{"id":1332,"date":"2011-01-16T00:10:06","date_gmt":"2011-01-15T15:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilovedotcat.com\/?p=1332"},"modified":"2011-11-02T13:25:15","modified_gmt":"2011-11-02T04:25:15","slug":"%e3%83%9f%e3%83%a5%e3%83%bc%e3%82%b8%e3%82%b7%e3%83%a3%e3%83%b3%e3%83%bb%e5%9d%82%e6%9c%ac%e7%be%8e%e9%9b%a8-%c3%97-%e3%82%b5%e3%83%90%e7%be%8e%ef%bc%88%e2%99%80%ef%bc%89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ilovedotcat.com\/en\/1332","title":{"rendered":"Musician Miu Sakamoto"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miu Sakamoto, a professional musician splitting her time between New\u00a0York and Japan, and her cat companion Sabomi, well known and loved on\u00a0her owner’s twitter and blog. Miu, used to having cats around her in\u00a0the home since a young age, describes the fateful story of how, a year\u00a0ago, she came to meet the cat she describes as her “soulmate”.\u00a0Photographer Suzuki visited their home, and give us the first candid\u00a0glimpse of the naturally confident Sabami.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Living in NY with 4 cats.<\/h2>\n

– Did you always live in a house with cats?<\/h3>\n

As long as I can recall, I have always had cats around me. When we\u00a0relocated to New York, we took with us a cat we had found when I was\u00a07. It lived with us for 20 years until passing away. We named it\u00a0“Tabi” and, although it was a mixed breed, it was a white and very\u00a0pretty cat. Just after we started living in New York, a person who had\u00a0to return to Japan told us “I can’t take my cat with me, so I want you\u00a0to take care of it”. There gradually came to be 4 cats, and we all\u00a0lived together as one big family up until two years ago, when 3 of the\u00a0cats passed away over a period of 3 years. Now, only a single cat\u00a0remains, who we call “Cheese”. Those cats were always with us, so even\u00a0when I started to live by myself in Japan, I had no desire to start a\u00a0new “family”. I felt like, “My heart is with my family and the cats\u00a0back home”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– How did you meet Sabami?<\/h3>\n

One day while casually browsing a site dedicated to cat adoption\u00a0(http:\/\/www.satoya-boshu.net\/<\/a>) I stumbled upon a picture of a cat who\u00a0resembled Tabi, the cat who we had taken with us to New York. In her\u00a0introduction it stated she had a “temperament like a princess”, and I\u00a0couldn’t help but think “just like Tabi!”. On top of that, she had\u00a0gloves (different coloration just on her feet) much like the last of\u00a0my family’s cats to pass away, “Puu”. She was always the kindest of 4\u00a0cats we had, and I liked her personality. A cat somewhere between our\u00a0first cat Tabi and the kindest cat Puu – it only took a glance, you\u00a0could say.. I became very interested. I thought that they were\u00a0probably looking for a family with a large house, so under the\u00a0impression that I probably wouldn’t be successful, I sent the shelter\u00a0a mail.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

– You had some reservations about raising the cat while living alone.<\/h3>\n

I thought “To raise a cat by myself.. am I responsible enough to care\u00a0for another on my own? I worried for a while. If the cat lives to be\u00a020, it will be with me always until I’m 50 years old. What happens if\u00a0I get married, and my future husband is allergic to cats? Or what\u00a0about if I have a child. In life, a lot can happen, so I became\u00a0worried as to whether we could stay together. But I came to think, in\u00a0life, no-one can be prepared for everything.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– That’s true. So you could say, while you were worrying, you had a meeting with fate.<\/h3>\n

Yes. I went to visit the animal adoption center which had advertized\u00a0on the site. Up until that day people had often asked “please take\u00a0care of my cat”, or I received mails of cats “looking for a home”, but\u00a0for some reason I always felt reluctant to take the plunge. However,\u00a0once we actually met I knew that, with this cat, it would be fine! She\u00a0looks just like the cat we used to have and, more than anything, I\u00a0felt a connection. She was affectionate from the moment we met, and\u00a0the first time she set foot in my home, she walked around confidently,\u00a0as if she belonged.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– How old was Sabami when you met?<\/h3>\n

From looking at the teeth, they told me her age was around 3 years\u00a0old, but she was a stray so we don’t know for sure. Sabami was an\u00a0“urban stray”, and had undergone sterilization as part of a program,\u00a0aimed at reducing the number of stray cats living in the town. The\u00a0group which found her normally would have returned her to her\u00a0territory after performing the operation. However, before being picked\u00a0up, Sabami had apparently been tied tightly to a tree. And, despite\u00a0having been treated so cruelly, she would meow and come close to\u00a0whoever called her name.. For a cat like her, it is not in her nature\u00a0to be suspicious, and it would be dangerous to return her to the\u00a0street, so the program decided she should be turned over to the animal\u00a0shelter and put up for adoption.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

– Where did the name Sabami come from?<\/h3>\n

The group were already calling her Sabami. If you called her by this\u00a0name she would meow and come close, so I kept it (laughs).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“Just like her owner!? Sabomi the fussy cat”<\/h2>\n

– The Sabami we see on twitter (@miusakamoto<\/a>) and on your blog seems\u00a0dignified and calm, and doesn’t seem too bothered by much.<\/h3>\n

She’s a very proud cat. She really does have a personality like a\u00a0princess, and often acts like she owns the place. But actually, she is\u00a0affectionate and likes to be pampered. When I’m away on location for a\u00a0long time, my friends or a cat-sitter comes to feed and take care of\u00a0her, and she is always affectionate to them right from the start. Just\u00a0recently, for the first time she spent 5 days at my friends house and,\u00a0as you can imagine, she really got a shock from being in another\u00a0person’s home. In the beginning, she was meowing loudly non-stop. But\u00a0after a short while she got used to it and, my firend showed me\u00a0photos, but there she was, splayed out and relaxed in my friend’s arms\u00a0(laughs). I thought, a little jealously, “get comfortable – but not\u00a0that comfortable!”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– It’s reassuring to have people around, who can support you raising a cat on your own. Does Sabami have a favourite spot?<\/h3>\n

Recently I moved her cat tower to a place where it’s struck by warm\u00a0sun, so she often sits there on the top. She can use it to sharpen her\u00a0claws, so she’s always scratching away. Sabami doesn’t like to move\u00a0about so much, so she usually doesn’t run about the house. She’s not\u00a0interested in cat toys, but likes to play with ribbons or fluffy\u00a0bonbons.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– Does she have any preference in her food?<\/h3>\n

I tried to gave her canned food but she wasn’t interested, so she only\u00a0eats dry food. When she was a stray, canned food would quickly go bad,\u00a0so I think she may have only ever eaten dry food. Lately, her stomach\u00a0has started to stick out a bit (laughs), so I switched to the low\u00a0calorie version of Royal Canin<\/a>, and mix in a little something to help\u00a0prevent tooth decay.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

– Sounds like she’s not too fussed about her food.<\/h3>\n

Well, if it’s not fresh then she won’t touch it. If it’s a bit moist,\u00a0or if it has some of her hair in it she doesn’t seem to like it. In\u00a0that way she’s very fussy. Even from the time the adoption center\u00a0picked her up, she was this way. If there’s a crunchy floating in her\u00a0water, even a small bit, she won’t drink it. “Give me some new water!\u00a0Pleaaaassee!” she complains (laughs).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– Sounds like she really likes things to be clean. Does she often get a bath?<\/h3>\n

Actually to tell you the truth I’ve never washed her. I’ve bought the\u00a0shampoo but I don’t want her to dislike me (laughs). The cats we have\u00a0at home, the haven’t had a bath for 10 something years and most people\u00a0around us never washed their cats. She keeps herself clean, and\u00a0doesn’t go outside.. But when I’m in the bath she seems interested, so\u00a0I will try it one day soon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– Does she ever try to go outside?<\/h3>\n

She doesn’t seem too interested, so I dont put her out. But just in\u00a0case she ever does venture out, I installed a microchip in her. She ‘s\u00a0registered with the AIPO (Animal ID Promotion Organization) so if she\u00a0gets lost and picked up by an animal home, they can trace the owner of\u00a0the pet. When you receive a pet from an adoption center, it is common\u00a0to install a chip like this. During the Kobe earthquake, many pets\u00a0were seperated from their owners and, in the chaos of it all, never\u00a0got reunited. The ones who had this microchip installed were all\u00a0returned to their families without a problem. We don’t know when a\u00a0similar thing might happen in Tokyo. There are pros and cons of\u00a0installing such a chip in but, if she ran away and I never saw her\u00a0again it would be too sad and, if an owner is not located within a\u00a0week of an animal being found, it is common practice that the animal\u00a0is put down. Therefore in my case, I thought it was important to\u00a0install the chip.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It’s all I can do to protect the animal.<\/h2>\n

– You are very pro-active when it comes to the conservation of rights\u00a0for pets and animals. How did you become involved in the activities of\u00a0“FreePets<\/a>” – a group dedicated to consideration of the lives of those\u00a0we call pets.<\/h3>\n

When chatting with my friends, I had mentioned that I’d like to do\u00a0something about the harsh conditions of little animals stuck in the\u00a0small pet shops found in downtown Roppongi and Kabukicho. Just then,\u00a0it happened that a friend of my father’s who was an animal\u00a0conservationist was there, and we got introduced. From there, through\u00a0twitter, a group of like-minded people started to naturally come\u00a0together, and we decided to start working together in earnest, and\u00a0formed “FreePets”. It hasn’t even been one year yet but we were able\u00a0to meet not only animal specialists, but also those who were involved\u00a0directly in the care of animals.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– What are some details of the actions you are trying to take?<\/h3>\n

First, we made it our aim to somehow reduce the number of cats and\u00a0dogs slaughtered in Japan – a number climbing to 28,000 yearly – and,\u00a0keeping that reality and aim in mind, we try to spread word as much as\u00a0we can of action which can be taken locally. Also, since no adequate\u00a0law exists to help regulate those who handle animals cruelly or\u00a0roughly, we will begin actions to move towards amending the law, and\u00a0will petition regarding a law for animal rights. The members involved\u00a0in “FreePets” come from many different walks of life, so each can help\u00a0do their part in their own way, and help our message simply by spreading the word.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– “Making people aware of the current situation” is your first\u00a0priority. It also helps to promote your message that you and Sabami\u00a0met through an adoption program.<\/h3>\n

As a future action of “FreePet”, we want to encourage the message\u00a0that, “if you want to own a pet, you should adopt from an animal\u00a0shelter or protection agency” or, if you cant own a pet but still want\u00a0to help, you can volunteer; we will start a project to help spread\u00a0this message in elementary schools and other places of education.\u00a0Also, we are thinking of planning a live event for charity. It’s\u00a0really important to me for us to get the right information out, about\u00a0how to help animals live a happy life around us, even to just a few\u00a0people at a time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The happiness to be found with a cat.<\/h2>\n

– Do you have a favourite cat book, or other works about cats?<\/h3>\n

I really like Fijita Tsuguharu’s “Book of Cat<\/a>” – an artist well known\u00a0for his drawings of women and cats. I’m also fond of the photographs\u00a0of animal photographer Iwagou Mitsuaki. He is an old friend of my\u00a0mother’s, and took photos of the cats in our family home. Actually his\u00a0work is featured on the cover of her album “Ongakudo<\/a>” \u00a0released 2 years ago – a photo of a jumping cat. I can also recommend\u00a0two documentaries which explore the relationship and history between\u00a0humans and cats, “The Cat Way<\/a>” (Dir. Myriam Tonelotto) and “Dogs, Cats\u00a0& Humans<\/a>” (Dir. Iida Motoharu).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

-Sabami also makes an appearance on the flier promoting your event\u00a0“Direct MIUsical Vol 3.<\/a>” When creating, are cats still a part of your\u00a0thoughts?<\/h3>\n

You could say that. I’ve translated (into Japanese) two picture books\u00a0about cats – “The 9-life Habits of Highly Effective Cats<\/a>” and “Know\u00a0Your Cat’s Purr Points<\/a>“. Both books are a little bit funny – self-help\u00a0books, that is to say, philosophy books aimed at helping cats. As a\u00a0bonus, I created a CD to go with the books. It had titles “Toraneko”\u00a0(tabby cat) and “shironeko” (White cat), about the cat’s we had in New\u00a0York, and was created with Mito from Clammbon. My mother and\u00a0father both have songs which feature cats, and the word “cat ” often\u00a0makes its way into my songs. Just like in my daily life, my cat is\u00a0always creeping in.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

– Have you ever thought you would like to become a cat?<\/h3>\n

Yes, of course!! If you were born stray it would be difficult but…\u00a0Cats are very good at finding a pleasant place to be, no matter what\u00a0the environment. That’s what I like best about them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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