Susan's Blog - September '08 entries
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The Adventures of Pepper
September 1, 2008 : 1:57 PM
An, our tireless 5 kitten foster mom has made up the cutest kitten
posters (see more at http://www.japancatnet.com/ ). One of the kittens
(Coco) has already found a home, and I expect the others will go
quickly, too. David went out to a couple of new TNR spots today, to
help people make start up plans--both projects look good, with very
responsible people involved. In the evening he met with An and the
woman wanting Coco, who will go to his new home this Wednesday.
Comments
September 1, 2008 at 9:57 PM
posted by: japancatnet
I'm thrilled to have some of the new people, like An, on our team.
Fostering is essential shelter support, and makes such a difference in
the adoptability of cats coming in. I know it's not easy to love them
and then let them go, but foster parents save lives, and we can do so
much more with their help.
September 1, 2008 at 4:12 PM
posted by: missydog
The posters are very creative. I especially liked the comments
regarding the kittens' personalities and the various photos that
matched the comments. This should help in the kittens finding homes.
Your blog is one of my favorites and you have a nice website which I'll
be reading also. Thanks for all you do for the cats.
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Revolving door
September 3, 2008 : 2:23 AM
Heard from Tokyo that Tansei and Sasuke are doing well. I imagine two
active boys can be pretty hard on an apartment, so I hope they aren't
misbehaving too much. I'm worried that Sasuke may wear out his welcome,
but he looks adorable in the photo above!
Local animal control called, asking if we could take a young kitten,
and we said yes. But 2 women came into the Center asking if they had a
kitten, at the last minute, so the Center's vet showed up at our place
delighted and empty handed! The two of us went to see my vet after
that, and he was in the middle of treating some very small kittens that
a guy had brought in. He'd found them in a cardboard box near a
dumpster, being attacked by a crow. One kitten has a wound on it's
head--there weren't any other obvious wounds, but the kittens were not
moving and looked to be in shock. The man couldn't keep them, as his
daughter is allergic, so I agreed to take them, if he and the vet can't
find homes. They'll have to stay at the clinic for a week or so anyway,
until their condition improves.
David is out in Mino Park (Osaka) today trying to catch kittens that a
couple there will keep at their place, in one of our big cages. We'll
start helping them try to find homes, and they'll trap 6 or 7 cats
living in the park for spay/neuter.
Poor Elisa has to return the kitten she's fostering, as the couple next
door complained to the landlord, that they can hear the kitten crying
sometimes. Elisa feels terrible about it, and we feel bad for her--it's
a kitten for heaven's sake, not a chainsaw, how noisy can it be?
Mimi chan, our little black kitten, was recently returned by her
adoptive family after only staying one night. They were concerned about
having to treat her for coccidium (a minor microscopic intestinal
parasite), as their previous cat of 18 years had recently died of
kidney failure, and they weren't up for giving medicine again. We did
explain the difference, but they said that they'd decided they weren't
ready to have a cat again. Just heard from them last night--they
changed their minds and want her back. I kind of thought that might
happen, so I saved all of the paperwork. It's a bit frustrating, but I
think they actually will be good owners, and the important thing is
that she find a good home.
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New arrivals
September 4, 2008 : 1:17 PM
I had classes all day and David went out to pick up 5 kittens and a
mother cat found in the park. Our volunteer is keeping one of the
kittens that her vet's assistant showed interest in, with the hope that
her family will let her adopt it. They're all a little wild, but the
kittens are about a month old, so they should be young enough to
socialize easily. The mother is a different story. She's crouched in
the very back of the cage, ignoring the kittens, and hissing. She was
spayed today, so it's reasonable for her to be in a bad mood, but my
guess is that she's mostly feral. Ideally, we wouldn't be spaying
mothers with kittens, but the situation is so out of control in the
park, with dozens of females still not spayed yet and reproducing. We
can't risk not spaying every cat that we catch. This mother cat was
probably born wild in the park, rather than abandoned there, as she
seems completely unaccustomed to all things people. We'll see how they
all do over the next few days--if the kittens are eating solid food on
their own, and the mother continues to be in a panic, we'll take her
back to the park and release her on Sunday
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New little calicos
September 7, 2008 : 5:15 AM
New kittens are doing well...still not comfortable being held, but will
play with our hands while in their cage. Mom hasn't moved far from her
position at the back of the cage--wish that we could get her to at
least move up to the loft bed, so that it would be easier (and safer!)
to clean the cage. Have yet to decide where she goes when we separate
the kittens. We plan to meet with some of the volunteers after we get a
response from the Osaka government this week, and we'll talk about a
plan to protect the cats released in the park, then.
We heard from a couple staying in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. They saw several
cats living near their hotel, so are meeting to talk with local rescue
volunteers about how they can help. Really encouraging to hear from
people who see a problem and are willing to do something to make the
situation better, despite being here for only a short time. There's
hope, if we reach out and pitch in.
Comments
September 23, 2008 at 9:05 AM
posted by: hellokitty
Adorable!!
Just adorable!!
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Night off
September 8, 2008 : 12:12 PM
My birthday, today, so David took me out for dinner and a movie after
classes tonight! Possible, thanks to Takako, who took Mimi to the vet
and then to her new owner for us. She also checked on the 3 kittens
that the vet was keeping--apparently the guy who rescued them was able
to find homes for all three, so we won't have to take them to the
shelter. Back late, and still have kitten cages to attend to...
Comments
September 10, 2008 at 11:31 AM
posted by: japancatnet
Thanks! I just noticed that I added a year to my age in a newspaper article, recently, so it feels like I haven't aged at all!
The picture is of Mimi chan, now named Kuro by her new owner. Takako said they were so happy to see her again!
September 10, 2008 at 6:13 AM
posted by: Midori_K
Happy Birthday!
That picture is adorable, by the way...
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Our newest Star Wars character
September 10, 2008 : 12:38 PM
Got a newbie in from animal control--does she not look a little like an
Ewok?! Somebody left her outside the center, in a paper bag, overnight.
She seems a little thin but otherwise in good shape, and obviously
quite a cutie. 2 new people interested in adopting this week, so I'm a
little less panicked about the new arrivals. Meeting with the city
tomorrow to register as a volunteer group, and then maybe going out
with the vet to the main animal control facility. Not a place I really
want to visit, but know it's all part of the job...
Comments
September 12, 2008 at 8:07 AM
posted by: japancatnet
You haven't even seen her short little tail--when she waddles around, she is a Disney cartoon, if ever I've seen one!
September 12, 2008 at 5:49 AM
posted by: Midori_K
If I didnt have 3 already, I would take that little one in an instant. Adorable!
September 10, 2008 at 1:02 PM
posted by: missydog
Absolutely adorable! With her beautiful markings, I think she will be
adopted as soon as she is available. I don't envy you going to animal
control; most of them here are a chamber of horrors and no amount of
publicity seems to help. They will be the last to adopt a no kill
philosophy.
Happy Belated BIrthday! Hope this is a great year for you and the cats.
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...All Ye Who Enter Here.
September 12, 2008 : 3:15 AM
The meeting with the city office in the morning went well. The topic
was just registering our group as "Volunteers who are working to make
our city beautiful." There was recently a well reported local case
where a man burned down his neighbor's doghouse over a dispute about
their cat pooping in his garden. Nobody (animal or human) ended up
being hurt, but the fire department had to respond, and in a country
where many wooden, aging, buildings are so very close together, they
take fire very seriously. We have helped the animal control negotiate
and problem solve on conflicts over cat issues, so there wasn't really
a question about our usefulness to the city. There is also the fact
that, because of the 400 year anniversary of our castle, they are
highlighting a famous feudal lord from long ago, who also rescued cats,
and have made the symbol of our town a white cat in a samurai helmet. I
actually had to point out how appropriate the launching of the only
local cat rescue group (ever) is, at this time, as the connection had
never occurred to anyone! Some paperwork to do, but local animal
control is firmly in our corner, so I expect it will go smoothly.
After the meeting, we went out to visit the prefecture animal control
center, the only public facility where unwanted animals are re-homed or
destroyed. This is the place we need to work with, regardless of our
mutual reluctance to work together, if we really want to improve the
lives of animals in Shiga. To say that it wasn't as bad as I thought it
would be, doesn't say much. Images from what I did see, haunted me all
through last night, and into this morning. The center is located in the
countryside, and though the location is unfortunately near an
incinerator and recycling plant, there are lots of trees and they have
an enormous amount of land. As far as I could see, a very small portion
of it is used to shelter or re-home animals--we've re-homed nearly as
many cats as they have this year, using our tiny facility and a few
volunteers. Moreover, the kittens that we've re-homed are all spayed
and neutered, whereas none of theirs are. There is an information and
lecture center, which were empty on the day I visited, but I suppose
this may be used to educate the public about animal welfare. Puppies
are all successfully re-homed, adult dogs are rarely. Almost all cats
and kittens are destroyed everyday upon arrival, after pick up from
local centers throughout the prefecture. They had two cages with 4
kittens in each, on display, right next to 6 or so loudly barking adult
dogs, on chains. The kittens were understandably frantic with fear, and
though they were about 1 month old, the only food left in the cage was
large, dry kibble. I asked the workers several times if they couldn't
replace this with some canned food, but it didn't happen. I offered a
suggestion that they move the kittens a bit further away from the dogs,
to make them calmer and more appealing to adopters, and they said that
it was better for the kittens to "get used to" the dogs. When I asked
if I could take the kittens to our shelter, they firmly refused, saying
that they were not allowed to work with rescue groups at all. I had
brought a couple of toy mice as presents, and they accepted these, but
I was told they couldn't be given to the kittens. There were 5 other
adult cats kept elsewhere, 4 in a puppy play area, on leashes for
visitors to pet, and one in a cage near the 2 kitten cages. Puppies
were kept in cages, in a small shed like building. The grim building
used for gassing also housed the adult dogs waiting to be possibly
claimed by owners, tested for disease/temperament, and/or eventually
destroyed. The dogs were kept in very small cages, for their sizes, and
I didn't see any food or water dishes. There was a beautiful little
dachshund, crouched in the back of it's cage, shaking uncontrollably
from fear, and I again asked if I could take this dog out with me. No.
This was the only area which they did not allow me to take any
pictures, and the picture above is of the door to the building. I think
it says more about the place than any of the other pictures ever could.
How to extend the hand of partnership towards leaders who seem to have
little desire or concern in improving standards of animal welfare? How
not to dismiss them as entirely unable to listen to reason or accept
the possibility of change? My talk with the manager there had me asking
him just how he planned to reduce the number of animals destroyed by
50%, as mandated by the federal government, and he said they didn't
have a plan. Ah, then, magic. It's inventive, don't get me wrong, but
have they considered seeking outside opinions?! It all comes back to
the fact that they are the ones in charge, and we must find the most
reasonable officials within their ranks to continue to chip away at the
status quo. We have a great friend in our local official, and she is a
pioneer for change. So, we start with our city, working together, and
we spread outwards and upwards. We try to make our public comments (my
blog, being semi-private!) as unrancorous as possible, rather than
saying what we really think (what kind of sociopath crams a dog into a
cage not big enough for it to fully stand up in, expecting it to live
there for a week, or longer!). And we remember that their history of
involvement with rescue groups includes wildly unreasonable demands to
end all animal destruction, and flat out financial fraud. Then we make
ourselves useful, necessary, and a friend to the public which pays
their salary. If you're reading this tonight, send a little prayer out
for the animals at the center in Shiga. Whatever we can do, it won't be
too soon.
Comments
September 23, 2008 at 9:27 AM
posted by: hellokitty
Curse them!!
Government control is all that matter in this society. Once the
authorities change, the public will follow. Kudos to you guys for
facing those cold hearted people head on. We, I, will support you in
anyway possible.
Congratulations on the merits as a volunteer group! That's a big step and it deserves a lot of attention!!
This article that you wrote ought to be in the papers.
September 12, 2008 at 7:50 AM
posted by: japancatnet
The Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kobe government animal control centers all
work very successfully with rescue groups, and Miyazaki ken just let an
NPO open a shelter within their facility. I think Shiga ken, Kyoto, and
Osaka have decided that interacting with volunteers will make their
centers more accountable, when it comes to the standard of care, and
they find the idea troublesome. Their official excuse is that some
groups have proven to be disreputable, so they cannot work with any.
Easily solved with regulations regarding the groups they can work with,
and a group registration system. They seem to believe that the public
will accept them regularly killing animals rather than working with
rescue groups who could re-home them--I think we need the public to at
least demand that animal control stop wasting tax money by turning down
free assistance.
September 12, 2008 at 5:48 AM
posted by: Midori_K
I saw that samurai cat on TV the other night. I didnt know that there was a famous feudal lord who rescued cats! Thats cool.
I cant understand why that animal control center wouldnt give you those
kittens. I mean, it shouldnt matter if you're a rescue group or not -
you'd be doing them a favor by taking the animals off their hands, dont
you think?
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Mild and sunny Saturday
September 13, 2008 : 10:27 AM
Rice harvest time, so the fields surrounding us are humming with
harvesters. The weather has been that perfect temperature, and sunny,
that only happens for a short time before the seasons change. So, I'm
enjoying riding my bike to the store, along our pretty little river.
After classes, we got a late night call from a local lady interested in
cats. She'd just seen a kitten hanging around near the road in front of
our station, and was worried that the location made it easy to be hit
by a car. We went out and picked it up--very friendly, probably
recently abandoned there. We've spayed and neutered all wandering cats
in our area, but know that there is a guy who has a cat he refuses to
spay, and figure we've had to pick up several of the resulting kittens.
Haven't seen any recently, but we're concerned this may be one.
The little Ewok is loving hanging out with her new family of kittens
and wild mom. We've started letting all of them out of their cage for
some playtime during the day--a little worried at first about getting
mom back in the cage, but she just hides out for a little while and
then returns to the cage with the kittens on her own. The 3 little
calicoes are quite a sight scurrying around with their little Ewok
friend! A couple is visiting to look at kittens tomorrow afternoon, but
all of these are too small to go anywhere yet, and we've been keeping
them upstairs in our bedroom for the time being. Hoping Judy might
spark some interest, as she hasn't been too happy about coming back
from her foster home. The Cure's Love Cats is playing on the stereo
now, and the kitties are running around to the music! I really cannot
watch that without smiling and thinking there is something right with
the world, in our little corner, tonight...
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Catching up
September 16, 2008 : 9:54 PM
Sunday Michelle went to a new home. She's a cute dark Tabby, very
friendly, and one of the Monkeys. The people who adopted her were
really nice, and I'm so happy that another kitten has gone to a great
home! Takako and I went to ARK on Monday to see Elizabeth and pick up
some supplies. Susan Mercer and her husband Hitoshi were also there, so
we all went out to dinner at Jolly Pasta. It was a nice evening of
catching up. Takako and I spent the night at ARK and she headed back at
5:00am with a full car, including passenger seat, so that she could
make it back in time to go to her job (and her part time job
afterward!). I don't know what we would do without Takako. She's always
willing to pitch in, and her easygoing mentality is a breath of fresh
air. I stayed and visited with Liz until 2:00, caught a ride with a new
staff member who lives in Shiga, and got back just in time for my
English classes. Lots of cute little puppies at ARK and some adorable
dachshunds that had come from an appalling breeder situation. All were
quite happy in their kennels outside, and the dachshunds seemed to
really enjoy the staff taking them for walks. The weather was lovely,
and I picked a huge bag of basil to bring back--Will be making a big
batch of pesto soon! Heard that we received a negative response from
Osaka government, but David's on it and I'm taking a break from
thinking about it today. I have cold symptoms this morning--I'm hoping
a morning of canceled classes, and staying in bed, will allow me to
bounce back so I can make it through classes this evening.
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The natives aren't the only ones getting restless
September 20, 2008 : 7:03 PM
The newest park bunch have tricked us into letting them live outside
their cage. We've had them in the bedroom, as the mother is feral (we
can't release her due to continued safety issues in the park), and we
thought the kitten room would be too stressful for her. While letting
the kittens run around a bit, the mom got out and the next thing we
know, the entire brood has moved their base to behind a bookcase. Under
better circumstances, we might have tried to relocate them back to the
cage, but we've been so busy this week. The kittens pop out for a
little play with us, but 3 are still less than friendly. Ewok will be
going to An's soon, which will do her wonders--An's well socialized
kittens have gotten a firm seal of approval from adopters! The mom has
started venturing out and then scrambling back as soon as she detects
any movement from us. Will have to tackle what to do with her, soon.
We'd have much better luck socializing the kittens without her present,
and Ideally they'd go to a foster situation with more time for that
kind of work.
Have guests coming to the shelter today, so up early. Have also had a
big escape from the veranda, and it looks like it's getting ready to
storm, so it should be one wild morning!
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Diplomacy is always having to say you're sorry...
September 26, 2008 : 10:32 AM
Spent the last several days trying to iron out a solution to a big
difference of opinion among the groups involved with the park project.
If it was the only problem David and I were facing, it might be easier
to ignore statements from volunteers, like "if you don't like the way
things work here, why don't you go back to America!" But we're also
dealing with the typical everyday shelter issues of illness, death,
repair, rescue...the list goes on and on. Actually, if we did things
the way they usually work here, there would be no shelter, as there are
so few operating in the entire country. I don't want to be the group
that stubbornly refuses to consider other options, but I don't want to
be the group that tosses out core values, when they become
inconvenient, either. It's hard to say where we go from here, on this
project, but it relieves me to know that our local animal control
contact shares our views on changing the system. Change is bound to be
disturbing to some, so I think we have our work cut out for us!
Speaking of change...we're finally getting ready to build the new
kitten run, and it's really going to be much better than we'd planned.
The director of a building company offered to supply materials and
labor, and he's already built a fantastic enclosure for his own cats
(above photo), so we're very excited. David has spent the last week
tearing out trees, bushes and rocks from the building area, and it
looks pretty bare in front of the kitten room. I can't wait for the
kittens to have a nice space to run around in, rather than spending
most of the days in their cages. We're also looking at planning some
adoption events out in Tokyo, with hopes of improving our rate of
adoptions by getting the kittens in the eyes and hands of the public.
It's a long way to go, but we've found some really good homes out that
way, so it may be worth it.
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Social butterflies, we're not
September 28, 2008 : 1:41 PM
Spent most of yesterday preparing for my classes and then teaching
them. It's my busiest day, with around 65 students, so I don't usually
get much else done. Evening had us hunting down more receipts for our
financial report. A volunteer has taken over going through all of the
receipts from 2008 and sorting shelter expenses, in preparation for our
NPO registration with the prefecture. A slightly embarrassing bundle of
papers to eventually pass on to the accountant, making us wonder if we
need to explain that our office does have clients who sometimes pee on
things...
Today, David kept up the grueling work of clearing and leveling the
building site, which isn't large, but still full of roots, rocks, and
piles of dirt. Takako and her coworker (our newest volunteer) came out
to help by moving branches out to a community compost area, shoveling
dirt, and transporting large rocks. I got out of the hard stuff due to
a meeting with volunteers about an upcoming event, featuring our local
cat celebrity, Hikonyan. We'll have a table at the event, with posters,
information, and Tshirts--we're hoping that locals make the connection
between Hikonyan and cat rescue.
The wild bunch (they remain nameless!) are enjoying their life of
freedom/Hide-and-don't-seek. They've taken over the desk chair, and if
I approach quietly enough I can reach down and scratch a couple of
bellies. One little calico has decided that we are not to be feared,
and boldly runs right up to us. The others still hang back, and the
mother remains out of sight most of the time. Still holding out hope we
can move the kittens to foster care and mom outside, as we haven't had
the time to make much progress ourselves, on the socialization front...
Comments
September 29, 2008 at 5:03 PM
posted by: sharonstjoan
A delightful account! Many thanks!
September 29, 2008 at 5:03 PM
posted by: sharonstjoan
A delightful account! Many thanks!
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