22. She and Her Cat
On the quiet ways stories come to us
One need only live with a single cat to know that they live rich personal lives, challenging to measure via any basic societal stereotype about cats. In master animator Makoto Shinkai’s book She and Her Cat, we catch a glimpse of many individual relationships between cats and humans (with the occasional friendly dog thrown in).
All of the stories take place in the same quiet mountain town. Rather than center the humans in the town, Shinkai’s book centers the cats, showing us the world from their points of view, telling us about the ways they experience love, loss, friendship, and wonderment.
This series of shorts features many of the same stories:
The book has a quiet gentleness to its storytelling. It deepens the reader’s sense of what kinds of knowing are possible among non-humans. Its characters tug at our heartstrings. We want them to be safe and well. We want them to know love and peace.
What rich inner worlds do our pets and other animals engage? What profound knowings, memories, and dreams do they share with each other? What does it mean to be allowed into their hearts? And, of course, how might we make the world safer for them?
In gratitude to our many local fosters and rescues, I would love to highlight Sunshine’s shelter Forgotten Cats and Charlie’s rescue Kitten Snatchers here.
What experiences with cats, dogs, and other animals have deepened your sense of how they see and experience the world? Click below to like, comment, and share.