Jane's Turning 2

Our favorite souvenir from Japan is turning 2 years old. She's traveled more than most kitty cats. Jane was found on the train tracks and was turned into care at a Japanese animal rescue. Animal rescues in Japan are independent privately run places. Unlike the US, the government or state does not provide for lost or abandoned animals. These facilities many times work with the American PAWS facilities to find homes for these little kittens. Most likely Jane was a ferrel kitten. The Yoko PAWS society keeps kittens until they are able to eat solid food, have their shots and are spayed or neutered.

Joshua had a very difficult time becoming potty trained. His training went on for years with many set backs and frustrations. I have to say that potty training has been, so far, the most difficult thing that we've had to go through with Joshua. Finally around preschool I tried to set up a reward chart for staying dry through the night. I promised Joshua that if he could stay dry through the night for a month we would get him a cat. At first he was excited but after a few days it fell through and we could never get through even a whole week without at accident. A friend of mine suggested that instead of just promising a cat at the end of the dry month, to instead allow him to pick a gift for the cat after every week of dryness. For example, after week one, take him to the store and have him pick out a food dish, a cat toy, a scratching post, etc. That would then build the excitement of a new cat and keep him focused on his goal. Well, after a couple of set backs, the plan worked! We took a special drive to the PAWS facility on base. Out of all the cats, Jane stood out.

We had to promise to keep her in the house. Feline AIDS disease ran rampant in Japan and to keep her safe from infection, it was required that we keep her in. That wasn't took difficult as she was so used to it. As she became older she became a little more difficult. We started calling her Jane the Pain.

The move to California came up fast but she traveled like an old pro. Once here we tried to keep her inside but the pull to go out doors was too strong and we decided not to fight it anymore. Jane is now an outdoor cat who we bring in at night. She sleeps in the garage. Actually preferring the attic amongst the insulation. She spends most of her days outside chasing squirrels, eating grass, picking fights with the neighborhood cats, and now taking the top grates off of the drainage pipes in the backyard.

For her birthday month, I went to Petco and got her a water "fountain" drinking bowl. At first she freaked out but after a while she's really enjoyed it. Jane has really become such a fantastic part of her family. She loves attention - in fact if both hands aren't petting her it's not enough. Apparently this makes sense. We think she's got a little Japanese bobtail breed in her. She's also extremely tolerant of Samuel, who loves to tackle her and "pet" her - mainly by pulling her fur. She takes it in stride though and loves to curl up with just Mike and me in the evening.
Happy birthday Jane. We hope to spend many many more birthdays with you!