More Cats in My Garden

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2005-02-20 23:34 · Cats

Recently, it keeps snowing or raining in Shanghai. Meanwhile, I found more cats in my garden. Besides the original two (I have named them), three more often drop by and eat what I feed. Since my parents are here and they can cook something other than the cat food I bought from super market, we can offord to help more cats.

If you take my garden as a country, I will say, Huahua and Liangliang hold the passport of my garden, so they are the permenent citizen and enjoy the well fare I provide (including food, home, water and sometime my time with them). The other three are visitors holding visa I granted. They can enjoy the food, but there is no home for them. :-D

When looking at these small animals, I forget about all the troubles I have. Just like what William Wordsworth said: “Animal helps to keep the peace of our mind…” True.

P.S Shanghai News.

To keep the public service for those who comes here for real time Shanghai information, let me summarize what is going on in the city in short sentences.

  1. It snowed. It is 0°C outside, according to the meter in my car.

  2. It has been raining since end of Jan (with only two days exception)

  3. The Spring Festival can be claimed to end by next Monday - many people will take vacation in the next few working days after the vacation.

15 Comments
Dear friend:

It is a great pleasure to read your wondefull writtings.

I love cats and i have two at home

¡¡¡thank you for your beautyful

articles¡¡¡¡.

Waitting the next one, my english is very bad , I think is improving reading your letters.

With my best wishes Maria Ezcurra
— maria ezcurra · 2005-02-21 03:08
Can you post pictures of the cats doing stuff in your garden? I'm sure lots of people would like to see that!
— Lee · 2005-02-22 01:48
Hey dude, just by chance ran into your blog. It's been 5 years since we met in SJTU campus. It seems to me you are living a very good life. :)
— Henry · 2005-02-22 11:09
Love to see some pictures.
— jqian · 2005-02-24 02:30
reading ur article is one of my enjoyment now.

really perfect!
— gerald · 2005-02-27 15:05
Thanks gerald. I am happy to have a friend like you.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2005-02-27 22:48
...just ran into a group of cat/dog lovers lately, and they have a small community to help the annimals, see http://www.goodbers.com/starpups/sps_about.html

There are some fund raising activities now and then in Shanghai, I heard next one will be on May 24 18:30 at Zapatas, if I will be free that day, I might go there will some cat/dog food, hehe
— mcgjcn · 2005-05-20 17:24
what kind of food do male cats eat,and does it like chicken or beef or pork?
— ronia · 2006-05-30 06:31
It's so good to see another befriender-of-cats. In late January, a mother cat and kitten showe up and I have been putting food out for them also. Today we had another rather fat cat, who I would consider to be an illegal alien,and those two, probably temporary residents......we never know when they will come or go. It was so fun to read your blog and I hope you had a good time at home!
— swany · 2007-02-25 13:24
That is so cool your helping them. I'm sure they are greatful. I wish people wouldn't abandon their pets.
— Meagan · 2008-10-11 04:21
Hello, I've just found your blog and have been reading with interest. There is a chance we may be relocating to Shanghai in the next few months and I have been worried about bringing my cats. One expat website seemed to indicate it is dangerous to let them out due to the fur/food trade and the fact that poison is put down for stray cats. Is this true even in the expat housing areas?
— Nicky · 2009-03-13 22:56
Nicky, what you heard is, sadly, true. So be careful. Although it is not as dangerous as it sounds - since there are 16 million people in this city, and imagine how many cats - so the chance is not that big, but no one will know your cat is an expat cats or not. I don't tend to scare you, but read this post: http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20061230_friends_dog_killed.htm
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2009-03-13 23:06
Oh dear. I am facing a real dilemma because it would break my heart if anything happened to my cats, but they are used to going outside so would hate being kept indoors. I've heard that some apartment buildings have top floor flats with their own garden/courtyard area, is this common? I figured it might be a good compromise, as they wouldn't be able to roam the streets. Sorry to ask you so many questions, it's just my most serious concern about moving over.

PS Thanks for your swift response.
— Nicky · 2009-03-13 23:15
Actually, if I were you, I won't be too concerned. Just accompany your cat at all time when you go out, and don't like your cat wandering by itself unattended (you don't do it anyway). That should be OK. There is no (at least never heard of) cat robbery. It is as children theft. Although there are such a thing of parents losing their children, if the parents really take care of the children by accompany them all the time, that won't happen.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2009-03-13 23:21
Hi Nicky:

If you don't mind, I suggest that you will really need to search for an apartment that will allow you to let the cats out. The reason is that the expat communities usually consist of a bunch of high-rise apartment buildings. So, while you could take your cats up and down in the elevator, that would seem a bit impractical. You might be able to find an apartment on the first or second floor that would allow the cats to go in and out from the balcony.

In such a community they do put out poison from time to time, when the number of cats gets too high. But this is likely only done once a year, if that often, and if you talk to management they would certainly be willing to tell you before they put down the poison. Of course you would need to go back to them many times so they don't forget.

As for cat napping, its unlikely. There are already lots of stray cats, and no one is stealing them.

Lastly, you might consider an apartment in another type of environment, for instance in the old French quarter, there you would be much more likely to find an apartment that was situated properly to let the cats go out. Also, no poison risk there, or almost none. However, the danger here is that the streets will be more accessible.

The housing stock in Shanghai is actually pretty varied, you should be able to find something suitable.

Good luck!
— Rhodo Zeb · 2009-03-14 19:35