Tsuda has always loved animals. Ten years before he had
his first "Namennayo" Cat, he had already kept all kinds of pets on the rooftop
of his company building. The pets included rabbits, dogs, marmots, ducks, pigeons,
poll parrots, sparrows, turtles and hamsters. Tsuda didn't like cats much then
because they often attacked his birds. It wasn't until later when he was involved
with work related to cats that he began liking them. He had to shoot photographs
of many pedigree kittens for posters and calendars. The experience he gained
from the photo shoots and taking care of the kittens allowed his better care-taking
of his "Namennayo" Cats. It was also around that time that he started to keep
cats because he fell in love with the chinchilla's golden, flat face. As chinchillas
have long fur their bottoms get dirty every time they do their big ones, and
Tsuda recalls having to wash his Chinchilla's bottom often. (Top Left Photo,
Centre)
One more thing, which made Tsuda change his image of
cats, was when he took four abandoned kittens into his care in 1979. The kittens
were just barely born and couldn't even open their eyes yet. Tsuda did his
best to take care of the kittens by warming up the room and feeding them milk
with a dropper, but he was doubtful of their survival, as they were too small.
He took the kittens to work everyday in a special basket, and gave them milk,
wiped their bottoms, cleaned their ears several times a day and washed them.
He just couldn't leave them unattended. Although people say that cats don't
cling on to people, with these kittens it was different. Because Tsuda was
the first thing they saw and smelt they probably took him as their parent.
Like following a mother cat, the kittens would run after Tsuda. And in the
morning when Tsuda goes into the toilet they would also come and gather around
the toilet and do their business. At night when Tsuda goes to bed the kittens
would also squeeze under his blanket. That made Tsuda to adore cats even more.
One day, almost two months since they met, Tsuda noticed the kittens playing
with costumes for dolls left behind by his girlfriend. He put the costumes
on the kittens for fun and because it was funny he took photographs of the
kittens running around in their outfit. That was the beginning of the "Namen
nayo" Cats.
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