If Cats Disappeared from the World

by Genki Kawamura

“In order to gain something, you have to lose something,” she always said. People are always trying to get something for nothing. But that’s just theft. If you’ve gained something, it means that someone, somewhere, has lost something. Even happiness is built on someone else’s misfortune. She often reminded me of this. In fact, she considered it one of the laws of the universe.

When human beings invented the mobile phone, they also invented the anxiety that comes with not having one on you.

“Cats and humans have been partners for over ten thousand years. One thing you realize when you’ve lived with a cat for a long time is that you may think that you own them, but that’s not really the way it is. Cats simply allow us the pleasure of their company.”

just being alive doesn’t mean all that much on its own. How you live is more important.”

Humans tend to regret the life they never lived and the choices they never made.”

“No one knows exactly how much time they have on this earth. It could be a few days or it could be a few months. It’s the same for everyone.”