What a wonderful country
Unless you happen to be a child or an animal.
I still have 4 kittens, and it's breaking my heart. No one wants cats in this country, because in Japan, pets aren't a sentient beings, they aren't family members, they're fashion accessories. Pedigree dogs are immensely popular because you can dress them in ridiculous knitted jumpers and hair clips and parade them around the neighbourhood. Cats are more or less invisible. They're no good. Especially if they're not even pedigrees. Puppies in pet stores outnumber kittens at least 3 to 1; in some stores you'll only see 1 kitten to every dozen puppies. The one and only animal shelter in Kansai (founded and operated by gaijin, oddly enough) has adopted out over 2000 dogs in the last 8 years... and less than 600 cats.
I've asked everyone. I've emailed everyone in my phone book, I've spread the word through all my eikaiwa and community contacts, I've asked friends in other prefectures to ask around, because I'm willing to get on a shinkansen and take them to another ken if I have to. I've been told in no uncertain terms that I'm not allowed to advertise them to students - the school strongly advised me to cease any further mention of my 'situation' because I'm violating my contract and they don't want to be involved with it. The answer I get over and over is more advice on possible places to have them terminated. Because that's what you do, when you rescue near-dead kittens from under a bridge halfway across the country, bring them home, nurture them back to health, train them, feed them, clean them, clean up after them, and show them affection each day.
You're supposed to just take them somewhere and gas them.
People call this one of the world's most advanced nations, but its level of compassion for the weak and innocent is beyond medievil. I wish this were the worst thing I'd ever have to face in this place, but the spring evenings are getting quiet enough that I can hear children getting beaten by their parents in neighbouring apartments again. It all just makes me sick sometimes.
I still have 4 kittens, and it's breaking my heart. No one wants cats in this country, because in Japan, pets aren't a sentient beings, they aren't family members, they're fashion accessories. Pedigree dogs are immensely popular because you can dress them in ridiculous knitted jumpers and hair clips and parade them around the neighbourhood. Cats are more or less invisible. They're no good. Especially if they're not even pedigrees. Puppies in pet stores outnumber kittens at least 3 to 1; in some stores you'll only see 1 kitten to every dozen puppies. The one and only animal shelter in Kansai (founded and operated by gaijin, oddly enough) has adopted out over 2000 dogs in the last 8 years... and less than 600 cats.
I've asked everyone. I've emailed everyone in my phone book, I've spread the word through all my eikaiwa and community contacts, I've asked friends in other prefectures to ask around, because I'm willing to get on a shinkansen and take them to another ken if I have to. I've been told in no uncertain terms that I'm not allowed to advertise them to students - the school strongly advised me to cease any further mention of my 'situation' because I'm violating my contract and they don't want to be involved with it. The answer I get over and over is more advice on possible places to have them terminated. Because that's what you do, when you rescue near-dead kittens from under a bridge halfway across the country, bring them home, nurture them back to health, train them, feed them, clean them, clean up after them, and show them affection each day.
You're supposed to just take them somewhere and gas them.
People call this one of the world's most advanced nations, but its level of compassion for the weak and innocent is beyond medievil. I wish this were the worst thing I'd ever have to face in this place, but the spring evenings are getting quiet enough that I can hear children getting beaten by their parents in neighbouring apartments again. It all just makes me sick sometimes.