Comments | expatsjapan: Good, ethical pet stores in Japan?

serria in expatsjapan

Good, ethical pet stores in Japan?

Oct 27, 2011 21:28

I love animals, and always get really depressed when I go to Japanese pet shops. It's always really terrible to see how often they are kept in tiny cages where they can hardly move, and rarely even have a toy or two to keep them occupied. I only hope they all get adopted soon, but I still would rather not support chains that don't actually seem to ( Read more... )

tokyo, pets

Comments 21

shizuku_san October 28 2011, 00:16:32 UTC

I know someone with 2 ferrets living just outside of Tokyo, I will ask if it's ok to give you her contact info if you like.

serria October 28 2011, 05:41:08 UTC

That'd be nice! I don't want to bug anybody, though. I already know of a few pet shops that sell ferrets, I'm just not impressed with how the shops treat the animals in general and so want to find a more ethical alternative.

I'm thinking maybe I should look into finding a private breeder. I'm just hesitant because my Japanese isn't fluent and I'd hate to accidentally end up supporting someone even worse. I'd want a really good breeder who cares about animals more than money.

shizuku_san October 28 2011, 05:52:25 UTC

It's denkimouse

angelachibayuy October 28 2011, 22:30:05 UTC

There is a good foster network that is Japanese as well, http://www.satoya-boshu.net/ Only cats and dogs, but you might want to have a look. Most apartments allow NO pets even small animals so if it says there is a deposit for pets, that means ferrets too. Make sure you ask the place you are moving in what requires a deposit and let them know that you are interested in getting a pet if not now, then later. It is better to pay the deposit than get caught later and evicted ( ... )

serria October 30 2011, 12:18:40 UTC

Thanks for the link! I've heard of several seemingly good cat and dog shelters, so if I ever go that route that would be great ( ... )

djlosangeles October 30 2011, 09:07:11 UTC

I actually have a kitten we rescued that needs a home, if you are interested. She's about 8 weeks old and has just had her first vet appointment. But if you go for a cat, I really recommend going ahead and picking up two of the kittens you are feeding (cats do better in pairs and aren't as annoying to you because they're not lonely). As a previous commenter said, ferrets are going to require a deposit in most places the same as cats. A hamster might not, but I think anything bigger than that will.
Actually, I'm a bit worried about the kittens you are talking about. How many are there? Winter is about here, and it's pretty rough on cats outside.

serria October 30 2011, 12:25:54 UTC

Thanks for the offer! Though I can't adopt right now, because I haven't moved yet and am still finalizing all of that. :) I probably would just adopt one of the strays, though, if I do decide to get a cat. The reason I'm leaning toward a ferret though is because first, I thought that no deposit would be required because it's a small animal (though maybe they will require it anyway, as you said) and two, I can take the ferret for walks outside and I won't have to feel guilty keeping a cat in a small apartment. Not that the apartment I'm moving into is really tiny or anything, but I know how cats like space to roam ( ... )

djlosangeles October 30 2011, 23:43:01 UTC

Actually, I felt the same way about keeping cats inside all the time, so my pair are leash-trained and we go for walks frequently. They love going out and searching for bugs and such, and it gets me out of the house too. Because they get so much exercise, they're in good shape and the couple of times they managed to escape it was really easy to get them back because they already knew the area ( ... )

serria November 2 2011, 08:07:48 UTC

It's really awesome and refreshing to hear from you, and the way you treat your cats and are knowledgeable about different groups like that. I think it's wonderful that you leash trained yours and take them for walks. I grew up in the country (around farm fields and stuff, not dangerous wildlife areas) and the cats would always go outside. I literally cannot imagine keeping a cat in a small apartment for all its life!

I didn't know Japan had any TNR programs! I would love to support them, as well as the cats in my neighbood. Thanks for the links, I'll see if any of them can help.

Well, I've occasionally seen several small kittens. Here's the first one I ever saw, about a month ago:

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