An Interview with Doug Takahashi

by Marianne Moore

Earlier this year, RAPS’ cat sanctuary was fortunate to be able to hire Doug Takahashi, a long-time volunteer. It’s safe to say that everyone who knows Doug breathed a sigh of relief "What would we do without Doug?” Recently, he took time out of his busy day to answer a few questions about himself.

How long have you been involved with RAPS? I started volunteering in January 2004 and became an employee in February of this year (2009).

How did you first hear about RAPS and what inspired you to volunteer? I read an article in a newspaper about a cat shelter in Richmond. I didn’t know such places existed. After looking at the website for Richmond Homeless Cats, I knew I wanted to see it. I fell in love with the place after my first visit and soon decided I wanted to spend more time there. Volunteering seemed a good place to start.

What do you do at RAPS? I do a little bit of everything and a whole lot of some things. I’m not sure what my job title is, maybe “maintenance/handyman”. I do regular maintenance, repairs, troubleshooting, construction, renovations and general labour, which you could call ‘heavy lifting’. I like to spend time organizing the storage areas and work shed. Keeping things tidy and accessible saves me (and others) time when I’m looking for something. I am actively involved in our recycling efforts at the cat sanctuary, sorting and returning materials to the appropriate depots. I spend most of my time at the cat sanctuary, although I do work for the city shelter and the thrift store as well. Oh yes, and I also drive the truck for our monthly Costco food and litter pickup.

I’ve just finished building two new sheds in the area now known as the Valerie Jones Memorial Garden. That project took about ten weeks. I’m now replacing the leaky roof on the double wide trailer and hope to finish before the weather gets worse. I’ve been asked to build a picket fence around the small area at the city shelter where the little dogs are kept. (Ed. Note: The Valerie Jones Memorial Garden project was conceived of and generously funded by the family of Valerie Jones, an avid supporter of the cat sanctuary, who passed away last year).

How did you learn carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc.? I had access to my dad’s tool collection when I was growing up, mostly making myself toys and such. While taking a drafting course at a community college, I became interested in residential construction. My first project was renovating a small TV room in my parents’ basement. I haven’t taken any courses or had any training or work experience doing this prior to joining RAPS. Whatever skills and/or knowledge I didn’t pick up along the way, I’ve learned from ‘how-to’ books or the internet. I try to educate myself on whatever comes up while working for RAPS, because it would cost a lot of money if we opened up the Yellow Pages every time something went wrong.


What did you do before you started working at RAPS? I spent about 16 years as a draftsperson in an engineering branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I sat in front of a computer all day long, in an office tower in downtown Vancouver. Now I do a lot of physical work and get my hands (and clothes) dirty. It’s much more enjoyable.

Do you have cats at home? Yes. I was volunteering at the cat shelter one day when someone brought in a pregnant cat that they found on the dyke. We didn’t have a suitable room at RAPS to accommodate her so, since I was the only person there that day without any cats, I volunteered to foster her. I decided to keep her and two kittens after we successfully adopted out the other kittens.

Your parents have also adopted cats from the cat sanctuary, didn’t they? Yes. My parents have always had cats around the house (and one dog when I was young). After the last one passed, and with no neighbourhood strays to take in, my mother asked me to choose two cats for them. My parents didn’t even need to meet the cats first and weren’t picky about their age or colour. So they now have one-eyed, orange Dave and big, black-and-white Jimmy. Renamed Willy and Sami, in honour of some favourite Vancouver Canucks, both are doing great and my family is enjoying them immensely.

Who’s your favourite cat(s) at the shelter? My long-time favourite is grey Scotty. When I spent several weeks insulating the back pens in 2004, he always followed me around. I don’t usually choose favourite cats, I let them choose me. Over the years, several other cats have ‘chosen’ to be my favourites, including Panther, Josie, Tara, Bingo, Spot, Mocha (I call her Brownie), Liam, Zoe, and Baloo.

Would you like to comment on your “team of assistants” at the shelter? Over the years I’ve received all kinds of help from many people, but Karen Yu, Peter Mah and Janice Lambert in particular have put in countless hours working alongside me, often doing things that involved hard labour and/or unpleasant conditions. Just some of the projects we’ve worked on together include laying paving stones, renovating the kitten trailer, insulating the work/storage shed, and renovating bathrooms. They did all the stain and painting during the metamorphosis of the teen courtyard into the Valerie Jones Memorial Garden. Janet Reid’s son, Chris, was able to come out several days to help me build the sheds. Lisa Weston even decided to branch out from her animal care role and become a roofer for a day. I also had help from Kenneth Jackson, a student at R.J. Palmer High School.

Anything else you’d like to include in this article? I like working here so much that I decided to move into the house on the property when it became available to rent. I can spend more time being productive and less time driving up and down Knight Street everyday.

Do you have any words of encouragement for others with similar skills or interests to yours to become a RAPS volunteer? Yes. Please join! I need help!

Thank you for all you do for RAPS, Doug. What would we do without you?