We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

304 pages Berkley September 3, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

A cat a day keeps the doctor away…

Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.

Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

MY THOUGHTS

This book was originally published in Japanese then translated into seventeen languages. These are vignettes intertwining and strung together.
This is unlike any book I’ve ever read before.

As a cat owner of three, I do believe cats have healing properties, who can refuse a cat snuggling up against you? You’ll instantly start feeling better as your depression lifts and your calmness comes about.

In We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, there is a medical clinic that only those who really need it can find. No matter the ill a cat is prescribed with the rest of the prescription to be picked up at the nurse’s desk.

There is a quite a bit of magical realism present in the book, which I wasn’t aware of when I decided to read it. This isn’t the type of book I normally read but it really worked for me.

Light and easy read we see the healing the cats bring to the people mentally as they leave with a more positive outlook on life. Some of this is nonsensical and whimsical. I think this is an uplifting book most cat lovers would enjoy.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Born in 1975 in Kyoto, Syou Ishida began writing fiction while working at a telecommunications company. We’ll Prescribe You a Cat has been a runaway bestseller in Japan and is due to be published in seventeen languages.