One of the challenges of looking after stray cats in Okinawa is the sheer hatred so many people on the island have for these poor little creatures. It’s difficult for cat lovers like me to imagine why these adorable furry angels invoke so much ire, but the hate is real, and the fact that it’s so widespread makes it very difficult for people who care for them to find places to feed them and otherwise look after them.
In this short article I want to identify reasons why people have such negative feelings toward cats, and how volunteers can sometimes help to mitigate these feelings.
Why do people hate cats?
People who dislike cats often do so for their own very specific reasons. While the reasons differ from person to person, there are a few commonalities. These comonalities often boil down to noise, odor, sanitation, damage to property, and concerns about wildlife.
Cats can be Noisy
Anyone who has ever heard a female cat in heat calling out to attract intact males understands how noisy cats can be. A female in heat will yowl into the wee hours of the morning, not letting up until she finds her mate, and sometimes she doesn’t, which means the yowling continues all night.
And mating is not the only reason cats make noise. Cats are extremely territorial and fights over turf are often decided based on who screams the loudest. Physical fights are often preceded by extended bouts of shrieking and the sounds that come out of cats in fight mode are not only loud enough to carry for blocks, but absolutely blood-curdling. When outdoor cats fight, our cats perk up with great concern. Even five floors up and with the windows closed, my spine tingles when I hear cats fight. I am only imagine what it’s like to have to suffer through this as a person who doesn’t love cats to begin with, and I sympathize.
Cats can be Smelly
Cats themselves are not that stinky, but their urine can be pungent and their feces smell worse than death. I don’t need to belabor this point because anyone who has smelled cat poo outdoors knows how bad it can be. When a person who is not a dedicated cat lover is faced with the odor of cat poop in his or her back yard, it can elicit strong emotions, and not good ones.
Cats can Carry Diseases
Cat lovers hate to admit this, but cats do often carry diseases, some of which can be transmitted to humans. The best known of these is toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasmosa gondii. When humans are infected, the infection is most often asymptomatic. Most people never know they were infected. When symptoms occur, they may resemble mild flu: swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, muscle aches, low-grade fever. The parasite then goes dormant in tissue cysts (muscle, brain, eye) and can persist lifelong. Imunocomporomised individuals may report stronger symptoms and there is a possibility that the parasite will interfere with pregnancy and even cross the placental barrier.
So, this is a justified concern. Cat lovers shrug it off, but people who don’t like cats to begin with rightly view cats as potential vectors of disease. For course, it is also true that cats keep rodent populations at bay, and rodents are far more problematic when it comes to the spreading of disease than cats. My point here is only that cat haters are not wrong when the point out the issues around toxoplasmosis.
Cats Damage Things
Almost every day when I go to my car, there is a cat on the hood or the roof. Mostly this just results in adorable paw prints all over the metal, but sometimes there are scratches, and sometimes rather bad ones. Also, when the doors open, some of the cats like to jump inside and it’s usually only seconds before they are sharpening their claws on my seats. For a person who loves cats, this kind of damage might be acceptable. For a person who doesn’t, it is absolutely intolerable.
Cats Threaten Wildlife
It is not uncommon for me to find dead birds in the parking lot of my building, and it’s obvious how those birds died. Cats are remarkably efficient hunters and their instincts propel them to kill birds, even if they are well fed. This is sad, and when the birds belong to threatened or even endangered species (like the Yanbaru kuina), it’s tragic. Cat haters who point out that cats have a significant impact on bird populations are not wrong, and in some cases, culling is even morally justifiable even to cat lovers.
How to Mitigate Hatred of Cats in Okinawa
Honestly, there isn’t much a person can do to convince a cat hater not to hate cats. However, there are things a cat lover can do to make the presence of cats (and the reality that people actually love and care for those cats) more tolerable.
Be Clean
A lot of people who feed cats just drop food on the pavement and leave it there. This attracts ants and other insects and if the food is not eaten, it can rot, cause bad smells, and just be messy. The best way to mitigate this problem is to feed the cats in dishes that you collect later. Metal is best, but plastic is also okay. Use disposable paper dishes if you must, but please do not just walk away and leave them for other people to clean up.
If you have to leave food on the sidewalk or in a parking lot without a plate, leave less rather than more. Yes, that means the cats may not get as much as you’d like, but they’re more likely to finish all of it. Also, try to give them food that they’ll eat. Cats are picky eaters, even street cats, and giving them food they won’t eat only means that not only will the cats go hungry, but there will also be a mess to clean up.
Work with Supporters
If possible, try not to feed cats in public areas. If you can, work with people who have houses nearby and establish feeding stations on private property. This will help to minimize inconvenience. If you have to feed cats in public places, like a park or on the seawall, try to do it in a place that is out of view and away from public walkways. This will serve to reduce the profile of your cat feeding efforts and reduce the ‘surface area’ that can be attacked.
Do Lots of TNR
If you feed, you absolutely must neuter and spay. A well-fed population of cats will breed with unbelievable efficiency, particularly in a place like Okinawa where the breeding season is longer (possibly all year) and cats can have many litters in close succession. The government provides incentives, such as TNR tickets that can be used at participating vet clinics. You’ll still need cages, food, and other extras, but not having to pay out-of-pocket is a big relief. You can ask at the local community center if they have any tickets. They might even know of a vet where you can make a TNR appointment.
Keep Your Own Cats Indoors
Indoor cats don’t kill wild birds, they don’t poop in the neighbor’s yard and they don’t get run over by cars. More importantly, they don’t get brutally killed by psychopaths who hate cats. More cats than you know fall victim to these psychos in Okinawa and letting your beloved pet outside puts him or her right in the line of danger. For what it’s worth, our cats are former strays, rescues right off the street, and they don’t go out (except on the balcony, which is protected with special netting so birds can’t get in and cats can’t get out).
Protecting Okinawan Stray Cats
The best way to protect Okinawa’s stray cats is to adopt them and keep them safe until they die. Since this isn’t always possible, we have to resort to other methods. Rather than going to war with cat haters, let’s try to keep our efforts as clean, safe and low-profile as we can. We might not be able to save and care for every last cat, but we can do our best to look after the cats who will always be on the streets, without antagonizing people who might try to block our efforts. We might not win everyone’s hearts, but we can make their lives quieter, cleaner, and safer. That’s a win both for cats and for people.
