Dear reader, today I am returning to talk about a most epic of combinations. Manga and cats! Has there ever been a better combination? Perhaps coffee and cats surpasses it, but not by much in my opinion.

The first manga I’m going to talk about is Nights With a Cat by Kyuryu Z. When I tell you this is one of the funniest mangas I have ever read, I’m not exaggerating! I laugh out loud and smile the whole time I’m reading it. The way the author portrays Kyuruga, the cat, is so authentic and realistic for cat owners.

I also enjoy living vicariously through the main character, Fuuta, and his sister as they interact with a very affectionate Kyuruga. You see, dear reader, I live with a cat who is not very affectionate. Abraham (Abe for short) is a cat that wants affection on his terms, and usually for about a minute and then he’s done! However, because he is like that, it makes the moments when he jumps up on my bed and lays by me of his own volition that much more special.

Nights With a Cat by Kyuryu Z

When Fuuta comes home tired at night, all he wants to do is spend time with his sister’s cat, Kyuruga. So many of the mysterious habits and mannerisms of house cats―from the surprising array of shapes Kyuruga likes to twist into, to the bizarre challenge of getting a good photo of him, to his lightning-fast mood changes―are carefully reproduced in this relaxed and cute comedy about living with an adorable furball!

The next manga I’m going to talk about is a shonen manga, which, if you’ve read my previous blog post on manga, you will remember that this means this is a manga aimed primarily at a young male audience, typically characterized by action-filled plots.

There is indeed a ton of action in this manga in the form of, you guessed it, games! You didn’t see that coming at all, did you, dear reader? Luckily I’m here to inform you, no worries.

I grew up playing car games with my brother, but I was nowhere near as obsessed with games as the main character, Riko, is in this manga. I find her enthusiasm for them quite charming, though. The way she goes over the top in response to a win or bad draw is hilarious! I also appreciate the short chapters at the end of the longer ones that feature Riko from Musubi the cat’s perspective. I was basically born into a cat family so I’ve never experienced first-time cat ownership, but the way Riko fumbles through it, as well as constantly relates it to the gaming world, treating it like a leveling up scenario will really charm you!

Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani

Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession for video games, finds her quiet life upended when she takes in a stray cat in this adorable manga series!

Her coworkers can’t quite figure her out—she never talks about her personal life, she never works overtime, and she never joins them for happy hour. Is she antisocial? Nope, she’s rushing home to play video games! One day, a stray cat is found in the office parking lot, and before Riko knows it, the cat has moved in with her! Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand her behavior through a cat’s worldview.

Available for the first time in English! By Wataru Nadatani, this is the first volume in this cute, fun, and heart-warming story of a gamer learning to live with a cat!

The last series I’m going to talk about is one I just started reading, Cat Massage Therapy. Dear reader, have you ever been a sucker for a book based solely off of its cute cover, and the fact that it has a cat on it? I’m glad I’m not alone!

This manga features our main character, Nekoyama, who is completely worn out from work and finds magical healing properties in the form of a cat massage! Again, I live vicariously through Nekoyama because, you guessed it, Abe hardly purrs! And when he does it’s so quiet you have to press your ear against his side to hear it. For such a big cat, this is truly disappointing. The bigger the cat the bigger the purr, am I right? It’s just logical. But then again, pressing my ear against his side and closing my eyes has its own healing properties, so I guess it’s not a total loss.

Anyway, who wouldn’t want to read about several kittens creating a warm spot on your back directly where it hurts, or a full-grown cat (see the manager cat below) making biscuits over your sore muscles? And what’s more, the cats talk!

Cat Massage Therapy by Haru Hisakawa

Nekoyama, worn out after another long day at the office, stops at a therapeutic massage parlor — only to discover that it’s run by a cat! Not only that, but the cat actually does the massaging?! As the professional “meowsseur” digs soft toe beans into Nekoyama’s aching muscles, his heart warms and his worries melt away. This is only the beginning, as he and other world-weary workers are about to meet the other feline professionals who have mastered pawfully cute techniques to reduce human stress.

Dear reader, maybe you will read one of these mangas at home with your own cat curled up on your lap, maybe you will remember with fondness cats that you once owned and have now passed on, or maybe you will smile and look forward to when you can own your own cat. However and wherever you read these mangas, may you end each with a smile.