Pet Agreement For Houses (Becomes A Part: Fill & Download for Free

We trapped our most recent feral cat when she was 7 months old. Here’s how it happened.We had a sudden cat crisis. Our neighborhood association (in Japan) was ready to exterminate any strays that were in the area, plus there was a phenomenal winter snowstorm that was likely to kill any animals that our association missed.During that snowstorm, one particular stray/feral kitten showed up at our glass door crying for food and shivering. We didn’t know what to do. We weren’t allowed to have another cat per our lease agreement. Other than adoption, the only other way to do something for the kitten was to get her into a TNR program (trap, neuter, and release) but there was no time. We had no way to trap her and work with some rescue organization. Even if there was a way, the neighborhood association wouldn’t have respected it (one of the strays that was made to “disappear” was a TNR cat with an ear notch as proof).I couldn’t stand it. It was either take her in that very day or let her die. So to hell with my lease. If I got kicked out, so be it.I tricked her (using food) into coming inside and quickly shut the door behind her. She went nuts trying to escape, but I knew that this was the only way to save her (even if she didn’t see it that way). If we came anywhere near her, we were hissed at.A stray cat is not necessarily feral.I doubt that many stray cats are actually feral. A feral is one born in the wild and has never lived with humans. Many strays, on the other hand, were once house cats but were abandoned at some point. Strays will often let humans touch them. Ferals won’t. They have totally different instincts and are not domesticated the same way. Ours was a feral. So was her mother. Former house cats that were abandoned will accept being adopted in a heartbeat and love you for doing so. Ferals take more time and patience.Both ferals and abandoned house cats need our help and love, of course.Feral cat vs stray catBringing this terrified feral inside was only the beginning.Have we domesticated our feral cat? Not really. There is no such thing as a truly domesticated feral cat adopted much older than 8 weeks. They will almost always have a different instinct about something, either antisocial toward other animals or toward people, or both. And they may never lose their fear of humans and captivity. (Some kind, patient and insightful readers have said otherwise, which is encouraging. However it’s rare.)The older a feral cat is, the harder it is for them to adjust. Adopting a 7 month old feral cat as we did is about the same as adopting a 12 year old street kid, so you can imagine the bad attitudes that have already been learned.With their fear of humans, can an older feral still become a loving addition to the family? Definitely. Very definitely. Remember, they may be scared, but they still chose you. That means a lot. If you adopt a pet store cat, that cat never chose you.I agree with everything Nempie Blues wrote. Nempie Blues' answer to How do you domesticate a feral cat? It really takes time.Back to our particular feral kitten. I didn’t take her to the vet right away, since she was hiding behind the refrigerator and wanted nothing to do with us. She certainly wanted no part of a cat carrier. To her, we were predators (like everything she had experienced in her life, aside from her mother). I was hoping she would calm down with time. She didn’t. Once she went into heat, I had to do something.I finally chased her down to get her the help she needed. This was now a month after she initially came inside. Catching her was hard to do, as she already saw us as a threat. We couldn’t trick her. In hindsight, I wish I had known that a net was the way to do it. But we eventually succeeded and carried our terrified feral to the vet in a tiny cat carrier. I put antibiotic cream on my cuts and scratches.Our local vet sedated her, spayed her, gave her shots, a flea treatment, and meds for worms. When we picked her up two days later, I asked the vet how she had done. Not good, was the answer. She (the vet) said she (the cat) hated people, but encouraged us to be patient.We brought her back, named her Tiger and gave her some space.After three months in the household, Tiger finally let us touch her very tentatively. A breakthrough. She is still scared of her shadow and will run away and hide if approached, but it was a beginning.OK. Bottom line. Lessons learned.First, never ever force a cat to do anything. Don’t go to them (they will run away). When they are ready, they will come to you. The only things you can do to encourage them will be space, play, food and fresh water.I also think it’s great to talk to them every chance you get. Always speak softly and move slowly. The rest will just take time. It’s better to be around them and pretend to ignore them than to approach them, even with a toy.I have read that it’s best to prevent them from hiding. I disagree. They need to have a place where they feel safe. Respect their favorite hiding places and don’t try to dislodge them.Tiger’s favorite toys? A climber.A string toy.And a laser pointer (keep the light away from your pet’s eyes).Just remember that feral cats startle easily and are likely to be afraid of everything (that instinct kept them alive when outside). If you push them, it will take longer for them to learn trust.Tiger has now been with us for 6 months (after 7 months outdoors). She is getting chubby, has grown a huge amount, and is very affectionate about 10% of the time. She hides the other 90%. If the doorbell rings or a stranger comes inside, she will disappear. We still can’t pick her up. But the worst is behind us. I have no doubt she will sleep with us one day and purr like crazy.My wife leaves tomorrow on a business trip. Guess who jumped into her carry-on trying to get in on the action? (Sorry, Tiger, you can’t go).

The following is a list of things you can generally do in Japan that you generally cannot in the USA:Buy a tiny little condo in Tokyo for less than US$20,000.Yes, for real, this place, located in Ōme (western Tokyo Metropolis) is only ¥1.98 million (US$18,337.92). CHEAP. Why so cheap? Because it’s only 19.11 m². That’s about 205 square feet. In my hometown in the USA, you’d never find find a place this cheap OR small. :-) In Japan, foreigners can buy both land and buildings, so all you need is the money and it’s yours…See and/or meet a gyaru (ギャル).Get a free house. There are 8 million empty homes (usually in the countryside or suburban areas, usually old) and the population is decreasing. You can have one for just the transaction costs, in some cases. These are called akiya (空き家)—warning, many of these are in rural locations and are going to need a lot of refurbishments/DIY to be livable.Buy Cuban and Iranian productsIn America, we have usually, in recent history, had embargoes on Cuban products. Now I know that this has gone back and forth recently. I’m not sure whether the embargo is still in place or not. However, my whole time in Japan, it has been possible to buy Havana Cuba Rum, Cuban cigars, etc. I can go to Roppongi to the ¥100 shop and buy Iranian figs, and for a little bit more money, Iranian pomegranate juice or Iranian dates, that say “Made in Iran” on the box.Get a mortgage loan for a home for a 1–1.5% interest rateIn America, good luck on finding any mortgage for less than 3.75%. The difference over the course of 30 years is HUGE.Be immersed in Japanese language and cultureHere, you can practice your Japanese with just about anyone. They won’t get all annoyed and be like “Dude, what’s your problem? I’m from L.A.” Usually, they’ll happily comply. Of course, on the other hand, people might automatically try to practice their English with you even though your Japanese is just fine, and then you’ll have to be like (in Japanese, of course) “Dude, what’s your problem? I’ve lived in Japan for more than 1/4 of my life. I can speak Japanese.”Buy an inflatable three-person rowboat at 3:00 in the morning at Don QuijoteDon Quijote is a hypermart like Wal-Mart or Target, but it’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They have practically everything. Inflatable rowboats. Costumes of giant turds. And boob hats. Groceries and furniture, too.Become vested in the Japanese National Pension systemOkay, so you’ve worked in the USA for a gazillion years and are now vested in Social Security. Great. Now what’re you gonna do? That’s right! Move to Japan, get a blue National Pension (国民年金) book and start paying into their system for at least ten years! Then when you’re ~65, you can get payments from both countries! Who’s laughing now?!Note: Due to changes over the past few years, it seems that now, Japan and the US have a “Totalization Agreement.” This means that you probably can’t “double dip” anymore. As I understand it (thanks to Frederick Gundlach), from now on (technically from a few years ago), it now works so that rather than getting two independent pensions that don’t “see” each other, and rather than picking whichever one is more “lucrative” at retirement time, you simply receive a pension from America according to what you paid in there, and a pension from Japan according to what you paid in in Japan. The American Windfall Elimination Act prevents the two from adding up to an unfairly high sum. Therefore, you can no longer say “I will get $10,000 from Country A and $10,000 from Country B for 20 years’ work (10 in A, 10 in B), which will add up to $20,000, which is more than I would get from 20 years’ payments into just one of either Country A or B.” You also cannot “surf” the best pension. Confusing, I know.I can still see some theoretical benefits, though. I think it’s better to have your eggs in two baskets than one. If you’re a young person reading this, you could easily be alive for another 50 years. Lots can happen in that time. If something horrible ever happens to one of those two countries (complete collapse of the government→failed state, invasion, hyperinflation rendering the currency practically worthless, etc.), at least you will still get *SOMETHING* from a government somewhere.Buy nattō and tofu for really, really cheap pricesAt Don Quijote, I get tofu for less than US$0.30. Nattō (fermented soybeans in their brown, congealed glory) is less than $0.50 for three Styrofoam packs.↑NattōConsume alcohol wherever you wantThere are no open container laws. This is great for your drinking freedom. Instead of going to an expensive bar, you and your friends can go drink in the park, along the river, or in the park along the river! Of course, this is a double-edged sword because sometimes you have to deal with people who are publicly drunk.Engage in certain “night trades,” either as a customer or a worker, that I will not get into in this postDrive a vehicle with loudspeakers attached to it and blare loud music or announcements, possibly waking up everyone in the whole neighborhood, and not get in troubleWalk into a regular neighborhood thrift shop or bookstore (not a specialty shop) and buy Famicom (=original Nintendo) or original Game Boy games for ¥100 per cartridgeI’ve lived in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, in addition to Japan. Never, anywhere else in East Asia, have I ever seen such nostalgia for old video games. Which is great if you’re into that kind of thing.Eat raw eggsIn Japan, they treat the shells specially to prevent salmonella. In the USA, they don’t. Raw eggs are much safer in Japan. At first, I thought this was gross, but now, I frequently eat a raw egg on rice with my nattō.Eat whale sushi or horse meatWhale meat is illegal in most countries. Horse meat was illegal in the USA until 2011, and is still illegal in some states. In any event, it is not common. In Japan, though, you can buy horse meat in a can in almost any supermarket!Find ancient Japanese artifacts on the groundA co-worker of mine once found a Jōmon Period (>2,000-year-old) arrowhead on the ground at a baseball field. Japan has been inhabited for thousands of years. Who knows what you might find? Some people go metal detecting at the beach and find old ryō gold coins.Get as many cardboard boxes as you want for free from the supermarket.This way, they get rid of their cardboard boxes. You can save ¥2 on a plastic bag, and get a free box. Box fort, anyone?Get away with various things that would be considered “not good manners” in the USA: not making eye contact (it is rude in most of East Asia to make eye contact with a superior), not holding doors for people, slurping your food (considered polite here), etc.Get half price on lunchboxes after 7:00 PM or so, or other types of food when they are about to hit their expiration datesGo fishing in the ocean without a license, and it’s completely legal as long as it isn’t commercialGo to the hospital—to have your ears pierced!Learn karate or whatever Japanese martial art where it was actually invented, or other unique cultural things such as tea ceremonyMail a large package for just $10 or $20 at the post officeThis is so useful when you’re moving from one part of Japan to another. Just pack your whole household’s worth of stuff into ten or twenty boxes and mail them. Much cheaper than renting a U-Haul.Meet North Korean citizensThere are hundreds of thousands of North Korean citizens living in Japan. They go to special Korean schools with portraits of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un. Their families have been here for generations, perhaps, and maybe their Korean speaking skills aren’t even all that good, but they still have North Korean passports.Raise a pet chickenA chicken is considered a completely normal pet in Japan and it is not treated as a farm animal for legal purposes. Many people raise them, even in urban areas.Ride your bicycle on the sidewalk without a helmet or lights without getting in troubleOf course this is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s more freedom for you. On the other hand, you’re more likely to get hit by a maniac when you’re out walking.Return library books late and not pay a fineIf you return library books late, you won’t be able to check out books for a certain amount of time. However, you won’t be fined.Become a permanent resident of Japan or even a naturalized Japanese citizenYou can’t get any sort of long-term immigrant status in Japan if you’re sitting in the USA. You generally have to be physically present in Japan for many, many years to become a permanent resident or citizen. In my case, permanent residency will take me at least ten years. Citizenship is actually shorter—I could apply to become a Japanese national after only five years (though I wouldn’t want to—I like my American passport and feel more loyalty to America).See a North Korean ghost shipEvery year, numerous North Korean fishing boats wash up on the shores of central and northeastern Japan. The fishermen were out fishing illegally in Japan’s EEZ, and got lost. Many times, there are corpses or skeletons on board…See a tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) or numerous other forms of wildlife such as the Japanese giant salamanderAwww… It’s a tanooki.Simply stop buying tissues or toilet paperThere are so many people standing on street corners passing out packets of tissues as advertising, I literally haven’t bought toilet paper or tissues since 2017 when I moved to Tokyo.Stay overnight at an Internet caféMany Internet cafés give you a little cubicle with four walls that may or may not reach the ceiling. You have a little door. You can ask for a pillow and a blanket and get a “Night Pack” for about US$20. This is much cheaper than staying at a hotel and more private and convenient than staying at a youth hostel. I get a pretty good night’s sleep at these places. They also have Internet cafés in the USA, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. but not with the cubicles where you can stretch out and sleep easily.Take a three-hour hot showerIn my parents’ house in America, if the shower goes too long, you run out of hot water. The same thing was true of my grandmother’s house in Ohio. The boilers are limited-capacity and don’t heat the water quickly enough to replenish it. Not so in Japan. Japanese are obsessive bathers. You can keep showering for three hours, and the superior boilers won’t run out of hot water! Whenever I’m Stateside, I have to carefully coordinate showers with other family members so we don’t run out of hot water in January.Teach English even if your English is worse than that of a typical American 12-year-old’s EnglishI won’t point fingers or name names about which country, but there’s one in particular that’s an egregious offender, sending hundreds of thousands of people here with a very tenuous grasp of English, yet who claim to be “native speakers” and are readily believed to be such by the Japanese. Anyone who teaches English here knows who I’m talking about... People from that country drive down wages for those of us who are degree-holding, certified, native-English-speaking teachers, and they also teach incorrect English vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation to the Japanese students.Use a rotary telephoneGo to any community center or culture center (many government buildings). You will likely see rotary telephones in use, even in 2019.

Ah, the things I do for love.I do not usually think of pets as sacrifices on my part, until this question popped on my wall.Now that you mention it…SPACEI share my little home with four other humans and two cats. There is a general agreement among my family members that the two smallest members of my family hog the biggest space in the house. The entire home is their kingdom. Onocat loves occupying the study table, but otherwise lurks around in the darkest corners and shadows of the house. Dockers, our big boy, sleeps wherever he wants. Woe betide anyone who needs to do some studying, for Dockers will magnanimously decide to coach the person in his/her field by sitting on all the study materials on the table. Our three-seater sofa automatically becomes a one-seater in morning when Dockers decides that it is his nap time.Nope. No weighing for you today.SLEEP!Ohmaigod. Thunderstorms, firecrackers and Onocat do not go well together. Our friend is afraid of loud noises, especially thunder (a vestige of her childhood trauma, I’d like to think). My sister and I usually build her a pillow fort whenever a thunderstorm or a festival looms. Onocat loves her pillow forts, and she spends hours in her warm and secure little cubbyhole. Night thunderstorms are the worst, for my cat will decide to wake both my sister and I to attend to her. It is quite pathetic to see her shivering under all the pillows, despite our continuous petting and assurances, but at four in the morning?! Seriously Onocat?!Dockers, on the other hand, becomes spiritually enlightened at three in the morning, and will sing the song of his people loud and clear to the cat gods in the sky (just in case they look the other way). Grr.CASHA poor student usually shop for the cheapest items. A cat owner will always subconsciously scout for cat toys and items. These two situations do not go well together. I have spent a number of my shopping days cutting down on my food budget after being tempted to buy ridiculous-looking toys for my cats, in the hope that they will actually play with them.That’s okay. I don’t need that anyway. I’ll just get more ramen.HOLIDAYSHolidays? Vacations are almost non-existent for our family, because of the cats. Someone will always have to stay back to care for the cats. The cats in my house have made it very clear that they will tolerate neither cat boarding nor cat sitters.Ah well. We don’t need the holidays anyway.TEARSWords could not describe the grief the entire family felt when Molee passed away from her illness. Although it has been months since her passing, the sadness remains in our hearts. There is still a sense of loss in the house, as Molee had her favourite things and places in the house too, and we cannot look at those items without thinking about her.Forever a superstar.My pets are family. I cannot think of the sacrifices as sacrifices. It is just something family do for each other.