AICHI, Apr 10 (News On Japan) - A post shared on social media by a cat rescue café in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, read: "Is this an abandoned cat in front of the store from this morning? Abandoning a cat is a crime." The angry message came after someone left a cat in front of the café in a cardboard box labeled "Please take care of it."
Users on social media expressed concern, saying, "It’s too heartless to just leave a cat like this" and "It’s still cold outside… how cruel."
The abandoned cat, rescued by the café’s owner, was found to be 10 years old and suffering from urinary stones.
Masuda Ryohei, owner of the cat rescue café Tormenta, said: "If a disease spreads to the cats we’ve already rescued, it could lead to our operations being suspended, or worse. Some diseases are fatal. It’s terrifying."
Caring for one rescued cat can cost between 200,000 and 300,000 yen, including food, neutering, and vaccinations. However, Masuda stressed that money was not the issue.
"Police took the money with them, so we didn’t receive anything directly, but there was about 30,000 yen in the box. It’s not about the money—30,000 yen is hardly sufficient. What hurts the most is that people may start thinking our café is a place where it’s okay to abandon cats. If such actions continue, it could eventually lead to our business shutting down," he said.
Following this incident, the café has suffered tens of thousands of yen in losses due to the cost of installing more security cameras and additional disinfection procedures.
The problem of abandoned cats is not limited to Aichi. In the Kanto region, the Tanpopo Cat Clinic, which also functions as a shelter, has been dealing with similar cases.
The clinic provides necessary medical treatment, including neutering, to prepare cats for adoption.
A veterinarian at the facility said, "We perform neutering surgeries so they can go to new homes."
Seven years ago, the shelter rescued a cat that was abandoned with a note. The cat was temporarily returned to its original owner, but was later abandoned again.
Ishimaru Masayo, a veterinary nurse and representative of Tanpopo no Sato, said: "At the end of January, the same cat was abandoned again in the same carrier. The police and local government said they had no records because it happened seven years ago. But this time, they said, 'We’ve found the culprit.' I was so upset. I insisted, 'Please prosecute them under animal abandonment laws.' People need to understand that there are consequences for this behavior, or else others will continue doing the same."
In Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, where the shelter is located, the city implemented a new policy in April requiring residents to notify the city if they keep six or more dogs or cats. False reporting is now subject to penalties, part of a new initiative to promote responsible pet ownership.
Behind the growing popularity of the so-called "neconomy," irresponsible acts of animal abandonment continue to rise.
Under the Animal Welfare Act, abandoning animals such as dogs and cats is punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 1 million yen.
Source: FNN
