Visiting Famous Cats! Vol. 6 – ‘Fuku, Goma and Meme’

Jun 18, 2013 / Topics

Fuku, Goma and Meme are not only great chums, but also extremely popular cats. Fuku-san is a male Scottish Fold while Goma-san is a female Exotic Shorthair. Meme-san is Goma's daughter. Through the 'Fuku and Goma' blog as well as a number of books and DVDs, the three cats have won over numerous fans. During an interview with Hana-san, who cares for the cats, and roommate Sakurako, we talked about the slow and quiet life the women share with their pets.

- Though you now live with three cats, didn't it all start with Fuku-san?

Hana: "Through Internet discussion boards, I often came to surf pet-welfare websites that were looking for people to adopt cats. That's where I first saw Fuku. It was love at first site. So I decided to take him in. After a while, Fuku began to suffer from arthritis. Therefore, I started thinking about finding another feline friend who could keep him company. It was sad to see such a young tomcat unable to play around due to his condition. Because an overly active cat would not be fit for the job, I purposely searched for a cat with a gentle character. Through this research, I found out about Exotic Shorthairs. I was initially more attracted to their mild-mannered nature than their unique looks. I contacted a breeder that I found online and pretty soon I had two cats."

(left to right: Meme, Fuku and Goma)

- Did you previously have any kind of idea that different breeds of cats have different personalities?

Hana: "In addition to learning about this from the vet, I did a lot of studying on my own when I first took in a mixed-breed cat while I was still a student. I got tons of books about feline personalities and how to take care of cats. By seeing how differently they reacted to things, I kind of became able to see a difference between my mixed cat and Fuku, a Scottish Fold. However, the differences became more pronounced when Goma came to live with us. Fuku doesn't play with her much (laughs). It seems that Exotic Shorthairs do not naturally herd. Though Goma likes Fuku, she prefers not to cuddle up and get cozy with him. Goma, on the other hand, always has affection for Fuku."

- After Fuku-san and Goma-san came the birth Meme-san.

Hana: "Goma is such a nice little kitty. I just love her personality. Therefore, I developed a desire to have another cat just like her... well not exactly her. I wanted another cat that was related by bloodline. This was totally against the agreement I had with the breeder. Moreover, it is extremely difficult for Exotic Shorthairs to bare kittens. However, with the understanding of the breeder and some support from the animal hospital, Goma managed to both birth and raise Meme. I must say though, I don't want to go through that ever again. At the time, I came across many warnings about trying to breed cats without a professional breeding background. The whole event really was a trial. I don't mean to say that I regret it. It was a fantastic experience."

- It has now been six years since Meme came into the world. Looking back, have you noticed any changes in your life since a third cat entered your life?

Hana: "The relationship between three cats is more balance than it is for a pair. Cats supposedly lose parent-child relationships after a year. However, if Meme cries, Goma still comes right up to her as if to ask, 'what's wrong?'. You can see this kind of thing if you keep a mother and child together. At a glance, it sometimes looks like there is a rivalry between the Goma-Meme pair and Fuku. However, Fuku does not really seem to care at all about such things. I guess that all three cats are loners at heart. They ultimately go their own ways."

- A house with Hana, Sakurako and three cats. That sounds like a very unique relationship.

Hana: "We're not a family, nor are we partners. Each of us is a free individual. This is a very comfortable relationship for us right now. "

- What was the impetus for starting the 'Fuku and Goma' blog?

Hana: "Because my job is web-related, I thought I should probably start a blog. When I looked for a topic, it naturally came to me. I felt that it would be a way to record Fuku's growth. However, I was so bad at taking photographs (laughs) that Sakurako-san couldn't help but take over this aspect of it for me. She's a much better photographer than me. I consciously keep the blog's design simple. I'm indebted to Sakurako's photographs for getting the visitor count up on the blog."

Sakurako: "I've loved animals since way back - so much that I used to want to work at Mutsugoro Kingdom (animal park). I was merely enjoying life with Fuku and the other cats until I noticed how terrible the blog photographs were. How could the blog use such ugly photographs of Fuku when he is actually so cute (laughs). It was kind of a waste. That's when I started photographing cats. Of course, my photographs cannot take all the credit for the blog's success. Surely there is power in the writing and all of the drama surrounding Goma's giving birth to Meme."

- Now that the cat blog boom has calmed down a little, what is the key to continuing a successful cat blog?

Hana: "Just keep going. At first, I was writing about the struggle of trying to train Fuku to use a human toilet instead of a litter box. He ultimately couldn't do it because of his leg problems. However, because there are objectives like that, visitors show us their support. When Meme was born, I would give daily reports on how things were going. Visitors would give us supportive comments and tell us how nervous and excited they were. It was as if Meme's birth was actually happening to them. Recently, I can only update it every now and then - but there's a big difference between that and not updating it at all. In addition, it is definitely better if you can decide on a single theme. Examples could include recipes for cat food or how to make your own cat toys. Right now, it feels like I'm only updating the blog to show the beautiful photographs that Sakurako has been taking."

Sakurako: "Because they're being photographed today, I bought them a cat tent. When I tried setting it up, they gathered around me out of curiosity. For the shootings, I can't help but keep getting them more and more toys. (laughs)"

Hana: "In addition to toys, we obviously pay a lot of attention to both furniture and interior decoration. We want our life with cats to be as comfortable as possible. I ordered these cat food dishes as well as this litter box shelf from a friend who crafts such things (http://www.socketform.com)."

- What is the biggest joy of living with cats?

Hana: "Their quiet company. Even within your daily life, there's a happiness you find at the exact moment you feel a strong connection with them."

Sakurako: "They are irreplaceable beings that live right alongside us. They make our daily lives colorful. I would not be taking this many photographs if they weren't here - and I'm taking them because I want to savor and convey the happiness of it all."