Int’l Companion Animal Welf. Conference

Japan Cat Network attended the International Companion Animal Welfare Conference from October 31 to November 2, 2007 in Berlin:

Here is an excerpt from an article on the Best Friends Network about Day 2 of the conference:

Other pioneers attending the conference are three brave women from Japan. But they are not Japanese. All of them are natives of English-speaking countries, and for one reason or another, went to Japan to work in sectors completely unrelated to animal care. They were all astounded to find, in a country as wealthy as Japan, a lack, sometimes an absence, of care for homeless animals. They decided to take action. One of these women, American Susan Roberts, went to Japan to work as an English teacher, and now she dedicates much of her salary and time providing care for feral cats through an organization she founded, called Japan Cat Network.

“The Japanese think I’m crazy, and a little dangerous, for rescuing cats,” Susan says. “I’ve had to develop a rather thick skin since starting this work.”

[...]

“It’s like being a missionary,” Susan says of helping animals in Japan. “You spend a lot of time feeling alone and isolated. But if it wasn’t for us, there would be no one.”

>>Read the rest of the article.

The Best Friends Network also made a list of organizations around the world that attended the conference. See the full list (including Japan Cat Network).