The Oda family, which loves cats, has had a total of 9, and up to 5 at a time
Oda-san, it seems that your parents have always had cats. How many did you have?
When I was born we had 2, then 3 more, but one lived outside. She was more comfortable there, so she became our outdoors cat. Then, another one came to our house, and we again had 5. Then, 3 of them died, but we got 3 more. Then, 2 of them died, so now there are 3. There are always 2-5 cats in the house.
Thanks for the Oda family cat history lesson (laughs). I also have 5 shelter cats, so I understand. It's a lot of work with all the nail trimming, shedding, and toilet cleaning.
They're a lot of work, not just cute. With 5 of them, it's just crazy.
They're all shelter cats, right?
That's right. They were homeless or abandoned cats. The truth is that we just wanted to have more kittens. The first two we had were kittens, which grew up with me when I was little, so I don't remember much about them. At the time, we were planning to get another cat, but we found 2 that were very close to each other, so we decided to keep both of them. And then, there was a male calico cat, from a house that had too many cats, so we had to take him in as well.
Male calico cats are rare.
It seems so. They are very rare, and very expensive. We took him in so that we could find a good owner.
"Milk volunteering" began during the lockdown
Last year, you mentioned on your blog that you were a "milk volunteer".
We only take care of them while they need milk, and return them to the Non-Profit when they can eat baby food, and learn to use the toilet. We were trying to help out, but right now we don't have any, just our own cats.
What made you get involved with "milk volunteering"?
There is this person who acts as an intermediary between the Non-Profit and people who can't keep their cats. That person was taking care of shelter cats, but there were too many during the lockdown, so we decided to help out.
On your blog last year you said that you kept 29 cats. That's a lot, right?
It's a lot of work, but we didn't have them all at the same time. It was the first time we were doing it, so at first we took 5 that were in good health, and when we returned them, we got other ones. Last year during the lockdown I was able to do it because I had a lot of free time, but I would like to continue doing it in the future if possible.
They're not just cute and tiny. What you need to think about when you get a cat
Oda-san, there were stories like yours, of people who started to "milk volunteer", but also stories of people who got pets during the lockdown because they were lonely, and ended up abandoning them because they couldn't take care of them. What would you like to say to people who are thinking of getting a pet?
Kittens and puppies are cute, but if you are thinking of getting one for that reason, it's probably better not to do it. I know it sounds harsh, but it's the same as saying "I'm sorry for them, but they have nowhere to go". If you don't know how hard it is to have a pet, please consider seriously whether you can take care of it properly.
I sometimes show pictures of kittens to friends or coworkers and when I do, they say: "So cute!" When I hear that, I give a lot of thought to what I should do. I must find owners who can really take care of them, because "cute", simply isn't enough. Even if they tell me that they can take care of them, and already have pets, I am really worried. It's even more difficult if they have never had pets before...
If I can't tell whether someone can take care of a cat, I would rather not give it to them. If they can't take care of it, and return it, I will certainly take care of it, but in such a case, I would prefer that they never took it in the first place.
That's true for any pet, not just cats, right?
That's exactly right. Thanks to the increasing number of Non-Profits, the number of cats that end up at a shelter has gone down, but I would prefer if there were no homeless or abandoned animals.
What is your advice for people who are considering becoming "milk volunteers" in the future?
It's all about whether you can make sacrifices, you know? I was able to do it because my family could help, but if you live alone, you may have to cut back on your work hours. Early in a kitten's life, you must feed it every 2 hours, even in the middle of the night, and since it can't go to the bathroom by itself, you have to take care of it. It would be sad if you were so busy that you neglected the kitten. I want to give happiness to the cats I have the chance to meet.
I think it would be great if a "milk volunteer" has some knowledge about kittens, and also has family or friends that can help.
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