Izzy, looking for the cats, and their shadow
- Relaxing with a purring cat can make people feel better……but did you know purring makes the cat feel better too?
My Friend Took Me To A Feline Therapy Place For My Anxiety And I'm Starting To Wonder Where The Cats Are? (simplified as Feline Therapy) is a light novel written by Canadian Alex Zandra Van Chestein, with illustrations by Satellite 9
. It is available to purchase here.
The story focuses on Izzy, a perpetually-anxious person, and their best friend Sasha. For Izzy's birthday, Sasha gifts an opportunity to try a new type of therapy. Izzy is skeptical, as they've already tried so many other ways to deal with their own issues over their lifetime, but is willing to humor Sasha. After all, what if this "Feline Therapy" actually does work? ...What has Izzy got to lose?
This story has received two small expansions: a collection of behind-the-scenes work and a crossover comic.
Tropes:
- Animorphism: The titular therapy turns out to be temporarily becoming a cat, not spending time with one.
- Birthday Beginning: The story begins on Izzy's birthday, feeling fortunate that it's merely overcast instead of the horrible weather of every birthday past. The climax of the story is also on their birthday, one year later.
- Cat Girl: Izzy's state when they return to humanity, including "curves where straight lines had been; straight lines where I didn't like curves".
- Crossover: Therapy Wishes, a spin-off/sequel comic by the creators, features characters from another light novel by Alex Zandra, Cat Wishes.
- Content Warnings: One on the store page, and on the first page of the story itself, about how "this story deals with altered states of sentience".
- Fuzz Therapy: The opening premise of the story is the protagonist, Izzy, encouraged by a friend, Sasha, to try this out when other attempts to de-stress have failed. However, Sasha is hiding some very important details...
- Gone Horribly Right: The Feline Therapy, as transformation back from cat to human fails at first, because cat-Izzy doesn't want to return to the "bad dream" that is their original life.
- The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: When Izzy finally accepts the Feline Therapy, they let themself drift away, and can only remember their human life as a "bad dream". It's to the point that they fail to remember things like what a reflection is, or that a grey-haired human couple are their parents, though they still know that Sasha is an important part of their life.
- Missing Time: The therapy was only supposed to last a weekend, but Izzy loses track of time, and it lasts a whole year.
- Morphic Resonance: The grey-haired Izzy is transformed into a grey cat. When Sasha tries Feline Therapy, they have a tuft of green fur on their head and tail to match their dyed hair.
- Mundane Utility: The ability to completely alter another person's form through guided meditation? Set up a small storefront downtown and advertise it as a therapeutic experience!
- My God, What Have I Done?: Both Izzy's friend Sasha and the "Feeline Fine" staff are clearly devastated when it seems like Izzy's transformation, which was supposed to be a temporary gift, is permanent.
- Nervous Wreck: Izzy suffers anxiety from "everything", as stated when asked by the people in charge of the therapy. The climax shows that one of the root causes was body dysphoria, as they're notably less anxious and more open with others as a Cat Girl.
- Official Couple: Izzy considers making their rooming arrangement with Sasha (which started when Sasha "adopted" their cat self) "a bit more permanent" in the story's epilogue.
- Officially Shortened Title: Since the full title is long enough to cause technical difficulties on some web sites, it's also officially known as "Feline Therapy".
- Poor Communication Kills: Izzy's year as a cat convinces Sasha that they should've been up-front with their surprise birthday gift, and the "Feeline Fine" staff to be less coy with their methods, lest they once again have an experience they weren't ready to have.
- Portmanteau: The name of the therapy storefront is "Feeline Fine", combining "Feeling" with "Feline".
- Prematurely Grey-Haired: Izzy is depicted with bluish-grey hair, though it's never stated if this is natural or as a result of their constant anxiety.
- Recruited from the Gutter: Not exactly "the gutter", as they had (and continue to have) a regular job, but Izzy ends up visiting "Feeline Fine" every day after work following their experience, wanting to assist others like themself and be close-at-hand in case a similar incident occurred.
- Security Blanket: Izzy's friend Sasha tends to drape their jacket onto them whenever they get too anxious, which helps to calm Izzy down. Cat-Izzy trying and failing to get the jacket for Sasha to help in return is what helps trigger their return to humanity.
- The Shadow Knows: Used on the cover of the story, though not a part of the plot itself.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock: Due to their extended time as a cat, when Izzy finally transforms back, they still have cat ears and a tail. However, they prefer this appearance.
- Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing: When undergoing the transformation into a cat, Izzy shrinks to the point that their clothes become a blanket. The eventual shift back doesn't give them clothes, too; Sasha quickly drapes their coat over Izzy, though they still get enough of a look in a mirror to realize their body has become curvier.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted; Izzy has a regular therapist, though they find that communication with them is difficult until after their experience with Feline Therapy.
- Trans Tribulations: Part of Izzy's anxieties is due to this, as when they end up as a Cat Girl, curves and all, they admit to finally feeling comfort in seeing their own reflection.
- True Companions: It's ultimately how much Sasha cares about Izzy, and Izzy cares about Sasha, that allows Izzy to return to human form.
- Unsatisfiable Customer: Averted; after an experience in which everyone expects them to be completely and justifiably unsatisfied, Izzy is alright with the Feline Therapy experience and learned a lot about themself from it. However, the "Feeline Fine" staff feel incredibly guilty, so they persuade Izzy to accept a free lifetime pass. Two, actually, with one for Sasha.
