This is the second book I’ve read in the pets category. Although I do not have much experience with cats–most people in my circle prefer dogs–there was one instance when I tried to feed a stray kitten who dug her claws into my hand, which resulted in a dislike of cats, I developed a strong interest in them following my previous read, The Guest Cat.

The book I just finished, The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, continues that theme. Once again, I came across this book through James’ blog review, and I thank him for his recommendation.

This is the story of a man, Satoru, and his beloved cat Nana who traveled together to different places in Japan, including Mount Fuji and the sea, finally reaching their destination. The reason for this journey was not adventure, but, to the reader’s surprise, to find someone who could adopt the cat. For this purpose, Satoru reached out to his childhood and school/college friends. However, in all the cases, he either found the people or their places unsuitable for a cat, or the people were unwilling to take in his cat for some reason.

During these visits, many incidents from Satoru’s past were revealed, which made the reader emotional and even more engaged with the book. Finally, the journey ended when Satoru arrived in a small town in Japan where his aunt lived. Despite having no prior experience with pets, she reluctantly agreed to adopt his cat.

The reason for Satoru giving up Nana was only revealed at the end, leaving the reader with mixed feelings: the beauty of the bond between a pet and its owner, and the deep sadness of the loss.

This book was a roller coaster of emotion in which the reader rode through feelings of being loved by a pet, followed by sadness brought by life’s circumstances, and the beauty of exploring the world’s wonders with your pet. What I especially liked was the narration of the story from the cat’s perspective, where it judged human interactions and technology advancement, and even complained when someone hurt its ego. Many times, it made sarcastic remarks as well.

For instance, one of Satoru’s friends had an old-style TV with a bulky body, while Satoru owned a slim, LED-like television. Nana found the big TV to be a perfect place to rest, so it remarked:

Going from this perfect design to an impractical flat shape is, if you asked me, a step backwards in technology.

In another situation, when Satoru’s aunt, being uncomfortable with cats, touched the Nana’s tail– which the cat did not like but still tolerated–she was scared that the cat might bite her. On this, the cat replied (meow.. of course) and thought:

You have the nerve to speak to me like that? A gentleman who, in spite of you suddenly touching his tail, refrained from swatting you? And you aimed for my tail more than just a couple of times!

Apart from these, there were many other deeply emotional moments in the book. At one point, Nana felt like an explorer of its species, discovering new things and wondering whether it was the first one to do so. Sometimes the story left the reader with feline wisdom. For example, upon seeing the roaring sea for the first time, Nana got scared and ran away, commenting that “no wonder cats don’t like water–we can’t swim”.

In another situation, Nana revealed that it hunts sometimes to sharpen its hunting skills and not to eat. This was enlightening–for me at least–because I’ve often seen cats killing their prey and then leaving it behind.

Despite all its strengths, what I felt about this book was that it seemed intentionally written like a Disney movie. Maybe there is already a movie on this book? While the story contained a lot of sadness, the cat appeared to understand everything, almost too perfectly. Additionally, the cat could speak a kind of universal animal language that even dogs used to communicate.

At times, it felt as if the book was portraying animals as emotionally superior to humans, with pets being more attuned to love and empathy. These animals loved their owner and responded to their emotions–which may be very well true in reality–but I would expect that, in most situations, a pet would act more in its own interest than in favor of humans.

I’m more of a realist, so I would have preferred the book to be a bit more grounded. Regardless, I enjoyed reading it, and it was not very long either. I recommend this book to everyone, especially pet lovers, who I bet will end up crying by the end. This story may completely change your understanding of cats and help you see the world through a Meow’s eyes.