Recs for a cat lover

Hello!
I am looking for recommendations of books (novels/light novels/manga) that feature cat(s). The cat does not necessarily have o be a main character and the story does not have to be from their perspective, but I would like for the cat to at least be prominent.
The level is not that important to be honest. I passed JLPT N2 but I do not mind a light read, or challenging myself. I would be glad for any suggestion!

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The classic suggestion here would be:

But a few more I can think of that feature cat ‘sidekicks’ to the main character are:
ふらいんぐうぃっち (series) | L19
And:
また、同じ夢を見ていた | L25
If I remember in Flying Witch, the cat even gets their own chapter fairly early on

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On the cat sidekick side, there’s 三毛猫ホームズの推理 | L33 as well.

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I have not read these, but they’re popular on the site. We may need @cat to help us out here:

Although perhaps that second one is exactly what you don’t want :sweat_smile:

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Maybe not for the reason you think, but I also don’t think the second one fits the bill. In 世界から猫が消えたなら | L28, the main character’s cat is just a plot device, with not much direct impact on the story.

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Thank you for the heads up, Naphthalene! And for the suggestion as well.

@brandon The second title does sound scary for a cat lover actually! But the first one seems promising <3

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OMG, reading Natsume Soseki in original Japanese? That would be a challenge! I guess I will try the easier titles first, and then make this one the final boss :stuck_out_tongue:

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Natsume Soseki is surprisingly accessible as far as older Japanese literature goes, but having said that… 吾輩は猫である is looooooooooooooong…

I second おじさまと猫 and third (? XD) 世界から猫が消えたなら and raise by 旅猫リポート | L29… I may warn you that this book is a happy-sad one… it made me bawl my eyes out.

And if you don’t know: チーズスイートホーム 1 | L15 is cute af but if you are looking for a learning opportunity, this really isn’t it. :sweat_smile:

And if you don’t mind BL: 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい (non-smut; SFW; cat is not as prominent, but it’s the reason one of the couples get together)

(Bonus BL anime: 佐々木と宮野 (cute af, non-smut, SFW) - there is a cat appearance in every episode, only for a few seconds, but it’s kinda fun playing “spot the cat” :smiling_face:)

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Well, no one said I have to finish it in one sitting xD I’ve been reading a loooong Japanese webnovel on and off for at least a few months now, and I am still on vol. 1 due to my speed lmao.

So sad it made you cry? …I will put it on the wishlist as a last resort then, lol.

Ah yeah, I already read Chi’s Sweet Home in English, so without the language challenge it would be quite boring.

Boy do I not mind BLs, smut or no smut :> Guess I’ll try the anime while knitting! It will make spotting the kitty that much harder, though :stuck_out_tongue:

Thank you very much! <3

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a good kind of sad? Like, I really, really love this book… but it also makes my heart ache… :smiling_face_with_tear:

spoiler kind of question: does the cat die or it is implied it died? because i may be facing that with my own kitty, so i’d like to avoid reading about that

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Yes, at the end of the book, after it has grown very old… and because you mentioned it: 世界から猫が消えたなら also talks about the death of a cat the MC owned in the past. It’s not long but that part made me cry, too. Stuff like this just hits me right in the feels. :face_holding_back_tears:

I wish you all the best with your kitty. Rough times. hugs

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This one’s a light read. It’s a novella for children about a cat traveling across Ehime and his adventures. It’s full of pretty color illustrations and has a happy end.

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thank you for your well wishes!

i’ll keep the books in the list for when i am better able to deal with it <3

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sounds like it’s right up my alley! thank you very much :hugs:

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Hi, Sienne, my beloved :joy: :heart:

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hiii shay!!! your suggestion to post here was spot on <3 i got lots of books to read!!! :star_struck:

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I think somebody posted a link in another thread about where to access some resources regarding Natsume Soseki…I can’t figure out how to link threads in messages is that even possible to link threads in messages? im so new to discourse @brandon

lol we’re gonna have so many cat book club suggestions :joy: i’m looking forward to it. I honestly think that おじさまと猫 1 | L19 might win next time if suggested again :joy: Unless, of course, :eyes: you find a novel/light novel/children’s book about cats that you want to suggest instead :imp: Lith is gonna kill me, but she’s not here rn so i can’t get caught

  1. You can either go to the thread and click the link icon
    Screen Shot 2022-06-24 at 10.45.12 PM
  2. You can click the link icon in your reply box and type the thread name in the url box… it should come up as an option. For example, type ‘neat resource’ in the url box… and you get the thread:

Neat Resource Websites

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thank you! this is FANCY–amazing…I should learn how to code lol.