Category Archive

The following article is from the Japan Times. David and Susan are members of Angels with Fur. I hope that our group can help them with this important work.

The Japan Cat Network, a grassroots animal welfare group in Shiga Prefecture organized and run by David Wybenga and his wife, Susan Roberts, has put out a plea for help with its Hirakata City Project. Initially featured in The Japan Times on Jan. 26 of this year, the network was asked in March to check out a park near the city of Hirakata, located between Osaka and Kyoto.

The situation at Yamada-Ike Koen was dire, utterly shocking. More than 50 cats, in various stages of health and disease, were found roaming the park. There were no signs of a TNR (trap, neuter, release)
program such as Japan Cat Network promotes, and none of the males appeared to be neutered. Two of the park cats were so ill that they had to be taken to a vet immediately.

In April, the group trapped 28 cats, most of them female, and had them neutered. More trapping is scheduled for this weekend and the following week. Wybenga calls the project “amazing”, one that he believes has the power “to change public perception in Kansai”. “Of all the projects I’ve been involved
in, this is the one to get behind.”

In the meantime, five kittens, then 2 weeks old, were found abandoned in a cardboard box in a park restroom. Two were already dead. Three survived and are thriving and being fed every four hours. This past Monday, four more kittens were found abandoned. One had already died. These kittens and others were all taken in.

“Busy and sleepy,” the Wybengas have their hands full. “Once we finish one round of feeding it’s almost time for the next.” And, with presently 11 kittens on the bottle, the network is out of money and in desperate need of help, but determined to keep the project going.

The group is in need of experienced kitten fosterers, loving adoptive homes, money and milk replacement powder (Esbilac for cats). Also, Wybenga says, “if someone is in the area and wants to
participate more directly, contact me.”

Contact info[AT]japancatnet.com by e-mail or check out the group’s homepage at http://www.japancatnet.com.

Esbilac can be sent to:
David Wybenga,
173 Inae,
Hikone, Shiga,
521-1125

Bolo is a 10-year-old golden retriever with a sad history, but one who has pulled through with a love of people that is, in its purity, almost heart-wrenching to see. Like some of the other animals featured here in the past, Bolo has special needs. These needs make him less likely to be adopted, even though he has a heart of gold and a personality to match. When Bolo was first rescued and brought to ARK, he was little more than skin and bone. The years of malnourishment caused him to develop a skin condition that still requires steroids and weekly bathing to keep in check. Still, though 10, Bolo is truly a puppy at heart. He loves to play with toys and run and tumble with people and there is no greater joy for him than being petted and having his tummy tickled. There is no greater joy perhaps other than finding someone to cherish him, someone to cherish him with a love that is more than skin deep.

(Photo by Kentaro Washi)

Interested in Adopting Bolo?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

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.

Lime, a wire-haired dachsund, was initially featured on March 3. It was to prove to be her lucky day, the day Jean Kawabe returned to Japan from the U.S. Staying at a Tokyo hotel, she picked up the paper. ‘‘There was something in her eyes,’’ Kawabe says of Lime. The Fukuoka resident called immediately to inquire about Lime, went to her foster home the next day and the adoption was settled. Lime is now happily ensconced in her new home, where she enjoys walks in the huge yard and basks in the luxury of baths. Lime has many friends, including Kawabe’s other dog and the housekeeper, with whom she has fallen in love. Unfortunately, Lime was not in the best of health. She had been forced by the breeder to produce continuous litters of puppies. Her heart was weakened and she had arthritis and other health concerns. Thanks to Kawabe, however, who is also president of the Ohori Lions Club and the Fukuoka chapter of Ikebana International, Lime has receieved the best possible care and her vet says she will live to a ripe old age. From The Japan Times and ARK, may we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jean Kawabe. Thank you so much for taking dear Lime into your loving home.

(Photo by Minako Sasaki)

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Neeta may look familiar to regular readers of this blog. Indeed, she is the sister of Tetta, a special-needs kitten who found a home in late February. As an abandoned kitten, Neeta, like her brother, suffered terribly from the cold and lack of food before being rescued. Their eyes were damaged, but both kittens, with medical attention, are showing great signs of improvement. Neeta, now 6 months old, has been very shy, but has finally come out of her shell. She is quite the friendly little soul and would surely make a lovely addition to a caring home. Neeta needs someone who can look beyond her foggy eyes and see the warm and curious nature of a gem of a kitten now ready to bravely explore her new world.

(Photo by Kyoko Harada)

Interested in Adopting Neeta?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Yuu’s story before he came to ARK eight months ago was not, to put it mildly, a pleasant one. Rescued from nothing less than a living hell at a breeder in Tokyo’s Itabashi, Yuu spent the first eight months of his life shut tightly in a wire cage. He was given food and water on occasion, not every day, and was surrounded by hunger-crazed dogs kept in conditions truly too horrid to describe here. Many of the dogs starved to death. Despite media attention and the local authorities’ awareness of the situation, it took eight years to remove the animals, so ineffective are Japan’s animal welfare laws. Yuu, now 18 months old, was among the few animals finally rescued, but the experience left its marks. His legs, deformed from the cage, were operated on successfully and he is able to walk. Incredibly timid, Yuu is nonetheless a gentle and fun-loving dog, but he is often terrified to go for walks. Ideally, a prospective owner would have a big garden where he could exercise and play. Yuu, the size of a very small German shepherd, is house-trained, patient and very quiet in the house. He needs someone to love and accept him as he is, someone who can help him quiet the demons of his past.

(Photo by Kyoko Harada)

Interested in Adopting Yuu?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Green-eyed lady Gigi could well be described as something of a sugar loaf, weighing in at a hefty 5 kg… not all muscle. Nonetheless, she is a stunning beauty. About 4 years old, Gigi has been at ARK for two years now, after being rudely ousted from her home when her former owner, keeping pets against the rules, was ‘‘outed.’’ Gigi is a princess currently living in far from palatial surroundings. Alas, she does her best to adapt and insists on taking afternoon naps in her favorite sleeping basket. She will give the shelter workers a friendly pat with her paw as they go about cleaning her kingdom, though it is not so much a playful pat as one that says ‘‘Good work, team. Don’t forget to clean in the corners.’’ Gigi is a sensual creature. She loves to (and lives to) eat, sleep, and play. A people lover, she’ll hop on your knee for a cuddle and purr. Gigi does get along well with other cats, but only those who totally understand that her favorite sleeping basket must absolutely be made available for her and her afternoon naps. No commoner, this friendly, companionable lady would be sure to (as the old song goes) help her new owner soothe ‘‘every wave that comes.’’

(Photo by Kyoko Harada)

Interested in Adopting Gigi?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

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.

Lan, a 10-year-old Shiba, was first featured in the Feb. 9 issue of The Japan Times. She, as most older animals are, was passed over at the ARK shelter for many long years until she was welcomed into the hearts and home of the Tange family. Above, Aya, 14, daughter of Denise Tange, chums with a very happy-looking Lan (now known as Lani) in her new Tokyo home. Lan is enjoying four walks a day and play sessions in the park. Still, she is always happy to return home. Says Denise, ‘‘She recognizes the house and whenever we come back from a walk and get near it, she wants to go back in. If I try to walk past, she stops and refuses to move.’’ Lan has also won hearts at the office, where Denise hopes to bring her twice a week. Duties will include ‘‘letting people pet her and give her snacks.’’ Well-behaved and kind-hearted, Lan is described as ‘‘perfectly balanced’’ with ‘‘a sense of humor.’’ Denise says, ‘‘We are thrilled to adopt her. We just want her to be as happy with us as we are with her.’’ The Japan Times and ARK extend heartfelt thanks to the Tanges for bringing love and comfort to a decidedly young-at-heart, very dear, old(er) dog.

(Photo by Denise Tange)

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

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.

Former ARK resident Haru, a wire-haired dachshund, was first featured in the Japan Times on December 29. He used to suffer from separation anxiety while at the shelter, but his anxious days are over now that he has found a boisterous and busy family — the Srirams in Tokyo. Above, Haru gets a double embrace by Gita Sriram and daughter Khushi, 7. Family helper Tutik looks on, while the youngest Sriram, 3-year-old Karishma, sizes up the photographer. It is Karishma who insists on bringing the wonderfully patient Haru to bed with her every night. “It’s hilarious to see their two heads on a pillow, sleeping nose to nose,” says Gita. Khushi “loves to carry him around like a baby and he doesn’t seem to mind.” Every day, Haru walks to Karishma’s school, where he receives lots of hugs and kisses from her classmates. The message from Gita: “Thank you so much for bringing him into our lives. He has been a fabulous addition to our family.” From ARK and the Japan Times with deepest gratitude: Thank you!

(Photo by Kyoko Harada)

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Did you know that cooking with Teflon pans might kill your bird? Or that the wrong flea medication can kill your cat? How about that raisin for your dog? Think again. March 21st-27th is National Pet Poison Prevention Week in the US. The ASPCA has a nice list of toxic houseplants to avoid.

In addition, Dr. Steven Hansen who is the manager of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is featured on the Pet Life Radio Program, Pet Peeves. His information is very interesting and informative. You can listen online or download to an MP3 player.

Boo us another of the ARK old-timers. He is 13 and has been at ARK for a very long time. There is a sadness about him. Naturally, he is cared for at the shelter but there is no joy in his life. For Boo, the greatest joy, even more than food or walks, is having his own person — something the shelter cannot give him. Boo’s original owner was a homeless person who had to give Boo and his siblings up. All but Boo found a home. A strong, healthy dog, Boo doesn’t pull on the leash and would be a perfect companion to an older person who loves to stroll but needs a gentle, older dog. Boo is fluffy like a teddy bear and needs his fur cut regularly, but he has an excellent reputation with the trimmers and is quite a handsome fellow. No innocent to life’s hardships, all Boo yearns for is one true friend to call his own.

(Photo by Kentaro Washi)

Interested in Adopting Boo?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Lime is a 9-year-old purebred wire-haired dachshund. Currently in a foster home in Tokyo, she is the mother of Haru featured earlier this year and now in a new home. When Lime first arrived at ARK, she had the habit of biting her back foot. She and her puppies had been kept in pens without walks and, though friendly, were suffering from a great deal of stress. Lime is a tiny dog. She doesn’t bark and is good with other dogs, but she does get tired and needs a space to simply go and rest sometimes. She still bites her foot occasionally when she gets tired or stressed but she never bites people or other dogs. The ARK staff members are hoping for a quiet home for Lime, one where this tired mother can just relax.

Interested in Adopting Lime

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver (read a Japan Times profile of Elizabeth). 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 supports stray and abandoned animals by editing and printing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. (Photo by Kyoko Harada)

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

I posted earlier about the ten commandments of dog ownership, but of course someone has also come up with the ten commandments for cat ownership. Not surprisingly, cats are a little more demanding.

1. I am the Lord of thy house.

2. Thou shall have no other pets before me.

3. Thou shalt not ever ignore me.

4. I shall ignore thou when I feel like it.

5. Thou shalt be grateful that I even give thou the time of day.

6. Remember my food dish and keep it full.

7. Thou shalt spend most of thy money on toys and gifts for me.

8. Thou shalt always have thy lap ready for me to curl up in.

9. Thou shalt shower me with love and attention upon demand.

10. Above all, thou shalt do anything and everything it takes to keep me happy.

There is a new movie out in Japan called 「犬と私の１０の約束」 (roughly translated as Ten Promises Between Me and My Dog). The movie is based on the Ten Commandments of Dog Ownership, which are as follows.

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Regular separation from you will be painful and can even cause depression. Think before you buy me.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me don’t be impatient, short-tempered or irritable.

3. Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back, respect is earned not given as some sort of inalienable right.

4. Don’t be angry with me for long, and don’t lock me up as punishment. I am not capable of understanding why I am being locked up. I only know I have been rejected. You have your work, entertainment and friends. I only have you.

5. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your tone. “You only have to look at my tail” to know that.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget, if that treatment is unjust or bad, it may spoil the special bond between us.

7. Please do not hit me. I cannot hit back, but I can bite and scratch and I don’t ever want to feel the need to do that.

8. Before you tell me off me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be wrong with me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food or I’ve been out in the sun too long, maybe my heart is getting old and weak, or maybe I’m just dog-tired.

9. Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old and will also want care, love, and affection.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, “I can’t bear to watch” or “Let it happen in my absence”. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, Irrespective of what you do I will always love you.

The movie, in 40 words or less: Fourteen-year-old Akari, who lives in Hokkaido, gets a dog and names him Socks. Akari’s mother tells her about the ten commandments of owning a dog. Akari and Socks grow up together.

What is the ideal location in your house, from a cat’s perspective?

In honour of the Day of the Cat (February 22: pronounced “nyan, nyan, nyan”), the What Japan Thinks blog translated a survey on your cat’s favourite places to be. I’m not really sure how they got the cats to answer the survey…

If you are like me, there are those nights when you come home after a long day of work and open the fridge to find nothing to eat. Too tired or too cold to go back out, what can you do? While there may be nothing for me to eat, there is never a shortage of dog food. I just grab some of theirs and I have a meal. If the thought of eating your pet’s food repulses you, then you might want to reconsider what you feed your pet. Last night my dogs ate grilled sardines, chicken, and beef (Tasmanian, of course-no BSE). This was topped with boiled sweet potatoes, cabbage and a dollop of yogurt. Delicious.

In March of 2007 there was a massive pet food recall in the US. This prompted many people to question what exactly is in their pet’s food. The answer might surprise you. In her book, Food Pets Die For, Ann Martin investigated the pet food industry and what she found is truly shocking. As she says in her introduction, she, “learned that there are many deplorable ingredients that can legally be used in pet foods as a source of protein- in particular, euthanized cats and dogs, diseased cattle and horses, roadkill, dead zoo animals, and meat not fit for human consumption.” Probably one of the most shocking aspects of the book is her investigation into how euthanized pets end up in pet food. As a child, I remember mom taking the dog to the vet because it was “time.” We never gave any thought to what happened to the euthanzied dog. Did the body of my beloved childhood Labrador become part of the meat meal for someone’s puppy? Quite possibly, yes.

The book is a fascinating read and an important one for any pet lover. Food Pets Die For is available in both English and Japanese from Amazon Japan.

Last summer, I volunteered at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah (USA). One of my tasks was dog walking. I had the chance to walk a few dogs that had been rescued from Hurricane Katrina. I can’t imagine being forced to leave my pets behind in the case of a natural disaster. Local governments here in Japan are always reminding people to have food and water on hand in an earthquake “kit.” However, I have never heard or seen any publications on how to prepare our pets for an emergency. The American Veterinary Medical Association has a nice brochure available online that has some very useful hints on how to prepare for a disaster. In particular, having a first aid kit specifically designed for your companion animal is a great idea since veterinary care may not be readily available.

AVMA’s brochure: Saving the Whole Family

The above is a new book to be published in March 2008. Written by Martha Sherrill, it tells the story of Morie Sawataishi and his life long devotion to saving the Akita dog. By the time Japan surrendered in 1945, there were only 16 Akitas left in the country. They were used by the military as either food or fur to line the vests of military jackets. It became Morie’s passion to save these dogs from an almost certain extinction. Today, Morie is 94 years old an still lives with his Akitas. According to the review in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of The Bark,

“In the old days of Japan, honoring the specific look or ‘breed’ was never part of the dog tradition. Spirit was the thing one hoped to keep alive.” Dog Man is a celebration of a man with spirit to spare, and of the dogs who marked and enriched his life.

Barnes and Noble offers a more in depth review here.

The book is available for preorders from Amazon Japan.

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!

>>FAQ: Travelling with Pets

I used to be a responsible dog owner. Every May the postcard from the vet would arrive reminding us it was time for annual vaccines. Off we would trot as soon as we got the card. We wouldn’t want the dog to catch any dangerous diseases. What exactly are annual vaccines anyway? With the exception of rabies (which I am NOT addressing here), can you name what is in the vaccine cocktail that your pet gets every year? Probably not.

Such was the case in May of 2006 when the postcard arrived reminding us it was time for Renga’s vaccines. Off we went. He got his rabies shot and his “annual” vaccines. The next day we noticed that the hair between his shoulders where the vet inserted the needle had turned purple. Not, the skin, the hair itself was purple. At first I thought the vet had jiggled the needle and caused a bruise. But as I said, the skin was normal. Anyway, it was odd and life went on.

At the end of July the groomer found a marble sized lump on the back of Renga’s leg. Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, we were off to the vet again. A biopsy revealed the worst. Lymphoma. We were devastated. When my eyes were dry enough, I spent every waking moment researching canine lymphoma. Somehow I’d hoped that I’d find a cure. The more I read and researched, the more the cure eluded me. However, a cause started to appear. Repeatedly in the literature I found things like, “pets are over vaccinated,” “over vaccination is killing our pets,” “over vaccinating is leading to cancers.” There it was: vaccines and cancers. I couldn’t help but think back to that purple vaccine day in May. Did one vaccine cause cancer, or was it the 10 years worth of vaccines that had finally worn out his immune system? On October 3rd, 2006, four and a half months after the vaccines, and 2 months after the initial lump was found, Renga died. The cancer won, but for me, the battle had just begun. I would never again give unnecessary vaccines to my pets.

Fast forward to today. I cannot prove that the vaccines caused Renga’s cancer. What I do know from my year and half of research on the topic is that they are now believed by many vets to be a leading cause of cancers and other diseases in pets. Two months ago I got yet another postcard reminding me it was time for vaccines for Agner (Renga spelled backwards!). At 16 months old, Agner had only been vaccinated twice. Puppies are normally given 3 sets of vaccines before 4 months old. He’d had the first set (parvo and distemper) before I got him. Not wanting any more vaccines than necessary for my dog, I refused to have three sets. I waited until he was around 14 weeks old and had the final set (parvo, distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza).

At one year dogs begin the cycle of “annual” vaccines. During my research I learned of a little word that just might be a lifesaver. A titer. A blood titer is when blood is drawn and tested to see if the animal has immunity to particular diseases. There is NO NEED for annual vaccines if your dog is already immune to the disease! I told my vet no vaccines. I wanted a titer done. Low and behold, the numbers astounded me. According to the lab, in order for a dog to be considered immune to distemper, he needed 640 or above. Agner’s result was 1280. For parvo he needed to be above 160. He was 640! Four times the amount necessary. In other words, he is completely protected from these diseases based on his vaccines as a puppy. There is absolutely NO NEED for him to be given an annual vaccine. And yet, the upsetting part, is that vets WANT to continue to vaccinate rather than titer! Had I still been a “responsible” pet owner, I would have just gone in and had my vaccines done and possibly killed another dog. I am now an informed pet owner.

I strongly suggest that you ask your vet for a titer rather than a vaccine. The company here in Japan (there might be others) is Marupi Life Tech in Osaka. It is actually in katakana. Ask your vet. Amazingly, they know the company but probably will not offer you a titer unless you ask. The vet will draw blood and send it to Marupi. About two weeks later you will have your results. Our vet charged 4,200 yen for this. Probably, about the same as annual vaccines, but certainly much cheaper than a cremation.

Sotai (操体) is a kind of holistic medical practice that involves keeping four things in balance (breathing, food, movement, and thoughts). You can read more about the concept of Sotai on the Teizan site. According to that website, “a cat is the master of Sotai” because she doesn’t just wake up and start moving, but rather starts slowly by stretching.

Just a little something for the many cat lovers here…

Very interesting feature on the “Beyond Tomorrow” show on Discovery Channel. Lots more information, but the basics are these…

A woman had a what appeared to be a normal mole on her leg. Her dog kept sniffing and then licking it with some urgency. She finally went to the doctor and it was found she had bladder cancer, for which she was treated.

In studies since then, dogs were trained to sniff out the urine samples donated by bladder cancer patients from among healthy urine samples. Their success rate was 42% — threefold compared to a simple guess rate of 14%.

After one dog repeatedly selected a sample that was thought to be healthy, it was found that its donor in fact had kidney cancer. The patient received surgery in time and survived.

One of the Aw/F members brought this to our attention recently:

Thanks to my new ipod, I recently discovered a program called Pet Life Radio. The programs are quite interesting and cover a wide variety of topics.

Anyway, tonight on the “vet” program there was a story about a company called Allerca making hypoallergenic cats. I personally, found the whole thing rather bizarre. The “top of the line” cat is not only hypoallergenic but is a mix of two exotic breeds. It only costs $28,000. He said many of the
cats, including the cheaper ones, are “sold out.” And dog lovers don’t worry. Apparently they are “making” hypoallergenic dogs for 2009.

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.

Read the full article at the Japan Times.

Did you enjoy the videos we posted of two chatty cats? The first two really do look like they’re conversing with each other. And most of the several other related videos are really great as well.

For me as one interested in languages, the neat thing was comparing the sounds that different cats made under the same situations. For example, most cats, when seeing a bird or similar object of prey, utter a kind of stuttering “meh-eh-eh-eh” sound. I think of it as meaning “prey” or, by extension, “food”.

And I’ve noticed that when cats are hungry and asking to be fed, they tend to consistently make a certain kind of sound.

I first noticed this with Mikan. When she was plainly asking for food, she’d ask (with a rising intonation), “Yow-WOW?” When she became old and had lost her upper canines [can felines have canine teeth?!], it sounded more like “Yah-RAHR?”

I am convinced that this “food” question is what a cat is actually saying when — to us — he/she seems to be saying “hello” (which they pronounce — if not as “yah-RAHR or yah-WOW” — as “ha-RO” or “ha-RAO”, like Japanese schoolchildren) — especially because, face it, a cat is MUCH more interested in enlisting the aid of a canopener-capable human than in the niceties of greetings.

While Mikan used “Yow-WOW?” and “Yah-RAHR?” to ask for dinner, Momo has always used “MEH-eh?” But both of the cats seemed to understand both “words”. You should have seen their faces the first time I repeated their words. Their spines stiffened, eyes rounded, and faces took on an expression of “Omigosh, our owner can actually speak comprehensibly! Humans may not be as dumb as we thought!”

Try it yourself: say these words, slowly and distinctly, to your cat and see if you don’t get the same astonished reaction!

In the first video Toby tipped us to, the two cats were talking about something called “ao-KEH”. The first speaker (the cat on the right) seems to be inquiring about the possibility of ao-KEH (whatever that is), and the other cat responds, using the same “word”; and they discuss the subject a bit. Somehow I don’t think ao-KEH is food (perhaps because desire for food seems always accompanied by urgency), but without further clues one can’t make much of a guess.

Momo watched this video several times, and many of the others. She seemed keenly interested in what the cats were saying in neko-go, as if she were following the thread of the conversation and comments.

She also gets absorbed in animal-related shows on TV. Tonight we watched “Garfield 2: A Tale of Two Kitties” together. (Great flick, by the way; good clean fun, interesting story line, fantastic animal handling and animation and computer graphics, plus very enjoyable voice overs by Bill Murray, Bob Hoskins, Tim Curry, others…)

Momo was quite intrigued by the wide variety of animals and birds (throwing in some MEH-ehs when the ducks and geese were on-screen). But I was very interested to note that when Garfield — a portly orange-tiger cat — was on-screen, Momo was riveted. Mikan was a Garfield-looking cat, and she and Momo lived together for almost 11 years.

When I’ve occasionally said to her, “Mikan?”, surprisingly Momo has gotten far more alert and questioning than when I use a cat-language food word. I think Momo is still wondering, sometimes, why Mikan isn’t here, where she has gone… We’ll have to wait until Rainbow Bridge to see her again.

(The suffix “-go” means “language” in Japanese, so the title of this post means “Cat language for beginners”.)

O’Malley’s story is one of incredible perseverance. On the streets of Nagoya, he cried for food for a week. No one took him in. One day, perhaps feeling he had but one chance left, he followed a woman up her apartment steps, walked straight through her front door and collapsed in an exhausted heap. He was skin and bones, dehydrated, his fur dirty and matted. Luckily, that person took pity on him. Since then, O’Malley, about 8 years old, has been cared for and grown into a beautiful cat, engaging and charming — a cat who will be sure to grow on you. (From the Japan Times weekly photo box)

Interested in Adopting O’Malley?

Please email ARK at tokyoark@arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

I understand the importance of genetic research, but I do wish we could learn about ourselves without inflicting harm on the animal world.

I mean, I understand that it is important for us to learn how to treat human genetic diseases, but when a side product of that research is glow-in-the-dark cats…

And the nature vs. nurture argument certainly bears investigation, but when that leads to fearless mice…

I suppose these are two examples where the animals themselves are not necessarily being harmed, but they still make me feel uneasy.

Yesterday, we posted an article about how a dog had kept a lost, elderly woman warm throughout the night. The link to the article on the Japan Today site included a number of readers’ comments which were, on the whole, dismaying, as many of them seemed to be more interested in trying to make cynical jokes (thus revealing their age, or rather, lack of it).

That’s really ironic, if you look at the etymology of “cynic.” (I’m an incurable etymologist!) Webster’s says: “a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.”

The American Heritage dictionary adds: “A person whose outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative.” (In my observation this is a style that often starts in the teenage years (especially with boys) as an attempt at building individuality. Unfortunately some people never grow out of it.)

The word “cynic” derives from the name of a fourth-century B.C.E. sect of Greek philosophers, the Cynics. They believed, according to Webster’s, “that virtue is the only good, that the essence of virtue is self-control, and that surrender to any external influence is beneath human dignity.” This sounds fairly reasonable (though the third principle sounds like it could verge on raw egotism; more about that later).

So how did “cynical” get its present meaning of “faultfinder”? That’s even more ironic, if a little obscure. The dictionary says that the Greek word kunikos, from which cynic comes, was originally an adjective meaning “doglike,” from kun, “dog.”

What’s the connection with dogs?? Apparently a well-known member was so disdainful of deferring to others’ views on personal behavior that he won a reputation of “acting like a dog” — and the nickname of “Dog” — by doing such things as barking in public, urinating on a table leg, and so on! (At least with real dogs that’s natural and has no ulterior meaning…)

The connotation of “faultfinder”, then, apparently came from the behavior of Cynics, who — naturally believing their _own_ actions virtuous — never hesitated to point out what they considered the faults of others.

So it’s ironic that these self-styled _cynics_ disdain this article about a virtuous _dog_ saving an old woman.

Another aspect of the dog’s role in this style of expression is found in the word “sarcasm”. It also derives from the Greek. (There used to be a saying, “The Greeks had a word for it,” and it seems they really did create a remarkable vocabulary that has persisted for millennia. How different the world would be now, if they’d had TV, iPods, and video games…)

“Sarcasm” is defined as “a cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound or make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.” (Note that many Japanese speakers — and others — use “cynical” when they really mean “ironic”. “Cynical” focuses on considering all [others'] actions to be selfishly motivated; “ironic” refers to incongruity between expected and actual; and “sarcastic” focuses on the desire to hurt others.)

In a dictionary I consulted many years ago, the root of “sarcasm” is the Greek “sarkazein”, which means “to tear the skin off in strips, like a dog.” So here we could say that by using sarcasm, the negative commenters on this article are themselves acting like dogs (the dark side of dogdom, that is).

One last note… Contributor “beelzebub” comments “that’s how Three Dog Night got their name.” I think he’s right (and possibly Australian; the two are not mutually exclusive [just kidding!]).

A couple of decades ago I went on a spree of reading books about “indigenous Australians” (formerly: “Aborigines”). Originally nomadic, these people kept dogs for hunting and as companions. Cold winter nights were described in terms of how many dogs you needed to have sleeping with you in order to keep warm; the highest number was three. (Evidently that night in Ibaraki was just a “one-dog night” — but cold enough, nonetheless.)

Researching this on the Internet, I found confirmation at the Wikipedia page devoted to the Los Angeles-based rock group Three Dog Night (maybe claiming to be “the coolest?). Their heyday was 1968-1975 but they are still touring, even this year. And from there, another link mentioned that Eskimos — or rather, Inuit peoples — also use this same index. All of which supports the idea of letting pets sleep on your bed.

And now it’s time to end this dogged pursuit of cynics and canines, and go feed Momo. Though only one cat, as “my futon ferret” she wriggles under the covers, doing her best to insulate against the winter chill.

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.)

Original

Translation

Regarding the Asahi Shinbum article about stray cats in the Yanaka area of Tokyo:

I believe it is wise to scrutinize these kind of stories a little heavier than the media would tend to.

There is a sociological term called “broken window syndrome” which states that “if disorder goes unchecked, a vicious cycle begins.”

If an area becomes known as a place where there are free-roaming cats, it will become known as a place to throw away cats. And with about 80% of the cats and dogs being killed by the authorities (Hokensho in Japan) actually being puppies and kittens surrendered by owners and irritated neighbors, that makes a lot of cats ready to be thrown away every day.

Among the top 10 most influential animal experiences I have had in Japan, (sometime ask me for the full list of ten) was encountering a woman in my town stuffing live kittens into a plastic bag in preparation for throwing into the river. According to her, this was a yearly neighborhood occurance, and sure enough when I first saw her, there were 2 other neighbors helping with the roundup. Local stray cats would have kittens in her shed and that was their way of keeping the issue at bay.

In any place where many cats are running around, allowed to breed unfettered, for the pleasure of some - there are also people tearing out their hair because of the bother, nuisance, smell, noise, food stealing behavior, or ghastly sight of the sick and dying. And a neighbor, or neighbors, may start to take the situation into hand.

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.

A concrete block is fun to rub against. (Try it sometime.) If you have outside animals they will rub against it and that will add to the cornucopia of smells you will let your cats tangle with. The texture is also great for them. If you have sick cats in your neighborhood, then cancel all this advise. You don’t want to import sneezes and eye infections.

To cats, smells are like going to an art museum, or better yet to see Pink Floyd the Wall. Look for ways to bring in interesting smells even if they will last for a short time. Sometimes we will take a big cardboard box, freshly picked up from the supermarket and sprinkle in mata tabi (Japanese cat nip). That is a nice toy for a couple days - then recycle it.

In our house, the cardboard scratching boards don’t last long. What we have done is wrap rope or twine around a wooden post. That allows them to scratch, and climb. Inside cats miss climbing. We also created runners so they cat actually run above my head.

For a more inspiring version check out the Cat’s House.

In general, l feel that letting cats go out greatly shortens their lifespan. (And worrying about why they didn’t come home will shorten yours.) The greatest danger seems to be cars. In spite of that, we do allow some of our cats to have an inside/outside life. We have some cats that were likely born outside and grew up outside. Though they have gotten friendly with us, even sleep on our bed sometimes, they have not tolerated inside life very well — or got along with other cats in an inside-only community. We felt our only choice was to allow them outside.

If your cat has not yet tasted the pleasure of the world beyond the genkan, I would not let them out. Instead, find ways to bring the outside in. Cut them some grass or green bamboo stalks and leaves. Watch them eat it up, and then likely vomit it out to clean their stomachs. Get a concrete block and leave it outside for a couple weeks. Bring it in, watch your cats sniff and rub against it. Give them a place in the sun or an open to air window to enjoy inside, that they can not escape from. If you have a veranda or a little garden space (lucky you!), look for ways to enclose it. You can give your kitties a little piece of paradise: include a dead tree to climb, remove dirt cause they will certainly do their business there.

If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments.

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.

Here is an excellent video (set to The Cure’s “Love Cats”, which if you squint your ears sounds just like “lolcats”) that will give you a sense of the lolcats phenomenon.

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!

Is this what mornings are like in your house? (<– Click to watch an animated video.)

My cat has a cat door and she always has dry food in her dish, so she is usually pretty good about letting me sleep in the mornings. However, occasionally, she will get it into her head that I need to be awake to witness her eating in the morning. In this case, her favourite tricks are:

1. Trying to pull down the kakejiku (hanging scroll) that is just above the head of my futon.
2. Knocking small objects off my desk or toiletry area.
3. Lying on my chest until it becomes difficult for me to breathe.

I think this is pretty standard cat behaviour. Does your cat have a special way of saying “good morning” to you?

Facebook is a social networking site where you can get in touch (and stay in touch — this being the key) with your friends. I have been amazed at how many long-lost friends I have found through Facebook. People from my elementary school whom I haven’t thought of in over 20 years — but remember fondly nonetheless — are getting in touch with me and letting me know how they turned out. It’s really fun.

Catbook is a Facebook application that lets you enter a profile for your pet and then let him or her make friends with other pets and humans. (Yes, there is also a Dogbook.)

This article explains the application and its history: Facebook with Whiskers

I showed Catbook to my own little feline friend but I confess that she has not shown any interest in the application just yet. Perhaps my explanation was somehow deficient.

I found this video about the funniest Japanese pets of 2004 when I was searching for something else. Japanese TV has all sorts of ranking shows, so I might be able to find other examples of this kind of thing if I dig around some more. It seems like this segment might be from a New Year’s special or something. (I tried to embed the video in this post, but it didn’t work, so please click on the above link to watch it.)

Here are the winners.

5. Tape Dog
4. Big Stick Dog
3. Sit-up Walrus
2. Dancing Cat
1. Floating Dog

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.)

In addition to its daily segment about dogs, Fuji TV runs a short segment about cats on Saturdays around 8:20am. The segment is called “doyoubi no nyanko”, or “Saturday’s Kitty”.

They also made a movie called “nyanko the movie” which was based on some of the cats that were featured in these segments. I would like to watch the movie, but I remember seeing a preview and thinking that I probably couldn’t make it through the sad parts (and since it is a movie about pets, I’m sure there are sad parts). If anyone has seen it, please tell us whether we should watch it!

Apparently neko nabes are quite popular in Japan these days.

Makes me want to go and buy a full-sized nabe for my little furball. (I’m sure she would probably prefer the small one even though there is no chance that she would fit. Ever notice how cats have difficulty admitting to their size?)

Fuji TV (known in Japanese as “Fuji Terebi”) has a short segment every morning introducing “Today’s Doggie” (kyou no wanko). The segment starts at 7:54am on weekdays and only lasts about one minute. They usually show the dog at home with its owners and tell you something special about the pet. Sometimes the stories are so touching they bring tears to your eyes, while others are quite funny.

On the website for the show, you can see today’s doggie and go back to see pictures and an introduction of doggies from past months.

I have heard that cats do not mind if their horizontal living space is small-ish as long they have a variety of vertical heights to choose from. Japanese houses and apartments are definitely on the small side, but you can compensate for the lack of horizontal space by making sure that your kitty has some good vertical space to play in.

One good way to provide vertical space, without taking up a lot of your own, much-needed horizontal space, is to install a cat tower. The only problem with cat towers is that they can cost a lot of money — usually more than 10,000 yen, which can be more than you might want to spend on vertical real estate for your feline friend.

If that is the case, you might want to have a look at the Cat’s Haven site which has a list of sites that will help you design and build your own cat tower (see the sites listed on the left-hand side of the page).

If you have succeeded in building your own cat tower, please tell us about it on our mailing list.

Have you heard about lolcats and the i can has cheezburger website? If you are looking for a way to waste a few minutes (or hours if you find that you like this kind of humour), hop on over to the site and browse a few days’ worth of pictures.

A “lolcat” is a picture of a cat with a caption on it saying what the cat is thinking or describing what is happening in the picture. (”LOL” is internet slang for “laughing out loud”.) The icanhascheezburger website is a place where you can share such pictures. You can read more about the genesis of this idea on their about page.

The cats use a special language in the pictures that has its own syntax. It might take a while for you to follow what is being said and find common patterns (e.g. ur = your, incorrect conjugation of verbs, etc.). If you like computer programming, you might find lolcode funny too.

(And if you like lolcats, you might want to try dogslol too!)