The Cats of Arai, Nakano: Purrfect cat party
My tiny apartment in Nakano doesn’t have many amenities, but it does have a call-a-cat service. Sometimes the cats are even there before I call them! Meow!
Like many other Japanese apartments, mine prohibits pets and with its tiny size – just one room for kitchen and living room – keeping one would be clear animal abuse. The windows are simple ones too and because I live on the ground floor I don’t get sun light through the window anyway. What I do get however is the sound of cats.
There’s this tiny path between the wall and the windows which is probably mostly used by people servicing the air conditioner. It’s also one of the favorite places by the local cat community. Sometimes they hang out, other times they are mating or fighting.
This is a mostly residential area with a nearby park and not much traffic. It should be relatively safe for cats to roam outside whether they are domestic or stray ones. One time when I arrived home, a small cat greeted me in the hallway and seemed intent to book a stay at Hotel Mia. With so many cats around me, it’s like living in a cat café.
