Interview Documentary

Before we set off to field interviews, we had already discussed and prepared many key questions related to our research, and sent through E-mail to Mr. Rack, who would kindly answer our questions. The translation of the original copy of the interview follows.

1. Why did Houtong originally create this Cat Village? Can you briefly summarize for us the whole course of this occurrence?

A: Around 2009, Ruifang Township Tourism Division put the spotlight on the Houtong Ruisan mining industry, and based on the promotion there was not much success with getting people to accept this idea. Originally many of the cats in Houtong were owned by miners, but because of the lack of breeding control, there was a vast amount of cats. At first there was no such problem as animal abandonment, but information about Houtong cats  quickly spread through the Internet, resulted in many people from both domestic and foreign citizens, serendipitously, turned the place into a cat village. Throughout time, some people who so call themselves ‘cat lovers’, under the guise of the name, fundraised and arranged charity bazaars, and from the profit they’ve gained, not even one-tenth is spent on the cats’ interests, boasting about cats to make themselves pretentious. People like this, can use their cat-loving title to apply for help from Houtong Tourism Division, further getting involved with collusions to make themselves famous.

2. Can you briefly introduce the missions and jobs of the Cats Independent Club of Volunteers?

A: The principle of the Cats Independent Club of Volunteers, is to respect lives. The reason why Houtong has become one of the world’s top six sites for seeing cats, contrarily, is because people come here to abandon their cats, in fact not just cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, etc. Houtong has ironically become the ‘heaven’ for abandonment. Some of the cat breeds are: Long-haired Persians, American Shorthair, Siamese, and much more. Cats Independent Club of Volunteer also wishes that through advocacy, people can kindly, with love, adopt instead of purchase animals. Furthermore, hoping to establish a midway home for cats, to increase the changes of cats being adopted, instead of ‘supporting’ the 12-day ‘humane extirpation’. At the same time, establishing a midway home can also reduce the financial burdens spent on medications, and increase chances of adoption. The only drawback is Houtong doesn’t have enough patrol crewmembers, therefore cannot completely fix the abandonment issue. However, the rise of a place, needs constant help from the masses, and not say one thing and do another, using its name in guise of public and private use.

3. Besides the Cats Volunteer Club, are there any other groups or individuals who pay close and long-term attention on taking care of the Houtong cats?

A: Other people I have no comment towards, as for other groups, let the people who are truly interested to further investigate.

4. Where do the financial aids for the Volunteer Club come from?

A: All the expense of the club, are from the members of the club, who would unselfishly do everything for the cats. Without any fundraising nor charity bazaars, from the bottom of their hearts, really wanting to do everything they can for the cats. The happiness and pleasure they get, is so priceless compared to money.

5. How are the expenditures allocated?

A: Everyone in the Cats Independent Club of Volunteers has a voice on the Internet; everyone will come to a time where they lack the capacity to do something. Right now all the volunteers are willing to contribute their money and energy. In fact, we all hope that more loving people can join.

6. Approximately how much money per month is spent on taking care of the cats?

A: How much is spent really depends on how much you love the cats, just like our love, Flower (one of the cats), the more we love her the more she trusts us, and when she trusts us, she gets all flighty, so what we spend on her, we spend totally willingly.

7. On taking care of the cats, has there been anything that has troubled the volunteer club? (Like protest voices, government policies, sources of funding etc.)

A: Troubles of course, as we so diligently take care of the cats, it’s heart breaking when they pass away. And the emergence of feline panleukopenia, as much as we try to prevent the spread, we cannot, many may die along the road, the railway...you can imagine the feeling yourselves. To gain profit and advantage, some groups just don’t do the right thing for the poor cats, don’t their hearts ache?

8. What goals are hoping to be achieved through this humane rescue programme?

A: Maybe propose to the government animal health insurance or emergency treatments.

9. How do you keep track of and manage the amount of cats?

A: Hopefully we can have like a household registration for cats, if cats go missing it can be reported.

10. Do the cats have some medical measures they take?

A: We have sent a request to the Township Tourism Division to establish a medical centre, and also asked the Animal Protection Association and Centres for Disease Control, and after a meeting on the 6th of December, 2013, no consent was concluded. The tourism division wished to set up an ‘advocacy centre’ instead of a ‘medical centre’ or ‘shelter’. But the animals end up in shelters, and euthanized after 12 days, what is the point of an advocacy centre?

11. Have all the cats been neutered?

A: Because there is no healthcare system for cats, so not all cats can be neutered, and generally people who adopt cats don’t want them to be.

12. Has the tendency of abandonment slowly increased?

A: Yes.

13. How can Houtong prevent abandonment?

A: Install security cameras, catch all the people who do so.

14. Where do all the cats sleep at night? Are there any shelters?

A: These outdoor cats, the land is their bed, and God is their protection.

15. In the beginning there weren’t so many tourists, to now big crowds of people visiting, has the nature of the cats changed? Does this affect the environment and habitat? Residents’ thoughts and/or reactions?

A: That would have to depend on the tourists’ characters. Some cats do not like to be disturbed, and some like to be petted by people. When spending $10 on buying a cat playing stick, don’t forget that each cat has its own personality, when it feels irritated or provoked, it could attack. Sadly some tourists like to tease the cats, and in addition the family education these days isn’t always so great, some people are not so civic-minded, all sorts of rubbish are left behind; really bothers the residents.

16. Personally do you think, is it appropriate for Houtong to be ranked in the “6 places where cats outshine tourist attractions” by CNN? Long-term wise, will more issues associated with the cats’ survival arise?

A: Inappropriate, and is creating a major impact on the cats’ lives.