“This book is a story about mending… She thought she saved the cat, but later realized: the cat came to save her. It’s a thin book, the language flows like conversation, but it leaves a deep mark. You‘ll open it smiling, and then somewhere inside, that orange cat from 10,000 kilometers away will gently, steadily, step onto your heart.”
— Douban reader

“No one can gaslight a cat! Wang Mimi, the free-spirited stray, teaches you to let go of your defenses, heal your wounds, and embrace a life of attitude and warmth.”
— Douban reader

“If you loved ‘A Street Cat Named Bob,‘ you’ll fall for Wang Mimi. From Chongqing to Venice, a cat shows you: a cat doesn‘t have to be too good. Neither do you.”
— Reader

★ Rated 8.7 on Douban! A heartwarming work of narrative nonfiction from acclaimed writer Mei Yuzhe — the true story of a stray orange cat‘s 13,000-kilometer journey from Chongqing to Venice.
★ Based on the author’s own experience — she found a stray cat fighting three large dogs, took him home, and named him Wang Mimi. He disappeared the next day. After searching, treatment, and searching for a foster family, she made the decision to take him across the world to her home in Italy. A tender story of mutual healing between a woman and her cat.
★ Mei Yuzhe‘s novel “The Emperor’s Business” was adapted into the hit drama “The Story of Shang Yang” (starring Zhang Ziyi). Her works have been published in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Beyond writing, she has also founded her own vintage clothing brand in Florence, making a foreign land her home.
★ “They say raising a pet is like raising yourself all over again. What about raising one together with your parents? Many questions that humans can’t figure out — cats seem to know the answers.” This is not a book about a cat — it‘s a story about mending: mending a cat, mending relationships, and mending yourself.

Mei Yuzhe: Female, born in Chongqing, now living in Italy. A self-confessed lazy soul, living two lives across two worlds, with a few close friends and countless interests — giving just enough effort, living freely, and taking the business of cat-raising seriously.

Wang Mimi: Male, born in Chongqing, now living in Italy. A cat with attitude, two faces, three meals of fish a day, and a fearless spirit. He holds a grudge for exactly five seconds, has decent looks, formidable combat skills, a sharp mind, and boundless courage.

“The morning Wang Mimi appeared at my doorstep, he looked ragged and in need of mending — so I mended him. And he, with his orange-and-white paws, mended the version of me that had been lost in time.”
Mei Yuzhe, a writer based in Italy, was visiting her hometown in Chongqing when she saw a stray orange cat fighting three large dogs. She brought him home, named him Wang Mimi — and the next day, he slipped away. What followed was a search, emergency treatment, and a desperate hunt for a foster family. Until she made a decision that would change everything: she would take Wang Mimi with her — across the world to Italy.
This is not just a story about a cat. It‘s a story about mending.
As she cared for Wang Mimi, her father — initially opposed to the cat — was slowly won over by the clever, gentle creature. Through their shared care for him, Mei Yuzhe began to rebuild her relationship with her parents, bridging the distance that had grown between them.
“Don’t be too good, even if you‘re a cat. Same goes for being human.”
A stray cat with a fierce, independent spirit taught its owner how to let go of fear, heal old wounds, and live with purpose and warmth.
This 13,000-kilometer journey is about love, responsibility, and the pure connection between humans and animals. It’s not a “cat book.” It‘s a book about mending — a cat, a relationship, and a life.

Mei Yuzhe is a Chinese writer and screenwriter. Born in Chongqing in 1980, she now lives in Italy. A graduate of journalism, she has worked in tourism, media, real estate, and advertising before pursuing writing full-time. Beyond writing, she founded her own vintage clothing brand in Florence, turning her adopted home into a true home.
Her major novels include “The Emperor’s Business,” the “Yi Xiang Bin Ying” trilogy, and several others. Her works have been published in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
“The Emperor‘s Business” was adapted into the hit 2021 television drama “The Story of Shang Yang,” starring Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Yiwei. The “Yi Xiang Bin Ying” trilogy has also been optioned for screen adaptation.