I still own many of my books from my youth, and they are mostly all about horses and dogs, with a few other critter books tossed into the mix.
As an adult, I still enjoy books about animals, but they are not as readily available for adults as they are for children. This is why I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read a new book that was just released on September 3, 2024 called We’ll Prescribe You a Cat (Berkley Hardcover). The book was written by Syou Ishida. The book was originally written in Japanese, but it was translated into English by E. Madison Shimoda.
The novel is already a bestseller in Japan, where it won the 2023 Kyoto Book Prize.
I’m the “mom” to eight (yes, 8!) cats. Needless to say I was very interested in reading this book.
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat is actually several smaller stories all rolled into one book, with each connected to an untraditional doctor’s office, a strange doctor and a not-so-friendly nurse.
Tucked away where most people can’t find it is Kyoto’s Kokuro Clinic for the Soul. People with different issues find their way to this unique doctor’s office. Instead of being prescribed medicine to cure what ails them, the doctor prescribes them a cat (yes, a real cat). Each cat comes with care guidelines.When they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives.
This might sound like a silly premise, but it’s not. Regardless of what was bothering the patient (insomnia, work issues, trouble at school, guilt…), the cat they were prescribed is magically able to help “cure” them.
Image by Christophe from Pixabay
Ishida reminds us that, actually, a cat is the purr-fect remedy for the soul.
I know it sounds simple, and it is, but there is so much more to each of these stories than that. These stories not only express hope, self discovery and healing, but it also showcases just how special and “magical” the bond between a human and cat can be (or any other animal for that matter). If you have ever been blessed with a pet in your life, you’ll know just how special the bond can be.
This is book has almost 300 pages, but it doesn’t seem like a long story. You could easily read this in one day if so inclined. Or you can do what I did and read the book one patient/cat at a time. The book is divided up into individual stories rather than a traditional chapter book. I didn’t do a page count for each story, but they seemed to be about the same length, give or take a few pages.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved the stories (I could relate to a couple of them), and I love how the pets were able to heal them. I know as a pet owner that having one of my cats on my lap purring can really help to reduce the stress I feel at the end of a long day. Even just stroking one of my cats, or seeing them come running at me when I walk in the door, is enough to make my heart smile.
It has also been medically proven that animals can benefit humans in many ways. Just do a Google search for “mental health animals” (or similar keywords) and you’ll find a plethora of great information.
Look for We’ll Prescribe You a Cat at your favorite book seller, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
*I received a free copy of this book in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
