Cats in Showa & Cats in Reiwa

My cat daughter, Lili, came to me in the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I rescued her when she was stuck in a ditch, and from that day on, she became a member of my family.

She was only about one to two weeks old at the time, so I had to feed her milk using a small piston-like device.

A long time ago (back in the Showa era), I had a tabby cat, and I thought cats were easier to care for than dogs.

So, I expected the same this time—but it turned out to be completely different.

Unlike in the Showa era, it’s no longer easy to let cats outside.

Back then, cats could freely go in and out of the house. When they wanted to play, they would go outside, and when they got hungry, they would return home. They even opened the screen door by themselves—and sometimes, they did this from the second floor! My previous cat was truly independent and free-spirited.

Yet, at the same time, it was very affectionate. It would always purr while sitting on my lap or rub against my legs.

But this time, I can’t let my cat outside, so I had to build fences inside the house and buy a cat tower, which ended up being quite expensive.

However, I don’t see this as a negative thing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—it helped tidy up my home, and it feels like fresh, healthy air is flowing through the space.

Another major expense is food. Back in the Showa era, I remember feeding my cat dried sardines left over from cooking and neko manma—leftover food from meals mixed with miso soup. Today, people would probably say that’s not a proper diet, but that’s how it was back then.

Even so, my previous cat lived for over ten years. Sadly, it passed away after drinking pesticide-contaminated water from a nearby rice field. It was truly heartbreaking. 😢

Letting cats outside is indeed dangerous.

This time, I’ve made sure Lili can play safely indoors. I even rearranged my room just for her. My life has completely changed, and now everything revolves around Lili. I go straight home from work, and when I travel, I ask my sister to take care of her.

They say calico cats are naturally tsundere—cold and aloof at times, but affectionate when they want to be. Lili is exactly like that. If I don’t pay enough attention to her, she gets mad.

She almost never rubs against me or sits on my lap, but when it gets cold, she lets out a cute meow and climbs onto my lap. She even gives little love bites.

But just when she seems affectionate, she suddenly throws a cat punch!

She’s picky about food too. If there’s no bonito flakes on top, she just sniffs it and walks away… It’s tricky. But giving her bonito flakes every time wouldn’t be good for her health.

Reading this, it might sound like calico cats are selfish, but really, they just do things their own way. They have clear likes and dislikes.

Surprisingly, though, she’s quite considerate. She waits for me to go to bed before settling down herself. And if I’m wasting time scrolling through social media, she lets out a sharp meow, as if to say, “Enough already! Pay attention to me!”

She’s really responsible!

It’s been over three and a half years since Lili came into my life, and she has grown so much. Now, she’s like a dependable big sister.