San Juan Bautista
– A foreign visitor from Japan has gone missing in the San Juan
Bautista area and his family is calling on the community to help
find him – he could be using up one of his nine lives, after
all.
San Juan Bautista – A foreign visitor from Japan has gone missing in the San Juan Bautista area and his family is calling on the community to help find him – he could be using up one of his nine lives, after all.
Kuma, a Burmese cat recently imported from Japan, was lost Saturday. Owners Jim and Kay White say having him returned would mean the world to them, and their daughter is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can bring him back.
“Losing him has been a real blow to us, especially my wife,” Jim said.
The cat belonged to Kay’s mother Toe Sato, and when she recently passed away, the Whites decided to bring the cat back to America and look after him themselves.
Kuma began his journey on the small island of Kyushu in the southernmost part of Japan. He traveled north on a plane several hours to Tokyo, was transferred to a van that took him to the airport and spent 10 hours flying across the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco International Airport, where he arrived Aug. 5. Overall he spent nearly 24 hours traveling, Jim said.
“When we picked him up at the airport he was so happy to see me and I was so glad to see him,” Kay said. “I brought him a little food made from an airplane breakfast. It was scrambled eggs and sausage, and he seemed so happy to have something besides dry food.”
The Whites’ daughter, Kimberly, picked up the happy trio and headed to her home in Monterey. Kuma eventually grew cranky and when they came upon Betabel Road/Y Road exit off Hwy. 101, they pulled over so he could stretch his legs and use the proverbial potty.
Kuma was on a leash and harnessed, but bolted away without any warning. The Whites spent hours looking for him, but to no avail.
“He was being very affectionate and was really happy to be out of the car,” said Kay. “So we were really surprised when he made his escape dash.”
The Whites had to return to their home in Eureka, but Kimberly is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who is able to find Kuma and bring him back to his family.
“He was (Sato’s) pride and joy,” said Jim. “We all feel just sick about losing him.”
Four or five years ago Kuma “adopted” Sato, a lifelong resident of Japan who had a reputation for taking in stray cats.
“Truth be told, if people had cats they didn’t want they’d set them loose in her neighborhood, because they knew she’d take care of them,” Jim said.
Kay said her childhood in Japan was always full of animals.
“We always had five or six cats or dogs in the house with us,” she said. “And my mother fed them and loved them all.”
Sato placed most of her charges in loving homes with friends, neighbors and relatives, said the Whites, but developed a special bond with Kuma.
“His name means ‘A Bear’ in Japanese,” Kay said. “It’s a very cute name, but I’m not sure why she picked it. Maybe she looked at his dark ears and they reminded her of a bear.”
Kuma developed a very unique personality, the Whites said.
“He was a mix of wild and tame cat, but he could be very affectionate, too,” Kay said. “And he loved sashimi, the raw fish like sushi, just like me. Whenever we made it, we would save him a little, and he just loved it.”
Sadly, Sato developed pancreatic cancer, an unusually aggressive form, earlier this year. Because she became so ill so quickly, Kay, who had been living in the States for a number of years, was not able to spend very much time with her mother before she passed away.
“Kuma was her companion because I could not be,” she said.
While her mother was in the hospital, Kay said she spoke often of Kuma and how she wished to see him.
“I knew she couldn’t see him because she was in the hospital, but I decided it was very important for me to take care of this cat,” Kay said.
Knowing that Kuma would be cared for was a great comfort to Sato, Jim said.
“She was glad to know that he would have a long and happy life,” he said.
Getting Kuma overseas was an uphill battle for the Whites. In order to be exported to America, he had to be neutered.
“I don’t think he really appreciated that,” Kay said.
He then had to receive a battery of shots and medications and undergo several medical exams, racking up about $2,000 in veterinary bills in the process, before he could be declared fit for travel.
“The veterinarian I worked with and the Japanese Animal Quarantine officials were all very nice and very helpful,” Kay said. “They said, ‘What a lucky cat. Most people would have him put to sleep or just let him go.'”
Kay said she hopes that if somebody does find Kuma, they will return him, but at the very least she hopes some family is able to give him a could home.
“If he is returned, I will cherish it always,” she said. “I will take very good care of him in our house, and I’ll speak to him in both English and Japanese. He hasn’t learned English yet.”
Anyone with information regarding Kuma is urged to call Kimberly White at 831-394-4814 or 831-601-1314. Readers can also learn more about Kuma at jimkat.
googlepages.com/home.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
