I can only assume that manga readers love cats. This is for two reasons– 1.) lots of people love cats, and 2.) there are tons and tons of manga featuring cats! After all, just check out this list. These are only the titles we have in our library collection. A quick Google search brings up even more titles that I did not have the opportunity to include, such as My New Life as a Cat; My Sister the Cat; Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten; Night of the Living Cat; A Man and His Cat; Cat on the Hero’s Lap…need I go on? If you think so, continue reading from this list below to find your new favorite cat-themed manga!
Cat + Gamer (Wataru Nadatani)
Riko is a mystery to her coworkers. She’s so quiet about her personal life and she never joins in the after-work happy hour. Is she just antisocial? No, she just can’t wait to get home and play video games! But, when this gamer becomes friends with a stray cat and invites the animal into her home, she finds herself completely at a loss as to how she should care for it. So, applying the skills she learned in video games, Riko tries her best to be a good cat owner, while her furry friend tries to understand its strange new human.
Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Yuri Sonoda)
Sweet little Maruru has lived his entire life as a pampered pet. But, when he runs off after a flock of sparrows and loses his way, he encounters Hachi, a tough stray who doesn’t need a spoiled house cat on his territory and chases him away. But, when Maruru gets Hachi out of a bind, the two end up forming an unlikely friendship.
Cat Massage Therapy (Haru Hisakawa)
Nekoyama is exhausted after a long day at work, so he stops at a massage parlor on his way home from the office. But, to his shock, the parlor is run by a cat! And the cat does the massaging, too! As this purrfessional digs his soft little paws into Nekoyama’s aching muscles, his heart warms and his worries melt away. This is only the beginning, however, as Nekoyama and other weary workers are about to meet the other feline massage artists who have mastered adorable techniques to reduce human stress.
Chi’s Sweet Home (Konomi Kanata)
If you’re looking for something cute and family friendly, you can’t do much better than Chi’s Sweet Home! Mischievous kitten Chi is on a walk with her family when she gets lost. Separated from the warmth and protection of her mother, she’s completely distraught. As she cries in the park, she’s quickly discovered by a young boy named Yohei and his mother, who whisk Chi to a warm and inviting apartment (where pets are not permitted!) Has Chi found her forever home? Or will she be kicked out when the landlord discovers her?
Evil Secret Society of Cats (PANDANIA)
You might think your kitty is cute and sweet and loving…but cats are actually part of an evil organization bent on world domination! Under the leadership of their purple-caped Feline Commander, house pets across the globe use nefarious techniques to take down humanity, such as showing off too-soft tummies (and then attacking when you try to pet them) or sitting on your lap (so that you’re late for work). Cat owners will appreciate seeing all-to-familiar situations filtered through a tongue-in-cheek lens as normal kitty behaviors are turned into nefarious plots for world domination!
I’m the Catlord’s Manservant (Rato Kitaguni)
Yukiharu Izumi finds himself in a real predicament. He just wants to be a normal high school student, but following the death of his parents, he finds himself saddled with an enormous debt and no way of paying it off. Now, penniless and homeless, with no one else to rely on, salvation comes to him from the most unlikely source: shapeshifting cats! But, if cats are difficult masters in cat form, image how much more demanding they could be as humans! Will Yukiharu be able to survive as the servant to his new feline masters??
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary (Juni Ito)
Junji Ito one of the biggest names in terrifying horror manga. So, when he writes a book about his life with two cats (Yon and Mu), you can expect it to be a real spine-chiller. But, this book is surprisingly warm and funny. Ito was always more of a dog person, but when he and his girlfriend move in together, he finds himself the reluctant roommate her pets cats. Yon is ghastly, with staring eyes and a pattern like a skull on his back, while Mu is the cutest, sweetest little cat one could hope for. What makes this book so incredibly funny is how Ito presents normal cat behavior like something out of a horror film. The over-the-top reactions and “shocking” turn of events will have cat owners laughing all the way through.
Monster Cats (PANDANIA)
Cats can be monstrous (see Junji Ito’s Cat Diary), but they are also incredibly cute. In this series by PANDANIA, the lives of cats and their owners are presented through the lens of monsters. Told in four-panel comics (called 4koma in Japan), each little story shows the misadventures cats based on various Western (ie. European and American) monsters, such as a gargoyle cat that likes to sit on the fence all day, a gorgon who can “turn people to stone” or a sea monster that loves the water. If you like this series, consider checking out Yokai Cats, further down this list, by the same author.
Story of Seven Lives (Gin Shirakawa)
Nanao used to be a house cat, but one day he finds himself abandoned, living on the streets of Tokyo and struggling to survive. Now, Nanao lives with his best friend and fellow stray, Machi. But life of a stray is not easy and every day the two must struggle to survive. Aside from foraging for food and finding a safe place to sleep, the pair encounter all sorts of other dangers, including humans–some of whom are not friendly towards strays. When a woman named Yoshino starts to feed the neighborhood cats, Nanao reluctantly bonds with her. But, Yoshino carries emotional scars and a past that entwines with Nanao’s. Can he help her heal and perhaps heal himself in the process?
Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan (Sasami Nitori)
If you’re looking for a chill slice-of-life series, consider checking out Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan! This full-color manga is all about a young man who rescues a very special cat. There’s certainly more to Kyuu-chan than meets the eye. He loves snacks, cuddles, bow-ties, and most of all Hinata, the young professional who adopted him into his home and into his heart. As the two adjust to life together, they discover they have a lot to learn from each other.
Yokai Cats (PANDANIA)
I’ve already featured this manga at length on this blog site, but I just had to include it in this listing, too! As I mentioned while talking about Monster Cats, Yokai Cats takes the regular goings-on of cats and their owners, but adds a little twist–what if our favorite little monsters were actually little monsters? Yōkai is a Japanese word that loosely translates as “monster”, and each of these 4-panel comics features some sort of Japanese-inspired monster cat, from the long-necked rokurokubi to the cucumber-loving kappa. Knowledge of Japanese folklore is not required to enjoy this series, although it might inspire you to check that out next!
