As a cat lover I just couldn’t walk past this gorgeously whimsical cover. We’ll Prescribe You a Cat delivers a beautiful journey through the eyes of five ‘patients’ who are prescribed cats for their troubles.

With warm touches of magical realism and light humour, this is a cosy read with a lot of heart. It touches on some emotional themes, and is sure to pull at the heartstrings of cat lovers as it pays homage to the therapeutic relationships between cats and humans. The individual stories are gently woven together, making this a wholly enjoyable read.

Thank you Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Tucked away at the end of a shadowy Kyoto alley, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul is no ordinary doctor’s office. Accessible only to those truly in need, this mysterious clinic doesn’t hand out pills or advice—it prescribes cats. Yes, cats! Each feline companion is carefully matched to its owner’s struggles, promising healing in the most unexpected ways.

The story introduces five patients: a workaholic father, a perfectionist handbag designer, a grieving geisha, a young girl struggling at school, and a man questioning his career. Their journeys are told through touching vignettes, each showcasing the transformative bond between humans and their feline companions. While some characters doubt the “treatment” at first, the cats—be it a fluffy kitten or a stoic tabby—work their quiet magic, teaching life lessons, offering comfort, and sparking profound personal change.

This charming, magical realist tale brims with heart, hope, and subtle humor. The cats steal the show, perfectly capturing the mix of independence, mischief, and quiet love that only cat lovers will fully understand. For fans of cozy, uplifting reads like The Travelling Cat Chronicles or Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this book is a purr-fect choice! Trust me—you’ll never look at cats the same way again.

Actual Rating 4.5 out of 5

Loved this to bits.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this beautiful, beautiful book.

These stories revolve around a magical clinic which is visible to those who desperately need it and they prescribe a cat.
Now for the most part, one will feel weird at how they are treating the cats and the people who came. The indifference, the straight-forward prescriptions and how they allow the people to return their prescribed cats. But it all makes sense towards the end and I am not going to spoil it for anyone who is reading this review.

The ending breaks your heart and mends it at the same time. The stories themselves are a rollercoaster ride of emotions and you will laugh and cry throughout. The chaos of it all. It also makes you realise how big of a responsibility it is to take care of a cat or just any pet. You just can’t abandon it after you have decided to adopt them. But it is heart-shattering to realise that human beings are cruel as well. Not everyone is kind enough.

A lovely read, nonetheless.

This is a purrfect book for cat lovers - really capturing the magic of kitties and highlighting their positive impact on mental health through a set of quirky, uplifting and emotional intertwined short stories.

I loved the magical realism of this book, and the way the tales could be read independently or together. I’d certainly prescribe this book to anyone looking to read about normal people having existential crises and finding the answers with a feline friend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for review consideration.

As a cat lover, the title of this book grabbed my attention immediately, because what better medicine can there be than a cat?! This collection of intertwined short stories about a mysterious clinic in Kyoto that prescribes cats to treat patients' mental health is charming, amusing and at times poignant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler: Cats are the answer to every problem.

I actually really enjoyed this book. It started of slow and it took me some time to get into it, but once I did, it was a quick read. It was basically an ode to cats and how they can help with mental health. It was a cute collection of short stories. Each of them follows a person with a specific issue, like hating their job or feeling estranged from their families. These people ended up going to a mental health clinic where they got prescribed a cat. Of course, the cat managed to solved all their problems, often by chance.

I felt like there was not enough time with the characters for me to get attached. I simply didn't care enough about them, which is sad, because there was a lot of potential. Getting to spend a bit more time with them would have solved this issue. I cared about the cats, however. I am such a cat lover and the illustrations helped me imagine the cats perfectly.

Things got a bit repetitive as the stories progressed. Every character was lost and couldn't find the clinic because of the weird directions. At first they didn't know what to do with the cats, but grew very fond in the end and their lives changed for the better..

Still, overall it was a nice book and I would recommend it to everyone who's loved or lost a cat.

A lovely collection of short stories involving a clinic for the soul in Kyoto. Each story has someone stressed out/not happy with life who is given some vague directions to a clinic where they are prescribed a cat.

Of course, the cat then manages to sort their problems, often by random chance.

A lovely, feel good story, especially for cat lovers like myself

Tucked away on the fifth floor of an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can be found only by people who are struggling in their lives and who 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, and occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

As a lover of cats, Japanese fiction and this book being described as being for fans of 'The Cat who Saved Books', I had to check this book out as I was so interested by the title and blurb.

I feel like even now writing this review, I'm still confused about what I've read because the magical realism aspect really would have benefitted from further development. I enjoyed the stories but I think it would have been better if each one was longer as they felt unfinished and I was still left with a lot of questions, especially with the last story. However, I do think that the plot was unique and I loved the concept of cats being used as a treatment option cause who doesn't love cats?!

I didn't like nor dislike the characters but I feel like they didn't get enough development in the time that we got with them, which made it hard for me to grow attached or care about them, which is a shame because the potential was definitely there. For the most part, I did like the writing style but I feel like it got repetitive quickly because of the directions to the clinic and each patient not being able to find the clinic, which got old quickly. I do love how the cats were described because paired with the illustrations, it made it easy to picture each cat and how each of their personalities were different, and suited to the patient they had been prescribed to.

Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early, in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ CWs: cursing, mental health illness (depression), alcohol use, vomiting, grief; mention animal death, death ⚠️

an amazing book with cute but quite deep shortstorys about this facility that prescribes cats as medicine! it´s the perfect book for every cat lover and every person who likes a little magical realism story that moves you!

A book consisting of short stories about humans and cats. However, upon closer investigation you can see how each of these stories intertwine. A great book to pick up if you like to read short stories, read longer stories or are more of a pick up on the go reader. You might find yourself pondering on your own life and reflect on how animals or little things have altered your life in subtle hidden ways. 5/5 and the cats will steal your heart!

If you've loved or lost a cat, this book will steal your heart. Short stories can be read a little at a time, but I gulped this down in one small sip and then a deep dive. Love the cat perspective. The twists were fabulous.

I loved this book. Uplifting and beautifully written I wanted all the cats from the stories. A charming read it was for me just like having a big cuddle with my cat. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 stars
I love this kind of stories because they are about people with everyday problems who come to solve their existential crisis in a magical place, which depending on the type of book can be a café, a bookshop or a place with cats that help them to get better.
This book seemed to be something like that, but I found it lacking in depth and problems, even if they are everyday problems they usually have a twist that makes you think and reflect on life. I think the closest thing to that was the first story, the rest seemed rather superficial and the only thing that interested me was the plot of the strange clinic and the tragedy of the cats.
The rest of the stories lacked something to touch me and make me reflect, leaving the characters a bit flat and the book rather mild.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

I absolutely adored this book. The premise is similar to that of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, where all the stories surround a special place but tell a different tale specific to each main character.

The amount of love for cats and their little quirks and habits here is so lovely. As a major cat lover, I can tell that Ishida also adore cats and everything about them. This book yanks at your heartstrings and plays with them like a cat with yarn and it is a delightfully warm ride. I love the funny unique characters (Jinnai please be my best friend, I love you). Shuta's story was particularly beautiful to me, but every one of these tales is heart-warming, unique, and full of cats.

The reveal about the identity of the doctors literally made me sob hysterically and hug my cats. It's such a beautiful idea. I would love another collection of these types of stories around the clinic.

If you love cats, animals, and hope, this is a must-read. If you don't love those things, gross, read it anyway and sort yourself out. Five stars full of cat love.

A good recommendation for all fans of cozy fantasy. A possibly new take on the cozy genre, with cats!
I am excited to recommend this book to others

This is an undemanding book about how Cats Are Good, with a rather charming premise: people who are struggling in their lives (in minor ways: irritating co-workers, uncongenial jobs, difficulties connecting with their children) somehow find their way to a psychiatric clinic in a building that isn't always there, where an odd doctor gives them a cat as a prescription. It's cute. It's pretty obvious. There's a little bit of a mystery about the nature of the clinic that is resolved in a sweet but not terribly surprising way. This would be a good book for someone who is grieving the loss of a beloved cat, perhaps; but there's not much else to it.

This was such a cute concept and made for some very touching stories. I loved the surrealism of the clinic and the characters of the doctor and nurse there. I loved the way that the cats helped the people they were prescribed to, and I loved the way it was all written in little short stories with lovely illustrations of cats at the start of each chapter.

For most of it, it was pretty light-hearted cosy reading, but be warned the last story will break your heart. It was so emotional. I love a book that really tugs on your heartstrings and this story full of abandoned cats and lost pets really did that very well, though it had a beautiful heart-warming end like all of the stories in this book.

A big thing I enjoy about these cosy Japanese books, is the humour of them. They play with absurdism and surreality and just create something completely unique.

I would love a sequel to this book with more cats. I could read a lot more of these stories.

Loved it! Such a wholesome read. Something about translated Japanese fiction that hits you straight to your heart.

I got a review copy from Netgalley.
My rating is 3.5, but I somehow, can't put that half star.
I picked up this book because of the name. It is Japanese fiction and features cats? Count me in.
The story opened nicely. The ending twist was unexpected even though I had a niggling feeling behind my ears.
Nice book for a one time read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing me with a free copy to do this review.

Cute story. There's a fantastic element that becomes more apparent later on. I felt it improved the book overall, but could've been introduced gradually and worked into the earlier parts. Several of the characters who've been prescribed "treatment" are a little too unsympathetic.

Early access courtesy of the publisher & NetGalley.