A Man and His Cat (volumes 1-4 ongoing)

I am definitely not a cat person.

But I am a huge sucker for stories about a lonely person whose life is changed by an animal companion.

And I am definitely a huge sucker for stories about an unwanted animal who finds a home with a loving human.

Fukumaru is a big cat with a squashed face who has been living at the pet shop for a year, watching as cute kittens get taken home and feeling resigned to never being chosen. Until the day a solemn widower, Mr Kanda, comes into the shop and chooses him right away. Reading the first chapter of this manga made me tear up right in the middle of Kinokuniya.

A Man and His Cat started life as a webcomic by Umi Sakurai. The collected volumes contain a chaptered storyline interspersed with four panel comics. The story explores their daily lives as Fukumaru and Mr Kanda get to know each other and discover new things together. How happy they are to have each other shines through on every page. (There are lots of scenes of the man hugging the cat.) We also meet Mr Kanda's friends and colleagues, who care for him but have always felt a distance, until he reveals a warmer side with his love of his cat. And - most intriguingly - we gradually learn the painful secrets of his past.

Be warned that there are many terrible cat puns in this manga. ("I love mew all!") I adore a good pun, but this kitty talk is just painful. It means something that I love this manga anyway.

There are nine volumes of this manga so far. (There is also a live action TV show adaptation. Apparently the cat is played by a puppet. I don't know how to feel about this.)

Anyway, if you want to be punched in the heart multiple times (in a good way), I highly recommend A Man and His Cat.

( Bonus other reviews )