Walking back from my IBM work on a cold, drizzly night in Osaka’s Nishinakajimaminamigata (西中島南方 - yes, there is a place called that), I heard a kitten mewing pitifully from an alleyway, so I stuffed her in my coat and took her home. Thin as bones, I named her Bones. She lived with me for a few years, never having lost her feral instincts, until one day she didn’t come home. (I had to leave my screen door open or she’d bounce of it like a trampoline.) Japanese has the cutest of phrases, “neko no hitai” ( 猫の額) meaning a cat’s forehead but indicating a small area. It is a useful phrase to remember If you choose to adopt an animal (which you should), visit the Kumamoto Doubutsu Aigo Center, which cares for abandoned pets. http://doubutsuaigo.hinokuni-net.jp/ - William http://noriko-sensei.com/blog/what-do-japanese-mean-by-cat-s-forehead