These volumes were originally self-published as a webcomic. A Man and his Cat was subsequently serialized in Japan in 2018 before being translated to English in 2020; they were published by Square Enix Manga in both countries.

Content notes for loss of a spouse.

Not much online about the mangaka. Pen name I assume?

What kinds of keywords came to mind? outsiders, found family, grand piano, love and total cuteness.

The synopsis for volume one is "A kitten languishes in a pet shop, unwanted and unloved. Even as his price drops with each passing day, no one spares him a glance unless it's to call him names. Having practically given up on life, the kitty himself is most shocked of all when an older gentleman comes into the store and wants to take him home! Will the man and the cat find what they're looking for..in each other?"

A nice break from many of the longer and more serious titles I've been reading of late, A man and His Cat is pretty pitch perfect. But not one of those series to binge all at once, but rather metered out as one's spirits need lifting. The relationship between this lonely cat and widower is so incredibly wholesome and heartwarming! The art is very on point and there are some good to know facts about cat ownership sprinkled in.

Representation, in contrast, was pretty much a wash overall. Well, unless you count having an older protagonist I suppose.

For what it is I still ended up rating it four out of five stars for volume one, and three out of five stars for volume two. There's nothing quite like a volume one in this case, when you first come across a cute series premise. There's at least eight volumes as far as I can tell; I'll certainly be picking these books up as I feel like.