What do readers think of Welcome to the Kokoro Cat Clinic by Syou Ishida? Write your own review.

I may not have been the right audience for this book. First, I have not read the earlier books in this series so there's that. Then, I did not realize it was four totally disconnected stories. That was not really my preference because I would have preferred for the first story to carry on with a typically happy ending with the cat and the possible budding romance. It was just not for me.

I began this book with great expectations - I love cats! The beginning was intriguing and whimsical. I enjoyed the cat descriptions and how each cat was "assigned" to someone who needed to learn something. It soon became apparent that it was just a replay for each new event with no moving forward. Mysterious situations were not explained. Prior characters were left and not revisited. I am at a loss as to what was accomplished with the story telling. Truly disappointing.

I was rather disappointed in this book. I couldn't really connect to the characters in the stories and found the magical realism to be confusing and annoying. This was clearly not my cup of tea.

Welcome to the Kokoro Cat Clinic is not the typical novel I usually read, but it is a unique novel about a "mental health" clinic. Each one of the four chapters focuses on a specific cat or cat behavior to help an individual client overcome a problem. In the first chapter, the cat helps the client overcome her fear of making a business presentation. While this may sound straightforward, it is not without some strange happenings. In the second chapter, the client is taught that acting like a cat can help him better cope at home with a new baby and an exhausted wife. In the third chapter, the cat is given to a young artist who is struggling and unable to make a living being an artist. Her situation is very troubling to her, because being an artist is her dream. Again, there were some strange things happening. Chapter four is my favorite. It deals with more complex issues or problems and emphasizes the therapeutic effects of cats.

There is an aspect of the paranormal that runs through the entire novel and is further fleshed out in the last chapter.

The stories intertwine human problems with cat behaviors as a solution. The clients' problems are issues common in today's society and the cat behaviors are very well described. From my experience with cats as pets and as a volunteer at my local humane society, I found the cat behavior descriptions to be right on the mark.

While it was an original idea, I would not recommend this for my book club. The strong focus on cats, and the paranormal aspects would not be the "cat's meow," for everyone in my book club. However, I would recommend this book to someone who is passionate about cats.

I LOVE cats, and any themed book about felines will immediately draw me in. I must say, though, that this book didn't hold my attention, as I have read too many other Japanese stories about folks seeking soulfulness in cafes.

The individual stories were somewhat moving, yet not distinct enough for engagement beyond surface reading. There's no doubt about it that cat therapy is an important part of healing both mentally and physically. I can watch cats for hours and wonder what's going on inside their heads. I could visualize the individual cats in the book, including their actions and appearances.

The author is certainly a fine writer, yet I didn't feel a strong enough emotional connection to the page. On the other hand, perhaps Japanese people are less outwardly emotive, and that could show in their written work.