36 Comments

Learned something new! TNR cats, that's so organised! I wonder if they do that in Greece, too. Probably not, stray cats are a big issue, esp in Athens. These stray cats look healthy and well-fed. Great idea and addition to your Substack, Bill!

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Thanks, Alexander.

Your comment is my first on Stray Cats of Japan! I started the newsletter yesterday.

TNR is worldwide, but I don't know if it's in every country. It's a good system: Neutered cats get to live their lives in the place they've come to know, and they won't contribute to the cat population.

Not all cats in Japan are TNRs, though.

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I just realised I am not subscribed! Why is that? Yeah, I looked it up after I read your post. I mean, it makes sense. Since we've been to Greece a couple of times, it reminded me of the massive stray cat population they have, seems they don't TNR enough, probably hard to do, too. Anyway, subbed now!

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i had a grey cat like that . . . called him the grey dog because he acted more like a dog than a cat . . . he was feral, we took him in as a baby (against his will) and it took 3 weeks before he even showed his face to us . . . then we became his pride

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Bringing home a stray is a wonderful act of kindness.

It's funny how it takes time for outdoor cats to realize that everything inside is warmer, softer and how food flows more readily.

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grey dog became a loved member of the family

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I cannot pass up kitty pictures! ❤️🫶🐈

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Right? What better way to pass the time that to look at cats.

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You may find my story interesting.

https://abforbes.substack.com/p/the-history-of-our-pet-cats?r=yn8c0

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The beautiful feral gray kitty in the photo reminds of my cat Tazzy! Taz for short! 🐱 I have neutered and spayed no less then 20 cats. I have about 15 ferals now living on our ranch! This is the first I’ve heard of TNR! I hope it spreads worldwide. 🤗💜✨

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I'm going to open chat for Stray Cats of Japan soon, so you post cat pictures. I want to see a photo of Taz.

Two summers ago, somebody dumped seven kittens in the park next to our apartment building. We rounded them all up, had them neutered and spayed, and rehomed them. That was our first experience with neutering and spaying.

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Here’s three! Big Tazzles! 🐱

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I love these pictures!

My best new cat of the year is the jet black one who hangs around Kyoto City Hall between 9pm-10pm each night. If it's a nora it's doing well because it's half-fur, half-fat -- not unlike the grey specimen in your first photo!

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Thank you, Daniel.

Next time I'm in Kyoto, I'll check out City Hall between those hours. I like meeting cats. (Have cat snacks, will travel.)

I love the neko vibe in Japan.

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So beautiful! Thank you for sharing pictures and stories of these "street" kitties.

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You're welcome, Isabelle. There are many beautiful and friendly stray cats all around Japan.

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The gray stray looks VERY well-cared-for. And Kinmo is adorable in her box. She is a lucky girl and she knows it. I love all these photos, Bill - they speak for themselves. Let me shamelessly give a shout out for "Up All Night With Raymond" a popular pawed-cast hosted by our cat Ray. He as done three so far, sharing fascinating catly news and gossip from my home town. https://sharronbassano.substack.com/p/pawed-cast-up-all-night-with-raymond

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Thank you Sharron. When we love our cats, as we do, they love us back with all their heart. There's enough love for the strays we see, too.

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I love this!! I've never subscribed to a Substack publication more reflexively.

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Thank you!

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Thank you, Bill, for bringing my attention to your site. I’m very new to Substack, love the warmth and encouragement I feel from fellow writers. And, in this case, cat lovers. I adopted a rescue cat. She is a sweet calico who exhibits cage behaviors. But I think she is starting to trust me. I’m looking forward to reading your stories, too.

My next post this Friday is called Can I Keep Him? At More Cats, Please!

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Thank you, Elyse. I've just started Stray Cats of Japan and am having fun with this newsletter. (My other Substack newsletter is where I publish my fiction every other week.)

It's good to know that there's a cat community on Substack. Our cat, Kinmo, is also a rescue cat: We brought her inside from the park in which she lived before a typhoon struck Tokyo. At first, she wasn't happy about that, but after a couple of days, Kinmo figured out that our bed was a softer place than the hard ground on which she'd been sleeping.

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Sometimes I think a rescue cat or dog is the best pet, though I wonder if gratitude is in their nature. Sometimes I see it in my cat’s eyes. I think…. Kinmo knows she is Home now.

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I wish everyone would adopt a rescue cat.

The funny thing about Kinmo is we hesitated for a long time about whether to bring her indoors, because we thought she would miss the park. But she's happier--and healthier--indoors.

Our cats do love us for how we saved them.

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Beautiful feline face and lovely slate grey furs!!! How expressive are our animal friends!

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Thank you, Wendy. I enjoy visiting with, photographing and writing about stray cats.

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Given what we know about cats and the internet, this will probably far surpass your other stack(s).

By the way, do you guys still consider internet to be a proper noun and capitalize it accordingly? It got the Pluto treatment a few years ago as I recall.

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Right? Cats are...popular. I love writing fiction, and, of course I love when people read my short stories, but cats are a wonderful part of my life, too, so I think I'm going to enjoy this newsletter immensely.

I've stopped capitalizing internet, but I know that there's not yet unanimity about this. (As for ebook...e-book...Ebook?)

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Ebook. For simplicity.

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Cats cared for by community? Now that is something I love. It is similar to the street dogs we have here in India. Maybe we should also get them a name.

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Yes! It's wonderful when a community helps to care for animals.

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I love strays! My cat Vineri was once a stray, whom we picked up off the street one random Friday last March. Stray cats are so heart achingly adorable.

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Few things are as heartwarming as giving a forever home to a stray cat.

I wish we could post photos in this comments section because I'd love to see Vineri. Maybe I'll find a way to add that to the newsletter.

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Haha, yeah, that would be amazing. Here’s a link to a story I wrote about him at the time, with a few photos. Naturally, I’ve got many more.

https://www.practicespace.blog/p/no-11-i-want-to-see-a-circus

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I love Vineri's story.

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It is quite a tale, all right. Or should I say tail?

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