Page 5 of We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat

Reona listened quietly as Moé spoke, leaning back in her chair with a slight frown. It was Saturday, and the two were at a café on Karasuma Bukkōji Street. They saw each other a lot at school, but meeting over a popular dessert was a different story. The rich Basque cheesecake was worth the trip. Many of Kyoto’s popular hangouts these days were either styled like speakeasies or nestled in traditional wooden town houses, and this café, too, had an old-world charm and was well reviewed.

“How can we get the cat to do her business comfortably? That’s the question,”

said Reona, her face serious as she sank a slender fork into a moist and bouncy matcha Basque cheesecake.

“Yeah,”

agreed Moé. She had ordered a cherry blossom cheesecake, and when she cut into it with her fork, it revealed a soft pink inside.

“I definitely don’t think she likes the current litter.”

“Right. But since coming to your place, she’s left ‘product’ in the litter box, right?”

“Of course.”

As before, she’d been recording the cat’s diet and litter box habits in the Cat Record journal. She had also started taking photos of them with her phone and showed several of them to Reona.

“What do you think? I don’t think they look bad.”

“Um, yeah. It all looks fine. You don’t have to show me, though, thanks.”

“She does her business regularly. But, every day, things are a bit different. Sometimes, she avoids the litter, or goes in the corner of the litter box, or she has accidents in the house. And I feel like after using the litter tray, she calls me over and looks at me like she wants to tell me something.”

“Got it.”

Reona nodded gravely.

Four days had passed since Noelle had arrived. She was even more rambunctious than Kotetsu. Nothing escaped her interest. Moé’s phone case was instantly destroyed, and then she pulled out all the stuffing from the cushions. The top of the curtain rail was her resting spot. She was also quick to climb onto Moé’s lap, nuzzling the top of her head and flank against her; but any attempt to give her a pet sent her scurrying.

What really worried Moé was Noelle’s behavior in the litter box. She didn’t aggressively dig up the litter as Kotetsu had done, but instead she sniffed and circled it. There was a noticeable restlessness about her. Moé was also bothered by the way she seemed to dart out of the litter tray after use.

Reona asked her about the litter situation.

“At first, I used the gravel-like one provided by the clinic, then I switched to the paper one. But I don’t know—the litter seemed kind of…sad?…So yesterday, I laid down the hinoki cypress litter. She’s been using all of them, but with great reluctance, I feel.”

Moé had never imagined that the sight of a cat with whiskers drooping dejectedly could tug at her heartstrings so much. Noelle’s eyes were always wide-open, her mouth tightly closed. Because she was so hard to read, her drooping whiskers seemed all the more sorrowful.

“So you’ve tried every kind of litter. In that case, maybe the problem isn’t with the litter but something else. For example, the food.”

“Food?”

“Yup.”

Reona scooped up the last bite of her matcha Basque cheesecake and looked up at Moé.

“I’ve been about to say this since we got here, but I think we got unlucky with our table.”

“Oh! You mean because of the bathroom?”

Moé had also noticed. The café had both counter and table seating, and they had been placed in a spot close to the bathroom. There was a lot of foot traffic from the customers who were using it, and there was even a line by the door. Whether they liked it or not, the bathroom was constantly catching their eye.

“Well, the café is crowded right now, so it can’t be helped. But doesn’t your appetite drop when the bathroom keeps appearing in your view while you’re eating your cake? I’m sure even the people using it feel a bit self-conscious. Maybe there are cats, like humans, who don’t like having their food and bathroom too close together.”

“Now that you mention it, I’ve got her food, water, and litter box lined up next to one another in the same room.”

“Why don’t you try spacing them out a little? Or moving them to a spot where the smells don’t mix.”

“I’ll give it a shot.”

Moé felt like her perspective had suddenly broadened. Yes, I can also be creative and try different things.

She knew she had a tendency to slow down when she became too fixated on one thing. This reminded her of what the doctor had said. He had mentioned that she was a straightforward type of person but also that there were people who saw things only from their perspective and bent the truth to fit it.

She couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said. She had intended to walk the straight path, but could she have veered off course without realizing it? Was it possible that because she wanted to move straight ahead, she had inadvertently bent the truth?

Reona had a part-time job in the evening, but there was still time until her shift, so they headed to Shijo Street to do some shopping.

“Hey, isn’t that weird psychiatric clinic not too far from here?”

asked Reona.

“Yeah, it’s near Teramachi Street.”

“It’s funny that it prescribes you cats, but it’s also a bit odd. My brother works at a cat rescue center, so I’m curious. Wanna check it out for a bit?”

Reona looked very eager. Moé didn’t know how she felt about visiting the clinic for fun, but she figured it’d be okay to at least show her where it was. They headed north on Karasuma Street, passing Shijo Street and turning east onto Takoyakushi Street, leading them toward the clinic from the opposite direction that Moé had taken when she first visited it.

“So, is this clinic attached to a vet or a pet store?”

“I don’t think so. It takes up a single unit in a tall, narrow building.”

“Then I wonder where they get the cats. Maybe they’re the doctor’s cats? It sounds like a weird kind of clinic.”

“Definitely.”

Moé laughed, but when she thought about it more seriously, it was indeed a bizarre story. No wonder Ryuji had been suspicious. Thinking about him made her heart sink, and her face clouded over.

“What’s wrong? You look upset.”

“I’m thinking about Ryuji. He said he’s coming over again next Tuesday.”

“You don’t want to see him?”

“It’s not that…”

Moé averted her eyes.

If it meant they were going to break up, she didn’t want to see him. Was that a contradiction? But she couldn’t imagine whatever he wanted to talk about was good.

Reona kept her gaze straight ahead.

“I don’t like to comment about other people’s boyfriends, but…”

She fell silent and continued walking.

After a moment, Moé said, “It’s fine, say what you’re thinking.”

“Really? Then I’ll say it. I’ve always wondered how he makes his girlfriend skip class every week just because he can only meet on a Wednesday. What if you fail your classes? Is he going to take responsibility?”

She paused.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m done with my comments,”

she said, her tone teasing.

The two walked in silence for a while.

Not too long ago, if anyone had criticized Ryuji, Moé would have said something back. But now, something was welling up inside her.

“You’re right. He’s not going to take responsibility.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m so happy you’ve been coming to school lately. I mean, I sometimes prioritize my part-time job over class, so I can’t really talk. Wait, we’re already approaching Teramachi Street. Did we walk too far?”

“You’re right. I don’t think I went past Fuyacho Street.”

Moé looked back the way they came. In Nakagyō Ward, the narrow streets crisscrossed like the grids of a Go board. There was no confusing Karasuma or Kawaramachi Streets, as they were major thoroughfares, but it was impossible to keep straight all the small side streets. Fuyacho Street ran south-north. Just one block west of it was Tominokoji Street. There were at most fifty meters between the two.

But there was no damp alley in view.

Moé stopped midway between the two streets.

“Maybe it’s one more street over? This area is really confusing,”

said Reona.

“Maybe?”

Moé couldn’t quite remember it clearly herself.

“That might be right.”

“Let’s go to the next street,”

said Reona, seemingly unbothered and heading northward to Rokkaku Street.

They circled the neighborhood, going up and down in all directions, but they couldn’t find the alley.

“Why? Why isn’t it here?”

“Wait! We should have looked it up on our phones from the start! What did you say this clinic was called?”

“Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. But it really should be around here. I’ve been to it twice.”

“I told you, this neighborhood is confusing. I grew up in Kyoto, and I get lost around here. Okay.”

She peered at her phone.

“Here you go. Wait, what?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing comes up.”

Reona’s eyes were wide.

“Not a single result. No website, no listings on medical sites, no reviews at all. How could it have zero online presence?”

My memory of it is fuzzy, and I have no information. Moé was starting to worry. But she knew she hadn’t dreamed it. Noelle was at home, waiting for her to return.

“Oh, wait, there it is!”

Moé pounced on Reona’s phone.

“What did you find?”

“Dr. Kokoro’s clinic. Dr. Kokoro Suda of Suda Animal Hospital in Nakagyō Ward is a kind vet who is very knowledgeable about animals. Oh, that’s a vet? How misleading.”

Hopes dashed, they continued walking and searching on their phones. No luck.

“Argh. I have to get to work. We’ll have to give up this time.”

Reona seemed nonchalant, but Moé began to panic. It might seem like she had made it all up.

“Reona, believe me, I was really prescribed a cat and then another cat. This clinic. It really exists.”

Reona looked surprised by her friend’s insistence.

“Of course it does. If not, it’d be like a supernatural event, which is even scarier. More importantly, the cat’s litter tray—comfort and cleanliness are key.”

Relieved, Moé felt her eyes grow hot. Yes, when she got home, she was going to find a good spot for the litter tray where smells wouldn’t get trapped so that Noelle could do her business more comfortably. She was going to make sure there was proper airflow. If the cat was feeling stressed, that was surely making her feel stressed, too.