Page 2 of We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat

“And so that was why your boyfriend went home with poop stuck to his head,”

said Reona before bursting into raucous laughter.

Between classes, the university café sunroom, which jutted out into the courtyard, was filled with students. Reona’s cackle was so loud that the girls at the next table were glancing over. Moé slouched lower in her seat.

“Come on, Reona, you’re laughing too much.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s too funny. He was covered in cat poop…”

Reona looked like she was going to burst into laughter again. Moé shot her a glare.

“I made sure to wipe it all off. The kitty litter was stuck to the poop, so it wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, man, you got a good laugh out of it.”

Reona looked amused.

“But hey, it all worked out. Thanks to all that, you were able to make up with your boyfriend, right?”

“Yeah, I guess…”

Moé answered.

To Moé, who had moved to Kyoto from the countryside to attend college, Reona was her closest friend in school and to whom she had confided about her boyfriend’s recent distant attitude.

The two were complete opposites when it came to their fashion sense and mannerisms. Moé preferred floaty dresses, while Reona was known for never being out of jeans. But they enjoyed each other’s company immensely. The difference in their interests only widened their horizons.

“Anyway, what caused the tension between you guys? Do you have any idea?”

Moé shook her head.

“None at all. We didn’t fight, and it doesn’t seem like he’s mad at me about anything.”

“Maybe he’s just moody?”

“He’s not like that at all. He’s always been a calm guy.”

Last night, after cleaning himself of the cat litter, Ryuji headed home, saying he had to work. They didn’t end up having the talk, so it wasn’t like they had made up. They had simply put off whatever it was that Ryuji wanted to discuss.

“Well, you showed me his picture, and he looked like a decent person. And he’s quite attractive. How did you guys meet again? At a party?”

“At a student club party.”

A smile lit up her face. She’d had no expectations for the event and had just been hoping to expand her social circle, but upon meeting Ryuji, she found herself falling for him instantly.

“Love at first sight, huh? Can’t say I’ve experienced that.”

Reona let out a strained laugh.

“I’m not saying it’s not valid. Looks are a part of a person, after all. But are you aware of how they might be on the inside as well?”

“Of course I am. Ryuji is kind and faithful.”

“Really? You sure it’s not just an afterthought because of his looks?”

Moé wasn’t bothered by Reona’s teasing. Ryuji was exactly her ideal, and she was unwavering about it. That was why she absolutely couldn’t let him go.

She felt her spirits sink. Until now, she had always reserved Tuesday evening through Wednesday for Ryuji. Even on days he didn’t come over, on the off chance that he might suddenly become free, she took the day off from school, skipping mandatory classes.

Not wanting to spend the day alone in anguish, for the first time in a while, she had gone to campus on Wednesday.

The next time Ryuji was going to come by was likely next Tuesday night. She needed to think of a solution by then. She couldn’t rely on the cat again—she had only been prescribed Kotetsu for a week.

The previous night, after burying the bedroom floor in cat litter, Kotetsu had shown no remorse whatsoever. Instead, he curled his leopard-spotted body into a ball and promptly fell asleep. In resignation, Moé gathered Kotetsu’s poop from the litter-scape and logged its shape in the Cat Record journal. But the poop had been scattered about, so describing it accurately proved to be a challenge.

What will my room look like when I get home today? Moé felt depressed at the thought of returning to another disaster scene. She wrapped her hands around her mug and let out a deep sigh.

“I bet cat owners struggle with keeping things tidy. I had no idea that kitty litter would scatter everywhere.”

“Doesn’t scatter at my house.”

Reona sucked on the straw of her iced coffee, which was now mostly just ice. Moé almost missed what Reona had said because of the loud slurping noise.

“What doesn’t scatter?”

“Poopy cat litter. We use a non-tracking litter for my cat.”

“Wait, what? There are different kinds of litter?”

“Yeah. There are many types.”

“Really? I didn’t know. I mean, that litter was given to me at the clinic.”

That enormous cloud of dust yesterday—it was like a bout of environmental pollution.

“What an odd story about that clinic. Where in Nakagyō Ward did you say it was?”

“I was walking down Takoyakushi Street and found it by chance. Don’t change the subject. What kind of litter doesn’t scatter? Where can I buy some?”

“You’re desperate, aren’t you? There’s a large chain pet store by the subway line. Want to drop by after cla—?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

* * *

The pet store was roughly the size of half a floor in a large supermarket and far more spacious and neater than Moé had imagined. The airy, glass-walled store had high ceilings and was well lit. What was most surprising was the range of products—the orderly rows of shelves were packed.

Seeing Moé gaping, Reona laughed.

“Isn’t it like a little theme park here? They’ve got everything. Cat towers. Cute cat beds. You name it. And it’s not only cat stuff. They’ve got quite a bit of stuff for dogs, too. Over there.”

Reona pointed at the opposite end of the store.

“Now, the litter, litter, litter.”

Reona was apparently very familiar with the store, and she quickly guided them to the right shelf. Moé grimaced when she saw the display.

“I mean…what’s with this huge selection?”

The shelves were lined with rows and rows of what looked like breakfast cereal boxes, except there was even more variety than any supermarket selection of cereal.

“Are these all cat litter? Why so many?”

“They serve different purposes. Different materials, shapes, and even disposal methods. What’s the bathroom situation like at your place, Moé?”

“It’s a regular apartment affair. The toilet has a bidet function and seat warmers. I have a lavender-colored foot mat and toilet paper holder.”

“No, no, no,”

said Reona, waving her hand before her face.

“Not your bathroom. The cat’s. Don’t make me laugh.”

“Oh. Well, it’s a box, like a plastic tray.”

“Is it a sifting litter box?”

“Sifting? Well, it’s not electric?”

Moé’s eyes wandered. She was feeling slightly uneasy about her own lack of knowledge.

Reona chuckled.

“Sifting litter boxes aren’t always electric. I just mean, does it have a pull-out drawer where the waste falls? If it’s like a plastic tray, it doesn’t sound like it’s tiered. If that’s the case, it’s better if you get litter that clumps.”

Reona leaned forward and scrutinized the bags of litter on the shelves.

“The one we have at home can’t be flushed down the toilet, but quite a few paper-based ones are flushable. Some are made from wood chips, silica crystals, and even soy pulp. Those are for cats that like to eat everything.”

Reona grabbed the bags and inspected them carefully.

All Moé could do was stand. The sheer variety of kitty litter—it seemed that she had underestimated the breadth of knowledge needed to raise a cat. Do I need to do more research? Are cats more complicated than I thought?

Reona offered a reassuring smile.

“What do you want to do, Moé? If you’re planning on keeping the cat long-term, I’d say you should experiment with various litters, but the cat’s not yours, right? So, you can try to stick it out with the current litter or get the clumping kind with large granules.”

“I’ll try the clumping litter.”

The one Reona picked had a large cat face printed on its bag. It promised odor control, clumping, and low tracking. It was made from hinoki cypress wood chips and looked like pulverized brown rice bran.

“Want to check out the cat food?”

Moé glanced at the endless food aisle and immediately felt dizzy. She decided she’d skip it for now.

It was only after paying that she took a moment to breathe.

“I had no idea there’d be this many varieties.”

“Right? Cats are practically royalty. When it comes to pets, I feel like things are getting a bit over-the-top.”

“I agree.”

Moé was relieved that Reona felt the same way. Reona had a straight-shooting personality and was never overly obsessed about things.

“You don’t talk about your cat much, Reona. I always picture cat owners as super obsessed, constantly sharing photos online.”

“There are tons of people like that, but that’s not really me. People who’re obsessed with their cats are like—”

Reona twisted her body playfully.

“How adorable is my cat? I find my cat irresistible both when it’s being affectionate and when it’s being standoffish.”

She straightened her posture.

“But for me, my cat’s just there. You get the difference?”

“Not really,” said Moé.

Reona chuckled.

“I just mean the cat’s simply a part of the family. They’re like perpetual kids. My brother was the one who first got the cat, but for some reason, the cat wouldn’t warm up to my brother. Ultimately, she became my mom’s cat.”

“I see.”

Describing the cat as “Mom’s cat”

had a warmth to it, Moé thought. It seemed that a cat’s position was unique to each household.

Reona said she had to head to her part-time job.

“I’d love to swing by your apartment and tell you everything I know about cats, but this month, we’re expecting a ton of middle-school field trip groups visiting from other prefectures. My schedule this week is packed with all-day shifts. And honestly, isn’t Kyoto’s yudofu a bit extravagant for these kids?”

There was an abundance of specialty boiled-tofu shops around Kyoto’s tourist hot spots. Reona worked part-time at an established Japanese restaurant near Nanzen-ji Temple. When Moé first arrived in Kyoto, Reona had taken her around to famous sites like Arashiyama and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. But ever since she’d begun seeing Ryuji, their time together had dwindled to grabbing coffee after class. It had been a while since they’d gone out together like this.

When Moé got in, the apartment was silent. She imagined how dogs would make a fuss when their owners came home, but the cat who was in the bedroom with the door shut made not a peep.

Walking barefoot toward the bedroom, she began to feel a little uneasy. There’s not even the patter of a paw. Could he have slipped out?

Slowly, she cracked open the door.

For a second, she couldn’t work out what she was looking at.

The curtains…

One of the lace curtains had come off the rod and was hanging limply. Shredded and riddled with holes.

“Ahhhh.”

Closing the bedroom door, she slumped to the floor. She had braced herself somewhat for some damage after what the cat had done to her sheets yesterday. But she never imagined he would so mercilessly destroy her curtains. In fact, they were no longer curtains—more like shreds of fabric dangling miserably.

Kotetsu, meanwhile, was sitting primly on the windowsill, looking straight at her with his large, light green eyes. If the door hadn’t been completely closed, she’d never have believed the creature staring at her with such innocent eyes was the culprit.

And the floor was covered in cat litter again. Kotetsu must have used the bathroom multiple times, because there was litter in every direction. Thankfully, the poop was intact and remained within the plastic tray. There were some hardened clumps, which she assumed were pee.

“Will urinate two to four times a day; will defecate one to two times a day.”

There were two clumps, so it looked like Kotetsu had urinated twice. It seemed that at least the cat’s excretions were as planned.

But the curtains were done for. She’d need to replace them before Ryuji’s next visit.

Her heart sank. Will Ryuji come over again? And if he does, will there be any new development? She let out a deep sigh.

With one long, sleek movement, Kotetsu jumped off the windowsill. His steps made no sound, absorbed by the rug. His body was leopard-like, with spots that trailed all the way to his hind thighs. His small and delicate face gave him a sweetness, like a baby-faced supermodel.

As Kotetsu sauntered across the bedroom, Moé looked on, captivated: he really did look like a model on a runway. He wandered around for a few moments, before circling back toward the plastic litter box. Moé started.

“Wait a second, Kotetsu. Let me put in some fresh litter for you.”

She hurriedly transferred the soiled litter into a garbage bag, scrubbed the tray with a wet wipe, and poured in the new litter. In an instant, the room was filled with the scent of hinoki cypress.

“That smells great. Kotetsu, this one’s definitely better.”

As she spread it out over the bottom of the tray, it had released its pleasant scent. Importantly, it wasn’t dusty like the old litter. This is so much better, thank you, Reona. Moé wanted her to come by while she still had Kotetsu, so she could watch while her friend, so unswayed by cuteness, fell under Kotetsu’s adorable charm.