, there were stray
cats, and I found an older Japanese man in the bushes feeding some. I
talked with him for a while about spay and neuter, and he said that he
knew there were some people already doing that in the park. I could see
he really felt sorry for the cats and wanted to take care of them. He
told me how hard it is to help the cats when people attack him
everyday, yelling at him when he feeds the cats, throwing kittens in
the trash bins, and cutting down the bushes so that the cats have no
place to hide. I hear the same story from many people caring for cats
in parks, and we want to help them, as long as they are willing to
participate in TNR programs. Often even reasonable people are terrified
to draw any more attention to themselves by helping with trapping. The
situation is bad and overwhelmingly large. In the last few days, we
received word that the Osaka prefecture parks department will stop
allowing us to trap in the parks due to complaints from 2 people who
said that TNR is a waste of money and that the cats should be trapped
and killed. So, they aren't taking a position on TNR specifically, but
to settle the dispute, they are stopping trapping for the time being.
What's crazy is that Osaka prefecture is not spending any money on our
current project. Tokyo has an amazing volunteer TNR program, in which
the government pays the entire cost of the spay/operations, and it has
successfully led to a huge reduction in the number of cats in parks as
well as the number of cats destroyed by the city. Osaka has yet to
follow their example. We receive a small subsidy of about $30 per cat
from the Hirakata city government, after showing receipts for
spay/neuter operations, and this is less than a third of the actual
cost. All of the long hours trapping and the majority of the
spay/neuter cost comes from rescue groups and volunteers. Do these 2
people imagine that we will volunteer to trap the cats to be killed? It
makes no sense for Osaka prefecture to refuse help from volunteers who
are willing to put in long hours and much of their own money to solve a
problem in a public park, when the prefecture is under a major budget
crunch. We have been asked by an Osaka based TNR group leader, to first
let them contact the government about lifting the ban, on behalf of
their own group. Their group's goal at this time is just to secure the
right to resume trapping in Osaka's parks. It's incredibly hard for me
not to go to the press with this immediately, but we've decided to wait
for a week and see what they come up with. Sometimes I get so
frustrated. Elizabeth told me a story about a cat in a park, that ARK
had recently tried to help, and it is really too heartbreaking and
cruel to write about here. Two things happened on our trip to give me
hope. On the way to ARK, I gave up my seat on the train to a 70 year
old man. He started up a conversation with me, thanking me for the
kindness, and I told him about our TNR work in the parks. He ended up
giving me $5 for the cats, saying that people really should be kinder,
and I was touched by his quick willingness to help out. And the next
day, at the picnic event, Linda and I were standing near a tree where a
child was holding a large cicada that was trying to escape. My first
thought was that there was nothing I could do about it, but I could see
Linda was also concerned so I asked him what he was doing and if it
wasn't a little pitiful. Linda just walked over and gestured, asking
him if that kind of bug could fly. He said yes, and she said "Really?
Show me!" And that was that. He lifted the bug up and it flew away.
There is often a simple, non-combative answer to getting people to do
the right thing, even if they don't care or don't know they're doing
it. I hope that we can find that answer regarding the cats in the parks.
Comments
July 30, 2008 at 4:32 AM
posted by: Spax
That's an excellent idea, thanks for posting the information! Who knew
Osaka has an office in San Francisco?! I'll write a nice letter -
you'll get more things done with honey than with vinegar, as they say.
July 29, 2008 at 3:19 AM
posted by: japancatnet
Actually, Osaka Prefectural government has an office in San Francisco
http://www.osakafu.org/ , and I've wondered if it would have any impact
asking Californians to send an appeal letter to them. I know that real
change has to come from within the country, but I need to find a way to
urge the Osaka government to permit trapping for TNR in the parks, and
putting an international spotlight on the issue may be worth a try.
Even if they shut us down for only a few months, we will lose ground,
as who knows how many kittens will be born in that time. We think we've
done about 1/2 of the population in the biggest park we are working in,
and have removed all of the kittens that we could find. All of that
work could easily be undone in just a few months of no management--of
course, the feeders operate in secrecy, and will continue without us.
If anyone is interested in writing a letter, it might go something like
this:
I've heard that reputable animal rescue groups have volunteered to help
Osaka, by using TNR to humanely reduce the number of stray cats in
Osaka's parks. I know that not only is the TNR plan humane, it has
proven very effective in solving the park problems with stray cats in
California and also in Tokyo. I want to show my support for this plan
as a concerned Californian and a friend of Osaka.
____________________________________________
signature
____________________________________________
city.
July 28, 2008 at 9:34 PM
posted by: Spax
This is too bad, let's hope Osaka follows Tokyo's example. Setbacks are
so frustrating because it's already so hard to do TNR. We have our own
battles here in Southern California with the University of Long Beach
trying to get rid of a long-term feral cat colony, and on outlying
islands where cats have been introduced in the fifties.
While we were visiting Japan in 2004, my husband and I saw many cats in
cemeteries, temples and parks, and older men feeding them. Since we
didn't see any kittens, we assumed they were all TNR-d colonies. We
probably were wrong...
Andrea
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Still bottle babies
July 30, 2008 : 3:39 AM
Rain earlier this week, and a little cooler, but today is back to hot
weather. The whole "but it's a dry heat" thing has never been clearer
to me. I thought Michigan was humid, but you can almost feel the
heaviness of the air, here. It's so humid that our vet warned us about
watering the plants in the enclosures during the day, which could
increase the humidity to a dangerous level for the cats, making it
difficult for them to breathe. Nighttime brings out swarms of
mosquitoes, which are hatching in the surrounding rice fields. So there
is a magic hour, when the sun is nearly down, which is good for
cleaning and watering. Talked with Jeff from ARK first thing this
morning, had English class, and then came back to bottle feed the
kittens. What a bunch of cuties! I wish I had more time to play with
them, but there is laundry to be done, cages to clean, and English
lessons to be taught before I'm finished today. They'll have to settle
for a run around the room while I answer a few mails. Every so often
one dashes over for another feed from the bottle, and a pat, which I am
happy to interrupt my work for! They eat well enough on their own now,
and we're down to giving them just a little bottle once a day, for
comfort.
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