Analyze the novel’s critique of conventional therapeutic practices. Does it advocate for standard approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, or does it push the reader to seek more radical approaches?

The novel features several doppelgängers, including Tomoya Kajiwara and the nurse who mirrors Abino. Discuss the symbolic function of these doppelgängers and how they resonate with the novel’s larger ideas.

Explore how We’ll Prescribe You a Cat functions as a work of social commentary. Beyond depicting the pressures of Japanese corporate culture and the issue of animal homelessness, what are other social or cultural issues that the novel interrogates?

The Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul is an elusive liminal space where characters meet the cats who help to engender the healing process. What does this suggest about the relationship between place and growth? Can places help to facilitate psychological healing and development?

The novel presents a clear distinction between two forms of responsibility. Contrast the responsibilities of corporate life, as seen in Shuta’s story, with the responsibilities of home life.

Discuss We’ll Prescribe You a Cat within the wider context of the iyashikei (healing fiction) genre. Does the novel drive the genre’s strengths, or does it rely too heavily on tropes to fit itself into the genre? Explain your answer.

Examine the role of mentors and found families in the novel, focusing on Jinnai and Satsuki’s relationship with Shuta, Koga’s relationship with Hinako, or any other similar dynamic.

Discuss the author’s choice to use cats as the novel’s focus point for the characters’ healing. Why didn’t Ishida portray dogs, birds, or other pets to facilitate healing?