Veterinarian Takeo Yamaguchi with a stray cat to be treated in Kunitomi, Miyazaki Prefecture. Photo taken Jan. 19 (Osafumi Sato)
Takeo Yamaguchi s daily quest, from morning to night, is to bring the number of stray cats being euthanized to zero.
The 73-year-old veterinarian provides sterilizations at a bargain price, which has won him the admiration of animal activists nationwide who refer to him as a god in his field.
Annually, Yamaguchi averages 5,000 sterilizations across the nation for the paltry sum of 3,500 yen ($31.60) each, a steal given that the procedure normally costs between 10,000 yen and 30,000 yen.
“Stray felines by their very nature have no owners, so they require better top-class care than other cats,” Yamaguchi said. “That s because no one is there to help them even if their condition worsens afterward.”