We’ll Prescribe You a Cat merges two significant contemporary issues in Japan: the evolving approach to mental healthcare and the persistent problem of unhoused domestic animals. While societal awareness of mental health is growing, there remains a strong interest in alternative and holistic forms of healing, or iyashi. This is exemplified by the popularity of cat cafes, which have boomed since the early 2000s, offering urban dwellers a space for therapeutic interaction with animals. The novel directly references this trend when Shuta wonders if the clinic’s method is a form of “animal-assisted therapy” (11). 

At the same time, Japan has struggled with a large population of stray and abandoned animals. Although culling rates have decreased, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment reported that around 9,000 cats were still euthanized in 2022 (Rogers, James. “Pet euthanasia and culling in Japan: How kill rates dropped — and the challenges that remain.” Japan Today, 2025). The novel proposes a symbiotic solution to these parallel problems through its central premise. The cats “prescribed” by the clinic are sourced from pounds and shelters, explicitly linking human healing with animal rescue. This concept is mirrored in the real-world rise of hogoneko cafes (protection cat cafes), which exclusively house rescue cats that are available for adoption. Like the fictional clinic, these cafes provide comfort to patrons while offering vulnerable animals a second chance. The backstory of Bee, a cat rescued after her owner died and who was “scheduled to be euthanized at the pound” (77), directly reflects this reality. By intertwining these contexts, the novel presents a hopeful vision of mutual healing, suggesting that caring for abandoned animals can also be a powerful remedy for human loneliness and stress.