The Blanket Cats

"Utterly charming . . . I would read a hundred of these stories." —Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

Seven struggling customers are given the unique opportunity to take home a "blanket cat" . . . but only for three days, the time it’ll take to change their lives.

A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers the unique opportunity to take home one of seven special cats, whose "magic" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. 

In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality, including a couple struggling with infertility, a middle-aged woman on the run from the police, and two families in very different circumstances simply seeking joy. 

But like all their kind, the "blanket cats" are mysterious creatures with unknowable agendas, who delight in confounding expectations. And perhaps what their hosts are looking for isn't really what they need. Three days may not be enough to change a life. But it might just change how you see it.

Story Locale:Tokyo, Japan

About the Author

Kiyoshi Shigematsu was born in 1963 in Okayama Prefecture. After studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, he began a career as an editorial writer. His literary work has been honored with four major prizes, including the prestigious Naoki Prize in 2000. The Blanket Cats was adapted for TV in 2017, and he contributed to the storyline of the Lost Odyssey video game.

Jesse Kirkwood is a literary translator working from Japanese into English. The recipient of the 2020 Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize, his translations include The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto, The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, and A Perfect Day to Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama.

Author Residence: Japan