A cat a day keeps the doctor away…

We have read this book and love it. Not because it is award winning and best selling in Japan, but because it is stories within stories that involve cats in a wholly surprising way.  This is a charming, celebratory and heart touching book about humans, about cats.  Each story is well written and together weave a story we can't stop thinking about.  If you don't have a cat don't be surprised that you are thinking about getting one.

Here is the synopsis: 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 revealedin story after story the 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 new found hope.

Perhaps cats as a prescription might catch on?=)