We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

As a lifelong cat lover and cat owner, I’m always drawn to books about felines. As soon as I saw We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, I had to read it. Already a bestseller in Japan and now available in English for the first time, this book takes the idea of cats as cures for mental health struggles and makes it literal: this doctor in Kyoto literally prescribes cats to his patients. Told in five interconnected short stories, this novel slowly paints a picture of the mysterious Kokoro Clinic for the Soul and the cats that somehow resolve their patients’ issues.

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

• Interconnected short stories
• Magical realism
• Third-person narrative

What I Liked:

• Cats! Who doesn’t love cats taking a central role in a book? Here, we get to meet several cats who are prescriptions for various patients. They seem like ordinary cats, with their unique personalities and habits, and yet they somehow have significant effects on those caring for them. Whatever ails a person, these delightful felines can somehow make the troubles go away.
• “Cats can solve most problems.” I love the idea of cats as cures! My cat always tries to comfort me whenever I’m not feeling well; she now does the same for my newborn when he cries. My sister has done much better with her depression since getting a cat. I believe cats (or any cuddly pets) can do wonders for people. This book just makes it quite literal!
• Interconnected stories that form a novel. There are five short stories here, each following a different patient with their own problems, their strange experiences at the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, and the cat(s) resolving those issues. As the book progresses, it seems that there’s more to the clinic than meets the eye, and the stories become increasingly connected.
• Mental health. Of course, mental health is the central theme here, besides the cats serving as the cure. In this book, the issues are somewhat more minor: work-related stress, insomnia, family issues. These cats aren’t yet solving more significant mental health issues, but they are successfully tackling problems with largely external causes.
• Magical component. There’s something just a little off about the doctor and nurse at the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul… maybe something a little magical?

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Naturally, some stories resonated more than others. That’s down to taste.
• I wanted more answers by the end!

Final Thoughts

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat is a charming novel that can easily be read in one sitting. It’s perfect for anyone who loves cats and the idea of cats as a cure. I’m excited to read the sequel, We’ll Prescribe You a Cat, Again, due next year! There’s so much wonderful cat-related literature coming out of Japan, and I want to read it all.

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy We’ll Prescribe You a Cat here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
Series	We’ll Prescribe You a Cat (#1)
Translator	E. Madison Shimoda (from Japanese)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Literary Fiction; Magical Realism
Setting	Kyoto, Japan
Number of Pages	304
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	September 3, 2024 (English translation)
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

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.