There are cats all over the world, that is almost everywhere except Antarctica and Polar Regions. Many fare very well and become our best friends. Others have to fend for themselves and struggle to survive. Some are revered and treated like Gods; others are abused and have to fight for their lives on the streets.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, in August 28, 2005, much focus shifted onto the plight of the homeless companion animals following a major disaster. Efforts to rescue and then reunited them with their human families made headlines. Since then, we’ve heard a lot more about the plight of animals following natural disasters. There were efforts to rescue the animals after the January 12, 2010 Haitian earthquake with many dogs and cats left in the streets to fend for themselves. Following the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident in Japan, there was a similar focus to rescue the friends that were left behind, especially as people found they would not be able to return home for a very long time.
When talking about making a donation to the American Humane Society’s Red Star Animal Rescue Emergency Services and Japan Relief Fund, someone asked, do people have cats in Japan? As an ardent cat person, I started looking for information about Japanese cats – and thus the idea was born – to write a blog about Cats around the World. This blog will cover cat issues, cat stories, cat rescue, cat history, people and cats, inspirational cat related stories, cat mythology, and anything that relates to ‘cats around the world’.
As a journalist, the blog will not just be ‘me’ stories. It will be research from on-line sources, and connections with cat organizations, and cat people world-wide. It will discuss the feral cats, domestic cats, and even the big cats. It will talk about the good and the not so good and the really bad. I encourage readers to share story ideas.
My next blog post will be an overview of cat history that continues to evolve because evidence now points to cats and humans co-existing well before Ancient Egypt, where they became revered as godlike and sacred.
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