"The Guest Cat" by Takashi Hiraide (published 2001)

A picture of my lady cat (but always my baby cat), Grigio, and my library copy of "The Guest Cat"

"The Guest Cat" (published 2001), is a book about a cat named Chibi. At first a stray wandering around in Japan, she is taken in by a little boy and his mother who live next to a sweet middle aged couple. Takashi Hiraide, the author, explains this very particular corner of Japan with wondrous detail. The couple has named this corner of town "Lightning Alley" for the way the streets curve and turn sharply and for the elements of uphill and downhill. For these geographical reasons in their quiet district, the two neighbors cannot see or even interact with one another on a regular basis. But, the cat Chibi wanders and strolls back and forth between their two houses, spending an equal amount of time in each home. 

The couple, with no child of their own (the reasons remain somewhat ambiguous), develop a deep affection for Chibi. Without even picking her up or touching her (they are very aware that the cat is not truly theirs in terms of ownership), they welcome Chibi into their home and begin an ongoing routine. They make sure the doors are shaped especially for her, they make sure to feed her her favorite fish, they make sure she is comfortable by leaving cozy spaces all around their tiny abode. Because she loves to nap, they too begin to learn how to relax and nap. Because she is careful about her surroundings, making sure not to knock things over, making sure to be delicate while inside, they seem to learn how to *be* this way also. They learn how to work in peace (they are both writers of a kind) with Chibi around, either while she stares intently out the window into the world full of organic beauty, or while she plays wildly outside with birds and such. They learn she is a quiet cat, rarely ever meowing. And a sweet and gentle cat (save for one hilarious episode). 

Alongside this gorgeously poetic story - which, by any other writer may have been dull and bland - is a story of Japan during the late 1980s - early 1990s. The ruler of the nation dies, housing prices skyrocket, and the economic bubble finally bursts, leaving the country in a confused daze. While all this goes on, the story of the couple and the cat, who've begun to wonder whose house is really Chibi's (the little boys' or theirs) brings an element of peaceful tranquility and utmost care. Their affection for the cat is highly unusual. After all, it's just a cat. But they've come to the point where, even the narrator remarks, Chibi is spoken about like a real person. Not even as one would speak of a child. But a person. 

This is a story that has your expected narrative arch (I'll not mention too much - no spoilers) but is written so exquisitely as to also be a meditation on life itself during this sliver of time in this particular place. Readers will become familiar with the lighting within the house, how the sun comes in through the windows, how the moonlight fills up one particular room, the Zelkova trees, pine trees, the flowers and plants in a garden well cared for, insects, and cultural practices as well. Moreover, readers will become familiar with a very rare and sweet cat, who in many ways is like all cautious cats and frisky hunters, but in even bigger ways is different: she is genuinely solitary and pure: she's up to no tricks. Makes one wonder... 

Entering the mind of the narrator, which readers do by reading his first person account, is to view the world through the eyes of a loving husband, a thoughtful citizen, a tender soul, a keen observer, and a daydreamer. I'm left asking myself this question: what happens in life that makes people approach this Earthly experience with a heedfulness in consideration and repose? What happens in life that makes people approach it with harshness and insensitivity? Makes one wonder...