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Angels with Fur is trying to build up a list of “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) about pets in Japan. We’re starting off small, but hopefully we’ll be able to build up a good collection after a while. If you want to contribute questions or answers to the list, please contact us!
Our first FAQ is on a topic that affects a good majority of the people on the Aw/F mailing list: travelling with pets. Many of our members have travelled to and from Japan with pets, so they are a good source of information for this particular topic. We hope you find the FAQ useful!
Susan Mercer from Heart Tokushima wrote to us to let us know that they are making slow but steady progress with rescuing the dogs in Anan. She sent us pictures of three of the dogs that they have successfully rescued since we published the last post.
Aki
Natsu
Pichin
Please consider helping Heart Tokushima in any way that you can. See the original post for details on how to donate money or items.
The Japan Times and Tokyo ARK have given Angels with Fur kind permission to reprint notices regarding pet adoptions (see: potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site). In addition to requests for adoption, they also publish success stories about pets who find new homes. Here is the latest success story.
Sophia Maria Sugi holds Rum, first featured in the December 1 issue of the Japan Times. Sugi and her daughter Mariko were struck by the puppy’s photo, called ARK and came in to meet Rum, who had been abandoned in a park. The Sugis say their new pup is so full of life they are thinking of renaming her Rambo.
The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. (Photo by Mariko Sugi)
Interested in Adopting a Pet?
Many other cats and dogs are available for adoption. Please email ARK at tokyoark[AT]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English), 080-6517-8913 (Japanese) for more information. Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.
The Japan Times has done a great feature on Japan Cat Network, one of AwF’s greatest supporters.
For anyone who has wandered the streets of Japan, the sight of a woman carrying her designer-clad lapdog will be a familiar one.
Also familiar will be the sight of a dirty, scrawny cat, perhaps covered in bloody sores and missing clumps of fur, running for cover in the nearest nook or cranny.
It doesn’t take an animal lover to realize that cats are widely neglected in Japan, and foreigners here often wonder why that is and what is being done about it.
One of the Angels with Fur members pointed out a new device that is supposed to deter your cat from jumping.
Backyard Cat is a simple, safe & effective training system to teach your cat acceptable jumping behavior.
[...]
Backyard Cat works by disturbing your cat’s balance when attempting to jump. Backyard Cat takes the recreation out of jumping. The entire Backyard Cat device, including the cable, weighs about one pound.
This device is certain to be controversial. Cats don’t generally weigh that much, so forcing them to carry around a one-pound weight seems rather cruel. But others insist that it is better than the alternative of pet cats escaping their backyards and becoming lost or impounded.
The Wired Blog weighs in heavily against this method, but the comments show that not everyone agrees with their take. What do you think?
Susan Mercer, from Heart Tokushima asked Angels with Fur to post the following information.
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Two women in Anan (阿南), Tokushima kept 48 dogs tied up on the side of a mountain. The dogs were in poor health and the conditions that they were being kept in were not humane. The two women, both in their 50s, fed the dogs, but did not clean up their waste or attend to their medical needs. The women have now been asked to leave the property. What will happen to the dogs?
HEART, a nonprofit animal protection organization in Tokushima Prefecture run by Susan Mercer, has been informed of the situation and is trying to deal with this case. On November 26, 2007, HEART members visited the home and were able to take custody of two puppies and one adult dog. The adult dog was given immediate medical attention, and it was found that she had an advanced case of heartworm (filaria). While she received treatment (3 litres of abdominal fluid were drained from her abdomen), she may still have to be euthanized due to the severity of her case. Heartworm is an infectious disease and the dogs who remain in the care of the two women are highly susceptible to contracting it. The women did not inoculate the dogs against heartworm or rabies, despite their obligation to do so under the Rabies Prevention Law.
The women are reportedly reluctant to give up the animals, but HEART is trying to find a way to solve this situation. Since they found out about the problem in November, they have rescued ten dogs and obtained land on which they can shelter the rest of the dogs. Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK) has offered to help them construct a building that would be big enough to house so many animals.
HEART needs our help to fix this situation. They are accepting donations of money and/or items and would be very grateful for our immediate help in this matter as the dogs need to be taken out of their current environment and given treatment against heartworm as soon as possible. (Heartworm is highly contagious so the other dogs have a very high chance of having contracted it. However, it is treatable, and the earlier they treat it, the better the chance of recovery.)
Here’s how we can help:
Donating Money
Donations in Japan
Transfer your donation to:
Account name: Anan Dogs Rescue Fund
Account number: 1162690
Bank: Awa Bank, Ihoku branch
Donations from Outside Japan
Send donations to our PayPal account:
susan@heart-tokushima.com
Or send a Japanese money order or international money order
Donating Items
HEART can make use of any of the following items.
dog food, stainless food bowls, blankets, collars, leads, grooming brushes, vinyl poop bags, dog muzzles, bleach, yard brushes, metal buckets, antiseptic soap, sponges, wash clothes, towels
If you can donate any of these items, please call HEART at 088-635-5558 or email susan[AT]heart-tokushima.com to arrange for drop off or pick up.
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Read more about this issue:
New Year Dog Party, a festive treat for canines and canine-lovers, will be held at Tokyo Big Sight on Jan. 12 and 13.
The “party” consists of various events, including a fashion show of dogs and their owners like those held annually in New York since 2006 as “Pet Fashion Week NY.” This is the first time such an event will have been staged in Japan.
Here is a short news story about a cat in Canada who went for an unintentional Christmas road trip.
A cat that stowed away inside a transport truck during a run from New Brunswick to central Newfoundland is headed back home. The cat - nicknamed “Trucker” by staff at the SPCA shelter in Gander - had hitched a ride with an unsuspecting truck driver two weeks ago. The driver took the cat to the SPCA in the town after discovering the animal among his cargo.
Have you heard of Animal Wellness magazine? Their delivered subscription is quite expensive for overseas, around US$75 or so. However, their digital subscription is only US$14.95 for 6 issues (published bimonthly). You get the same magazine in digital format. Apparently, it is quite a good magazine if you are interested in holistic approaches, home prepared food, and what not.
Here is a heartwarming story, if ever there was one! A 73-year-old Japanese woman who went missing from her home in Ibaraki Prefecture made it through a freezing cold night with the help of a lost dog.
She is believed to have stayed outside overnight with the dog. “Her life was probably saved by the body heat of the dog,” a police officer said, pointing out that she was wearing only a thin sweater and a jacket. According to a local meteorological observatory, the lowest temperature Wednesday night around the area plunged into the sub-zero level. The male dog does not belong to the woman but seemed very attached to her, police said.
>>Read the rest of the article.
The dog, whose name is “Ushi” — which means “cow” in Japanese — has since been reunited with his owners. (See a picture of Ushi in this Japanese article.)
An Aw/F member found this article about lead in pet toys. She says:
I have been checking toys at stores here in a Japan and almost all are made in China. There is a Mr. Pet brand which seems to be affiliated with the US brands Kong and Nylabone. Both of those are made in the US. I also found one latex squeaky toy made in Spain and another made in Malaysia. All others are from China. I am referring to dog toys here because I don’t have any cats. I would love to know how we could have toys here tested for lead and other deadly chemicals.
Do any of our readers know how we can test pet toys for lead in Japan (or anywhere else)?
Original
Translation
This article describes a part of Tokyo where cats seem to rule.
Yanaka, a shitamachi (old downtown) area that retains the atmosphere of the Edo Period (1603-1867), is known for its cats.
As the sun sets in the west, cats seem to materialize from nowhere and gather around (1) Yuyake Dandan steps, which descend from near JR Nippori Station to the Yanaka Ginza shopping street.
In nearby alleys, even more cats roam around. The area also boasts quite a few places related to cats and shops that have adopted cat motifs. This is a place where cats and people live together. Welcome to the “town of cats.”
>>Read the rest of the article: Weekend Beat: Fans of felines find Tokyo’s Yanaka area the purr-fect place to visit
It would be interesting to find out if the cats in the area are being cared for properly. David, from Japan Cat Network voiced his concern when he read this article:
It may be cute and all that but sounds more like loads of cats running around reproducing out of control and not really looked after. Not spayed or neutered, not vaccinated, not de-wormed. No reasonable diet, no shelter from the elements. Since Japan is a country where un-neuterd cats are quite likely to encounter FIV-AIDS, then that is another concern. I’d feel quite a bit different if there was a group there making sure a humane situation existed for the animals but since it is not mentioned in the article, and such groups are so rare anyways, I would assume most of these cats are on their own. Come spring they must have a real explosion of kittens born, likely to die right out there on the street.
This is indeed a concern. I wonder if someone who has visited the area or who lives around there might be able to give us some insight. Are these cats being taken care of, or are they just left to fend for themselves and reproduce wildly? Are the people in the area aware of the dangers of FIV-AIDS? Does the neighbourhood collect money to spend on the medical needs of the cats? Please report in the comments if you have any information on this topic.
Also, it would be nice to know that the cats who are “working” at the cafes and other establishments are being treated well. Has anyone been to one of the cafes? Some cats can’t get enough attention, so this kind of arrangement might seem like heaven to them, but other cats prefer to be left on their own. Is it clear that the cats in the cafes are happy?
This is not the happiest of topics, but it came up recently on the Angels with Fur website, so I thought I would mention it here for future reference.
What should you do if you happen upon a dead animal in a public place in Japan?
I don’t profess to be an expert on this subject, but my best guess would be:
(1) If the animal looks like someone’s pet, try to locate the owner.
(2) If you can’t find the owner, contact the section in your city hall that deals with garbage.
The rules about how to deal with dead animals differ according to local bylaws, but the garbage section of your city (town, village) hall is probably the best place to start.
Here’s hoping you never have to use this information…
Earlier, we told you about The Cat Who Covered The World. Now you can also read about The Cat Who Went to Paris. If you search for the author, Peter Gethers, you will be able to see other books that he has written about his cat, Norton.
I have never brushed my cat’s teeth (I’m pretty sure she would be rather vocal in her displeasure should I try), but I hear that it is a popular thing to do these days. If you brush your pet’s teeth with PetEdge toothpaste, please read the following article regarding a recall.
One of our members recommends the book The Cat Who Covered The World: The Adventures Of Henrietta And Her Foreign Correspondent. (Also available through Amazon.co.jp)
From the Amazon review:
Christopher Wren belonged to Henrietta the cat, and Christopher Wren travels far and wide in his work as a foreign news correspondent. Of course Henrietta insisted on being brought along to Moscow, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and all the other cities the Wrens visited. And of course Henrietta got into all sorts of scrapes — cats can cause enough trouble right in their own living rooms! The Cat Who Covered the World is a tremendously entertaining memoir and travelogue, covering 17 years in the life of a busy cat and her accommodating family.
Many cities and towns in Japan have a policy of subsidizing the costs of having cats and dogs spayed or neutered. The city often sets aside a certain amount of money for this sort of subsidization per year and then when the money runs out, they stop providing the subsidies. If your pet needs this kind of operation, be sure to contact your city government to find out if it offers something like this. Also, you might want to do it earlier in the fiscal year (in the months following April) rather than later so that you have a chance of benefiting from the subsidy.
Here is an example of one such program in Adachi-ku, Tokyo. (It is the latest post on the page, so it is currently right at the bottom. If you can’t find it, use the “search” function in your browser to find occurrences of “Adachi-ku”.)
I know that Tsukuba, Ibaraki also offers this kind of subsidy, but I recently read that the funding is running out for this year, so if you want to take advantage of this program, contact the City Hall soon!
Here is a recommendation for a veterinarian in Osaka.
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Fabre Doubutsu Iryou Center
Osaka-fu, Kadoma-shi, Minami Noguchi-machi 512-3
Tel: 072-887-2525
ファーブル動物医療センター
大阪府門真市南野口町512-3
Comment from Aw/F member:
It’s difficult to access without a car, but not impossible, depending on what kind of animal you’re bringing! The best thing is that they are open on weekends and holidays. All the doctors I met were very friendly, wonderful with the animals, and tried their best to communicate with me with my limited medical Japanese. One of the doctors works at ARK, so I think that’s a decent recommendation too.
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Any others to recommend in Osaka or other areas of Japan? Please list them in the comments or post to our mailing list.
Here is a recommendation for a veterinarian in Nagoya.
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Morimura Animal Hospital
Aichi-ken, Nagoya-shi, Kita-ku, Kaneshiro 2-2-2
Tel: 052-982-2790
森村動物病院 = morimura doubutsu byouin
愛知県名古屋市北区金城2-2-2
Comment from Aw/F member:
He is really good at explaining things in English.
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Any others to recommend in Nagoya or other areas of Japan? Please list them in the comments or post to our mailing list.
When I was out shopping this weekend, I noticed that poinsettia season has begun in stores in Japan. (Sales of Christmas-related things seem to start earlier and earlier every year. Hallowe’en hasn’t even happened yet!) That reminded me of a topic that was covered on the Angels with Fur mailing list in December 2003: Are poinsettias poisonous to cats?
While some of the members thought that they were, the consensus was that they are not necessarily toxic, but they can be “highly irritating to the gastrointestinal tract” (see: My Cat Ate a Poinsettia, Now What?). The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals supports this position, as you can see in the Toxicology Brief they published in the November 2000 issue of Veterinary Technician (p.630) entitled Tis the Season to Be Informed: Toxic Potential of Holiday Plants (pdf). In the brief, the ASPCA suggests that your cat may exhibit “gastrointestinal (GI) irritation, including hypersalivation, vomiting, and diarrhea” after ingesting a poinsettia, but that you may be able to reduce the seriousness of the symptoms by giving the cat water or milk.
If your cat eats poinsettia leaves, keep a close eye on her and perhaps try to feed her some milk or water. If you are worried about her condition, take her to your vet to be sure that she is okay.
(Angels with Fur is not associated with any veterinarians, so the advice presented in this post should not be taken as official medical advice for your pet. Please consult your veterinarian if you have any questions regarding the content of this site.)
Angels with Fur is mainly concerned with animals in Japan, but since animal welfare is an issue that needs as much publicity as it can get, we will make exceptions in some cases. The issue below involves a shelter in Korea. If you can offer any advice, please join the Aw/F mailing list or leave your ideas in the comments.
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A local animal rescue group in Daejeon, Korea has been organizing regular visits to a dog shelter, which now has to close because of a zoning violation of some sort. Volunteers have been negotiating with the city for more time, but time is running out and the shelter is scheduled to close at the end of October. The animals who don’t find adoptive or foster homes will end up in pounds.
Can anyone help, or suggest possible solutions? There are some really good volunteers doing what they can by putting up posters, providing foster care and working with local vets - but they still need to find a lot more foster homes.
For more information, please see http://www.lonelylifetime.com. If you need details, contact Tim or Annie (whose contact information is provided at the site).
If you need someone to look after your pet, or if you are willing to look after other people’s pets, please see the “Pets and Pet-sitting: wanted/available” in the Classifieds section of the Japan With Kids forum. It may be difficult to find a sitter outside of the Tokyo region, but it is worth a try!
Travelling with pets can be stressful — although I often think that the owners suffer more stress than the animals (at least that is the case when I travel with my cat). If you are flying out of Narita with your pet and need a pet-friendly place to stay, you might want to consider the Hilton Narita. It is a bit pricey, but you will probably sleep a lot better with your pet beside you before a long trip.
From the Angels With Fur mailing list:
We stayed at the Hilton Narita on our way back to North America this sumnmer and we had a great stay with our little dog. He was provided a little cage with pet sheets, a free bottle of dog cologne, and we were all welcomed there. It made our trip back a lot less stressful as the dog was also traveling the next day and having that time to play and relax the night before was essential before being cooped up for 12 hours on the plane at our feet the next day, especially after a long shinkansen ride. We paid around 18,000 yen for the room, I think, but it included the shuttle to the airport.
Welcome to the Angels with Fur website. Angels with Fur is a mailing list for animal-lovers in Japan, and this website exists to store information that is generated by the mailing list in an easy-to-access way. We hope that this site will serve to enhance the Aw/F community and provide a valuable service to others who have pets or who are thinking of adopting pets in Japan.
We are just getting started, so it might take us a while to decide how to run the site, but we hope you will stick around to find out how it all turns out!
If you would like to join the Angels with Fur Mailing List, please see the instructions about how to join.
If you are interested in contributing to this website, please contact us.
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