Temporary Pet Care Service Helps Kumamoto Quake Victims

Hikawa, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)--A temporary pet care service has been offered to pet owners in areas devastated by a powerful earthquake that last month hit Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, as some evacuation centers refuse to admit their beloved animals.

Michiyo Ueda, 75, a resident of the Kumamoto town of Hikawa, saw her cat, Hina, become weak after she left her at home. Hina, however, recovered after receiving care at a veterinary hospital.

"I was able to feel more positive," Ueda said with a smile. Her home was completely destroyed in the July 28 earthquake.

Right after the temblor, she was able to confirm that Hina was safe and sound, but the cat disappeared. After leaving food in front of her home, Ueda was able to see her pet again two days later.

But Ueda was unable to take Hina to the evacuation center where she was staying, forcing her to return to her damaged home to feed the cat. Every time she went there, the cat emerged from piles of debris. But it grew thinner and thinner.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]