Japan Cat Network

Nagoya-info took a trip into Shiga to speak with David Wybenga, one of the co-founders of the “Japan Cat Network”.  What was an enlightening experience, David spoke of his concerns, difficulties, visions and hopes for animal welfare in Japan.

David Wybenga co-founded the Japan Cat Network with Susan Roberts back in 1993 when they first came to Japan to teach English.  After successfully helping cats in their community through a TNR program (Trap,Neuter and Return) they expanded operations around their local area,  and in 2009 the registered JCN as an official NPO is Japan.

The Challenges

Of course things have not always been plain sailing for David and Susan. The whole idea of animal welfare in Japan is much less developed than that in the the U.S where the couple are from, so trying to change attitudes has been tough.

“Instead of grabbing buckets to catch the leaking water, why not find the tap and turn it off”

Challenging the way that people think about animal welfare in Japan is one of the main challenges JCN (The Japan Cat Network) face. Compared to thinking in The US and Europe, a less proactive approach is taken in Japan with society as a whole brushing the problem particularly of stray cats,  under the carpet.  Local groups of neighbours and good hearted individuals often work to feed and care for ‘ferel’ cats in the neighbourhood but the action often stops there.  This is by no means careless or detrimental to the situation but it only really scratches the surface of the problem. “Instead of grabbing buckets to catch the leaking water, why not find the tap and turn it off” – liking the attitudes of throwing help at the situation by not getting to the root causes.

It is because the number of strays need to be reduced and the only way to do this is an effective TNR program.  It would involved initially “Trapping” the cats; Next, having them spayed and neutered (operated to prevent them them from reproducing); and finally “Released” (If in good enough shape to be) back to the wild.  “It’s the kindest way to deal with the numbers” David repeats,  and this really is a fact.  In stopping cats from being able to reproduce, the numbers of strays would fall. It would alleviate the pain and struggle for feral cats living a short and rather dangerous existence on the streets and in turn give those who are trying their best to rescue and care for sick young cats, a much easier job.

As mentioned, the problems that exist are based around there being too many cats that continue to breed. Sadly, they suffer disease, often die young and almost always bring new lives into the world only to have then suffer exactly the same fate.

This is why reducing the number of cats could only lead to a reduction of suffering, in the simplest equation. As David mentioned said “spaying and neutering at a young age is the kindest thing you can do for the cat population here in Japan”.

The Difficluties

One of the key points that came up in our conversation was the issue of being allowed or not being allowed to keep pets in rented apartments. Very few places actually allow you keep a pet.  In the circumstances you are doing so and found out, you could be asked to leave the apartment for a breach of contract.  For many, the risk is simply too high and so end up giving up on the idea.  There are “pet OK” apartments and houses to rent but they are usually few and far between and 30-40% more expensive than an similar standard place that doesn’t allow pets.  This is one of the main causes for animals being left out in the trash, dumped off in parks or handed over to sanctuaries.

Due to the difficulties in actually having  a cat in your place, it’s doubly important to make sure all that can be done is done – Population control needs to be the main strategy for cat caring and support organisations and related groups in Japan.

The Tohoku Earthquake

The Tohoku Earthquake of March 11th this year caused 1000s of human lives to be lost but also had a huge effect on the animals that once resided in homes or on the streets of the affected prefectures.  For those who lost their lives and homes, there are abandoned pets whom cannot be cared for in the shelters.  There are those whose owners disappeared leaving them with no home and those badly injured during the ordeal and unable to be reunited with owners.  The situation has been dire for animals involved in the tragedy and JNT through the creation of JEARS (Japan Earthquake Rescue and Support) has been rescuing and re-homing up in the Tohoku region.

David said that operations in the affected area are going well but they really need support. How? 1) Spread the word 2) Volunteer 3) Donate! Click here to go to the Jears homepage with detailed advice for those wanting to help.

About the JCN

Japan Cat Network is a registered NPO dedicated to trap, neuter and return (TNR) as a means of helping Japan’s stray and abandoned cat population.

JCN was founded by Susan Roberts and David Wybenga, who have been living in Japan, teaching English, and helping cats since 1993. They started the group after having had success helping the cats in their own community through TNR, a method of population control in which stray cats are trapped for neutering and returned to the location. When they first arrived in town there were very sad cases of sick and dying cats, all over the community, and they found this completely intolerable. After researching, and deciding on TNR as the best plan, they got started. TNR has worked wonders in their community. The remaining cats are healthier, look better, are less annoying to neighbours, and are no longer reproducing. They realized that this could work all over Japan, and also thought how much easier it would have been to get started, if there had been a group to turn to for support. JCN is that group, and we’d like to help others who want to start TNR programs in their communities.

Learn more about what JCN do and how you yourself can help out. There is also a wealth of information on how the TNR program works. Check out the homepage

JCN’s work

JCN tries to answer questions about cat and kitten care, rescue, behavior management, and population control. We go out regularly to help people start TNR programs. Contact us if you need information or assistance helping cats in your community. We also run a small shelter to house, rehabilitate, and re-home cats or kittens in support of those working on active TNR projects.

Contact

JEARS Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/AnimalRescueJapan

JCN Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_56760414952

Click here to see an album of pictures taken at the Japan Cat Network