A Man and His Cat Review: A Lonely Widower and the 'Ugly' Cat Nobody Wanted
by Umi Sakurai
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
Buy A Man and His Cat on Amazon →*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
I am a sucker for a good cat manga, but A Man and His Cat got me on the very first chapter and didn't let go. It's about two creatures the world had quietly given up on — a grieving old man and a "homely" pet shop cat nobody would buy — deciding they belong to each other. I cried within ten pages. I have reread it and cried again.
It's the warmest possible argument that it's never too late to be loved.
Quick Take
- A gentle healing manga about an elderly widower and the unwanted cat he adopts
- Both man and cat are lonely souls who quietly save each other
- Rated All Ages; ongoing, published in English by Square Enix Manga
Who Is This Manga For?
- Cat lovers and pet owners (have tissues ready)
- Readers who want heartwarming, low-conflict healing stories
- Anyone drawn to gentle intergenerational and human-animal bonds
- People who like short, emotionally resonant chapters
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: All Ages Content Warnings: Grief and bereavement (the protagonist is a widower; loss is a recurring theme)
Wholesome and gentle, but emotionally affecting — the sadness is tender, never bleak.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
Mr. Kanda is an older man — a respected, somewhat reserved professional — living alone since the death of his wife. One day, visiting a pet shop, he notices an exotic shorthair cat that has gone unsold for a long time: with its flat face and grumpy expression, customers have passed it over as "ugly," and it has watched every other animal find a home while it remained behind. Kanda, who knows something about being left behind, takes the cat home and names him Fukumaru ("circle of fortune").
The series follows their life together in short, tender chapters, often told from both perspectives. Fukumaru, who had braced for a life unwanted, slowly learns to trust and adore his quiet new owner; Kanda, frozen in grief, slowly thaws as he relearns how to care for a living thing and, through it, how to reconnect with the people around him. There's no real plot machinery — the drama is entirely emotional: small daily moments of feeding, sleeping, vet visits, and the gradual easing of two kinds of loneliness. Side characters (Kanda's son, his colleagues, fellow cat owners) widen the world, but the heart is always the man and his cat healing each other.
Characters
Mr. Kanda (Fuyuki Kanda) — A dignified, lonely widower whose grief has quietly closed him off. His tenderness toward Fukumaru — fumbling at first, then devoted — is the slow reopening of a heart, and watching this stoic older man learn to be openly loving again is deeply moving.
Fukumaru — The exotic shorthair nobody wanted, whose internal monologue gives the series much of its emotional power. Having expected to be unloved forever, his disbelief and growing devotion at being chosen is the story's beating heart. He is rendered with such expressive, fluffy charm that he's a character, not a prop.
The supporting cast — Kanda's adult son, his musician colleagues, and other cat owners who are gradually drawn back into Kanda's life through Fukumaru, illustrating how one small act of care can reconnect a person to the world.
What I Love About It
It takes the simple idea of "lonely person adopts lonely pet" and treats both halves of the bond with equal seriousness. Fukumaru isn't just a cute accessory to Kanda's grief — he's a full character with his own history of rejection, and the manga gives real weight to what being chosen means to him. That mutuality is what elevates it. And Sakurai's art is gorgeous: Fukumaru is drawn with an almost photo-real fluffiness that makes every nuzzle land, while Kanda's restrained expressions carry enormous feeling. It's a story about second chances at love — between species, across grief — and it never once feels saccharine.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The first chapter's adoption itself — Fukumaru watching, again and again, as other animals are bought and taken home while he, the "unsellable" one, is passed over, slowly concluding that no one will ever want him — and then Mr. Kanda, the lonely widower, stopping at his cage and choosing him. Told partly from the cat's stunned, disbelieving perspective, the moment two overlooked souls recognize each other and decide to go home together is one of the most quietly devastating opening chapters in any healing manga. Everything tender that follows is built on that single act of mutual rescue.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Genuinely heartwarming and emotionally affecting
- Gorgeous, expressive art — Fukumaru is irresistible
- Treats both man and cat as full, grieving, healing characters
- Easy, gentle chapters with strong reread value
Cons
- Minimal plot; episodic by nature
- The sentimentality, while earned, is laid on thick for some tastes
- Ongoing, so it accumulates rather than building to a single climax
Is A Man and His Cat Worth Reading?
Absolutely — it's one of the most heartwarming healing manga around, and essential for cat lovers. Just keep tissues nearby. If you've ever felt overlooked, the opening alone will undo you in the best way.
Where to Buy
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.