He encounters many problems in society, including ill-treatment of women, lack of hygiene and poor building standards, culminating in a visit to a school where a single gunshot makes the walls collapse.

[9] The schools give out university diplomas on the first day, and the museums are filled with empty rooms as the contents have been sold off to foreigners.

[16] The novel shows the influence of European utopian literature and is reminiscent of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, both in its exaggerated satirical tone and in the use of animal-like creatures.

[5][8] Lao She declared his attempt at satire a failure,[18][1] lamenting its lack of humour,[10] and some critics have described the book as not a great novel.

[16] Koon-Ki Tommy Ho argues that many critics evaluated Cat Country by standards not applicable to utopian fiction, and states the book "placed [Lao She] among the successful modern writers of dystopia in world literature.