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<\/a><\/p>\nA Cat Patrolling the Home and the Neighborhood<\/h2>\n\u2014How did you first encounter Kemi?<\/h3>\n
\u201cWe used to have a cat named Mike (pronounced \u2018Me-kay\u2019), who lived for 23 years. After Mike passed away, we really didn\u2019t feel like getting another cat. However, Two months after Mike\u2019s death, our gardener happened upon a kitten. He took the cat to us to look after. That was Kemi. He was initially quite a small and fragile cat, but he grew up to be quite strong. I think the fur pattern around his nose kind of resembles a koala bear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably more accurate to say that Kemi is about one-third \u2018stray.\u2019 Just like people, he goes outside whenever he feels like it. Then he comes back when he feels like it. He wakes up in the morning, eats his breakfast, then heads out to patrol the neighborhood. Later, he comes back to take a nap and grab another meal before heading out at night. Kemi comes back at dawn to sleep in his own little bed. He\u2019s got his own door to use. There is a litter box in the garden that he uses when he has to go to the bathroom. Mike was actually the same way. However, being a girl, she was a bit more prim and proper. That said, Kemi is quite the pampered cat. He just loves my dad. Whenever my dad is away traveling, Kemi misses him terribly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess so. The first animal I ever had was a cat. When I was in elementary school, I found some abandoned kittens in a cardboard box. There were five of them initially. After the rest were taken, only Mike remained. Back then, both my grandmother and mom weren\u2019t crazy about the idea of keeping a cat. But I begged and begged until they relented. Because my father\u2019s policy was basically, \u2018Let animals be animals,\u2019 we allowed him to go out of the house at his own will. Maku (the dog), on the other hand, isn\u2019t allowed in the house. He\u2019s kept in the garden doghouse. Now and then, we catch Maku looking at us reproachfully from the garden. Because Kemi is so affectionate with dad, he\u2019s become a bit soft when it comes to cats.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are completely different. Maku was my grandmother\u2019s dog. They lived together in Amami Oshima until my grandmother passed away seven years ago. But we decided to adopt him. Maku is now 14 years old. Because we had only kept cats, we initially worried that he might be troublesome – you know – taking him for walks and stuff. I had also been a bit scared of dogs growing up because I saw them chasing kids in cartoons. However, once we took him in, I understood why people think of dogs as cute and friendly. This is quite different from cats. Having a dog is kind of like a nice change of mood. Since we took him in, we\u2019ve learned more about the neighborhood on our daily walks. It\u2019s no longer an inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntil I was in elementary school and actually had a cat, I had been under the impression that cats would take walks with me. But they actually don\u2019t cooperate at all and can be quite unfriendly. Having always been the center of attention as an only child, this was a good lesson for me. I suppose Mike\u2019s decision to not play with me was a kind of training – as it toughened me up. Mike wouldn\u2019t allow me to have it my way – she\u2019d refuse to let me hold her. Though I dreamed of sleeping next to a cat, my parents trained her to never go on top of beds. She wouldn\u2019t even climb up if I invited her. It would have been wonderful if she could have just snuggled up at my feet – but she never did. But I can tell you one thing for sure – It\u2019s so much fun having different kinds of animals in the same house. It\u2019s like we can almost communicate with each other, but not quite\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I do talk to them. I just can\u2019t tell if they understand me or not. Kemi hates feeling lonely and being left alone in the house. So when we take trips to Amami Oshima, we take both Kemi and Maku. It\u2019s like homecoming for Maku. And Kemi just wanders freely both inside and outside of the house. He comes back when he wants. It\u2019s not like we use any kind of verbal communication. It\u2019s just a kind of mutual trust that he will always come back. Mike was just the opposite. She hated traveling. Whenever we traveled, she would stay behind to watch over the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConsidering that Mike was an outdoor-lover and yet lived to the ripe old age of 23, we figured that it would probably be alright for Kemi. However, we also know cats that have grown up fine indoors – some don\u2019t even like going outside. So I guess that it\u2019s really up to the individual cat. Kemi seems to enjoy climbing a tree in our garden. That\u2019s great. However, it is quite a shock to me whenever he brings home a dead rat in his mouth\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re friends. You know, sometimes when I take Maku for a walk, neighbors will say to the dog, \u2018Aren\u2019t you happy to take a walk with your mommy.\u2019 I don\u2019t really like that. I mean, I\u2019m not his mother! I know they say these things with good intentions, but in our house, it\u2019s just a human and a dog. Of course, the same goes for the cat. We try to pay respects to Kemi\u2019s cat-life as we live together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love the Russian movie titled, \u2018Kittens.\u2019 As for manga, one of my favorites has to be \u2018Yon & Mu\u2019 by Junji Ito. But honestly, I\u2019m not really interested in cats other than my own. I even tried out a cat cafe the other day but couldn\u2019t really get all that excited about it. And I had actually been looking forward to it. I guess Kemi is both my favorite and only cat.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\u2014The other day, when we asked to interview you and Kemi, you told us that he lives half his life outdoors. This made us worry about whether or not we would get to meet him. We\u2019re glad that it ended up raining so he decided to stay indoors. What do you mean when you say Kemi\u2019s a \u2018half-outdoors\u2019 cat?<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014Have you always been a cat-lover?<\/h3>\n
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\n\u2014What do you feel the differences are between dogs and cats?<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014Through caring for a cat, have you made any \u2018discoveries\u2019?<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014You don\u2019t think cats can understand our words?<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nLiving Together as Friends<\/h2>\n
\u2014Some people think that there are so many dangers lingering outside that it\u2019s better to keep cats in the house. Yet others seem to think that it\u2019s too stressful on cats if you keep them inside all the time\u2026 <\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014How would you describe your relationship with Kemi?<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\u2014Tell us about your favorite cat-related book or manga.<\/h3>\n
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