Japan’s animal protection organization recently received a request for help from the police station. There were about 80 cats in a private house waiting to be rescued.
The reason was that the neighbor of this house had smelled a very unpleasant smell for a long time and couldn't stand it anymore so he called the police. When the police arrived, they were shocked by what they saw. After opening the door, I was greeted by a super unpleasant smell. What surprised them even more was that the whole house was full of cats walking around. These cats stood next to each other like freshly sprouted mung bean sprouts. The floor in the house was also very dirty, with cat hair and excrement everywhere. The police were helpless and couldn't take the kitten into the police station. They had no choice but to contact the local animal protection department.
At the beginning of the period, the staff of the protection department heard wrongly. Normal people's houses cannot accommodate so many cats. When they came over and saw what was in the house, they were also surprised. They wondered why the family kept so many cats. With so many cats in a small space, problems can easily occur, such as spreading diseases, fighting, etc. The hostess of this house (her cultural name is Mikoto) finally gave the answer.
Meiqin's family of four originally lived in this four-bedroom apartment. Six years ago, their daughter Shizuka picked up two cats, a male and a female, on the road. The two little guys were very lively and cute, and they quickly integrated into this family of four. The originally quiet and rigid family atmosphere became relaxed and happy with the arrival of these two cats.
A year later, two big cats mated and gave birth to two kittens, one male and one female. There were four cats at the time. The son also mentioned neutering the cat, but both the daughter and the mother felt that the cat undergoing sterilization was pitiful, and since they were capable of raising four kittens, the operation was not completed in the end. In the third year, the female cat among the kittens became pregnant and gave birth to five kittens. So far, there are 9 cats in total, which is already a lot at this point. But even so, the family did not want to give the cat away or have it neutered, because they felt that the cat was their own family and they would feel uncomfortable giving the cat to others.
The year after that, three more female cats out of the nine cats became pregnant and gave birth to kittens. At this time, 15 more cats were added to the nine, reaching 24. After that, Mikoto's husband, Mr. Nakamura, also considered whether to sterilize these cats. But at that time, because Mr. Nakamura’s job was in crisis and his family’s income suddenly dropped, it would cost a lot of money to sterilize 24 cats. Mr. Nakamura finally gave up the idea. The cost of sterilizing cats in Japan is about 30,000 yen (approximately RMB 1,800). The cost of sterilizing 24 cats is nearly 800,000 yen (approximately RMB 48,000), which puts a lot of pressure on this family. Over the next two years, the 24 cats gradually multiplied, eventually growing to 80. At this time, the Nakamura family spent about 80,000 yen (approximately RMB 4,800) per month on cat food for the cats. Ms. Mikoto said that she would never abandon these cute little guys no matter what.
Regarding the unpleasant smell reported by her neighbors, Ms. Mikoto said that she had cleaned the room at first, but then there were too many cats, which produced a lot of excrement and garbage every day. The cleaning speed could not match the cat’s excretion speed, so she simply stopped cleaning it.
There are currently four rooms in the house, three of which are occupied by Mr. Nakamura, Ms. Mikoto and their eldest daughter respectively. The remaining one room is for cats. The son lives in the living room, but the cats can also occupy the living room at any time. The son can only use partitions to separate a small space for his own use.
If it hadn’t been for the neighbor’s report this time, I don’t know how many cats in the Nakamura family would have continued to multiply. Japan has no relevant laws and regulations to punish this kind of behavior. But because the Nakamura family cannot afford to raise these cats, they also have no money to sterilize them. Personnel from the animal protection organization will take the cats away for sterilization. These cats will then be fostered at an animal rescue center, waiting to be adopted.
During the physical examination of these cats, doctors found that many cats had physical defects, which was closely related to inbreeding. In addition, because cats are not sterilized and vaccinated, many cats suffer from urinary tract stones, pyometra, dental calculus and other diseases. There are also several cats with megacolon syndrome. If these diseases are not treated, in the long run, they will pose a huge threat to the health of the cat and even cause death. Fortunately, the animal doctor helped these little guys with other treatments during the sterilization.
This example has sounded the alarm to many pet owners. Before raising a pet, the owner must consider various aspects of the pet he wants to raise, such as how much it will cost to raise such a pet, how much space is needed, whether it is necessary to take the pet for a walk, how old the pet may live, etc. In reality, many abandoned animals are caused by owners who after keeping them for a period of time find that keeping pets is different from what they imagined. They cannot tolerate certain behaviors of pets, so they simply abandon the pets.
In addition, the owner must also consider certain circumstances of his own, such as financial strength, living space, physical strength, etc. Certain large animals need a lot of living space, otherwise they are prone to illness or bad temper. Never keep a pet blindly out of curiosity. Also, unless the owner has a clear intention to breed, it is best to sterilize the pet as soon as possible. Neutering is not only for the health of the pet but also for the owner himself. In fact, raising animals is like raising children. If you choose it, you will be responsible for its life. Don’t be like the Nakamura couple in the article. They seem to have good intentions. In fact, blind breeding will only harm these little guys.