Heart Tokushima is a no-kill animal shelter run by Susan Mercer and Hitoshi Tojo outside of Tokushima City, Japan. It is hard to believe that a volunteer-run animal shelter in rural Shikoku could take care of 250+ animals, sometimes more, and both receive them and send them all over Japan. Some animal adoptions have also been arranged with people who moved to other countries after living in Japan. They have found homes for more than 1500 animals according to Mercer.  That is amazing!

Mercer and Tojo recently did a bilingual Ted Talk for TEDxTokushimaU, and it is best to hear them explain what they do and how they started.

To go from rescuing one little kitten to running an animal shelter requires a lot of determination and dedication, especially in Japan where the concepts of volunteerism and charities are not well known. It is interesting to note that some volunteers are local residents who love animals, but some volunteers are from other countries. They come from all over the world to give their time. (More information on volunteering can be found on Heart’s website.) Heart Tokushima does a lot of work with very little money.

How did I get involved in all this? Susan Mercer and I had a chat one day, and I had this crazy idea that I could help more by creating artwork  that could be used for publicity or fundraising purposes. I  thought that any PR would be  worth more than my donating enough money to buy a few bags of cat food or kitty litter and hopefully the sale of the artwork would also bring more in donations than what I could afford to give by myself. As a result, I became an artist in residence at Heart for a few days.

To be honest, I had no idea about how many animals they took care of or what the facilities were like. I did not know how many people worked there as volunteers or paid staff, and I definitely did not know what all of these people did every day. It was an eye opener.

I had no idea where to even start. Mercer suggested that I spend the day at the shelter and perhaps focus on taking pictures of the cats. With hindsight, that makes sense because I am more familiar with handling cats than dogs. Even knowing that, it was difficult to know where to start because I did not want to get in the way of the volunteers doing their jobs and I had no clue of where the cats were. The lot is rather large and filled with small buildings and shelters scattered throughout. Doors had locks, and the shelter naturally had rules and procedures to ensure the safety of everyone, including the animals. I decided that asking where the cats were kept was the best way for me to be useful and to get out of everyone’s way.

Cats are smart and good at opening doors, so I had to open two sets of doors with a complicated pulley system of locks to enter the cattery. The cats had enclosed rooms in the back where their litter boxes were kept, but the front resembled the gazebo we have for our own cats. All the sunshine and breezes of being outdoors with the safety and security of being inside.

Despite my uncertainties, my welcoming committee seemed very happy to see me. Most had pictures with their names and simple biographical data pinned to the wall, but some did not. I met so many in such a short time that I do not think I can remember them all now even though I did a pretty good job of remembering them at the time. Mercer and Tojo surprisingly remember the names, personalities, and stories of all the animals that have crossed their threshold.

Look at that face! Isn’t he adorable? This one’s name is Norojiro I think…don’t quote me on it.

Every animal has its own unique personality. Yamato here is a cuddler. And yes, Yamato is also part of the official name for the Kuroneko (Black Cat) courier company. This handsome tabby gave the volunteer no choice and hugged her as hard as he could. He is a big cat and has a lot of muscle!

Others are the strong, silent  type. This tabby has a very leonine face. Not as demonstrative as Yamato, he was near my side every time I entered the cattery. He wanted to be friends but was shy…and careful. A lot of these cats lived on the streets as strays where they might have received a few meals from well-meaning locals but they probably also received a few kicks from locals who did not mean them well, not to mention life-threatening pecks from huge black crows. Shelter, clean water, regular meals, flea medicine, as well as medical care are a godsend for all.

Is this smaller one part Siamese? Maybe. Animal shelters often receive animals who have been rescued from immoral breeders or owners who have been neglectful, senile, or absent. this wee one was much shyer and only came out after I brought some fresh grass for them to nibble on. Norojiro is keeping an eye out to ensure this one’s safety. Is he the big brother of the group?

Or is it love? This one certainly is a beauty and well-deserving of a soft-focus filter. look at those big, blue eyes!

See? Norojiro is in the background watching over this fellow, too. This handsome guy reminds me of my own cat at home.

One of my relatives studied to be an animal trainer and she said that these ginger cats are genetically inclined to be larger and kinder than the average cat. This kind of cat also tends to get bits of sleep in the corners of their eyes. Compared to other cats, their eyes always look dirty as a result but it is just the way they are.

As you can see, the cats have a lot of space to run around in. They can jump or hide if they like. They, however, are missing laps to sit on as well as comfortable sofas and chairs. This was only one room. There are more.

To be continued…