Author: Syou Ishida
Book Review by: Barbara Glass
Buy the book here.
Even if you’re not a “cat person,” We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat will warm your heart.
Syou Ishida has written a worthy sequel to her award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel We’ll Prescribe You a Cat. Her follow-up collection consists of four interconnected stories set in Kyoto, Japan, where side characters in one tale become the main characters in another. Each person carries a burden—a strained marriage, unresolved grief, a creative block, a fractured family bond—that leads them to the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.
What makes this clinic different? The receptionist and doctor don’t prescribe medication. They prescribe cats, each one carefully matched to the patient’s specific need, complete with detailed care instructions. A restless entrepreneur receives a mischievous kitten who refuses to follow rules. A woman mourning her mother is given an elderly cat who understands the language of silence. A workaholic discovers that caring for a demanding feline forces him to slow down and pay attention.
As the stories unfold, the cats do what cats do best: they disrupt routines, demand presence, and somehow, without fanfare or sentiment, help their humans find what they’ve been missing. Solutions to relationships and mysteries emerge not through grand revelations, but through the quiet, persistent work of sharing space with another living being.
Ishida’s gentle storytelling never feels heavy-handed. The cats aren’t magical creatures. They’re real, complicated animals. The Kyoto setting adds layers of beauty and history, making the clinic feel like a place that exists just slightly outside of time, always appearing when most needed.
Who should read this: Anyone who’s ever loved a pet will recognize the truth at the heart of these stories: animals don’t fix us, but they make us better at being human. Fans of cozy fiction, gentle reads, and stories about second chances will find this collection deeply satisfying.
Bottom line: We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat is the literary equivalent of a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon—comforting, restorative, and surprisingly profound. You’ll finish it wishing the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic was real, and grateful that books like this exist to remind us that healing often comes in unexpected forms.
Book club discussion ideas:
- What burden would you bring to the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic?
- Have you ever experienced healing through a pet?
- Which story resonated most with you?
- Did you know pets actually improve cognitive function? Read the science behind healing pets.
Ready to go back to where it all started? Syou Ishida’s award-winning first novel We’ll Prescribe You a Cat introduces the magical premise of the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic that prescribes cats instead of medication. Start here.
