Kanno became a part of my family 2 days after the death of Yoko. It was strange to have a empty cage so I decided to get two rats to fill the empty space. At the pet shop there was a cage full of baby rats jumping everywhere to get my attention, I picked the only female out of bunch and then looked at the other cage that held the mom rat, she was just sitting seemingly relieved to have a brake from the little ones.... boy was she wrong, I took her home with me too.
I named her Shimomura after Yoko, whom was also name after one of my favorite composers... Yoko Kanno and Yoko Shimomura. Shimomura was the boss of the cage and did whatever she wanted with little disipline from her mother, but as she grew older she became wiser, because shortly we got 2 more rats to add to the population, and Shimomura soon learned to take the back burner. Shimomura was like her mother in many ways, and unfortunately her cancer genes. When Kanno developed tumors under her arm and uterus, Shimomura later developed tumors on the same spots, but the where much slower in growth.
Shimomura did not let anything get in her way, especially her tumors, after Kanno's death, Shimomura kept going, her uterus tumor got very large, but she would still climb all over the gage and would be the first to start jumping at bath time. In her youth, Shimomura would always jump on the ledge of the tub, and I would always have to push her back in, she would still do so in her old age.
Shimomura died in her sleep at the ripe old age of 3 and a half on January 14th. In her last months Shimomura was skin and bones and had a large tumor, yet she would plow through life as if she was 3 months old, Shimomura showed me that you should life your life the the fullest and happiest dispite your weakness. Have a great time on the rainbow bridge Shimomura, you earned it old soldier.
