Cthulhu Cat

by Pandania, Zack Davisson (translator), Steve Dutro (illustrator)

An ordinary Japanese high school student takes home an abandoned supernatural cat left in a cardboard box.

Maybe he shouldn't have meddled with kitties beyond human comprehension—after all, it had tentacles where its whiskers should have been! But it’s too late!

With no Elder Sign on the cat door, soon the pick of the Mythos litter starts to invade his house, as furry and feline versions of Hastur, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, and other adorable Lovecraftian horrors blast his mind, whisper impossible secrets, and generally get underfoot!

From the creator of Evil Secret Society of Cats and Yokai Cats, Cthulhu Cat is a one-shot, full-color gag manga collection that is a charming tribute both to Lovecraft's stories and Lovecraft the cat lover.

Translated by Zack Davisson ( The Supernatural Cats of Japan, H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth)!

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Humor, Fantasy, Cats

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's cats, it's Cthulhu, what more do you want? How about an oddly deep application of mythos? I thought this was going to be a collection of cute Cthulhu-flavoured cartoons, and it certainly is that, but there's also a LOT of mythos representation, and there are running stories underneath it all. It's impressive, and glops together into something like sinister cuteness?

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[cyd⭐️ (matching with allie ♥︎) · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was so weird, don’t get me wrong.. i love this art style but this story line? 😭 i’m genuinely so confused

(2/5)⭐️🐈‍⬛

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure, at first, if this book would achieve the high bar set by the others in the Monster Cats series. But it ended up being so bizarre and quirky, with an absurdist sense of humor, that it won me over. The characters have some great one-liners, and the ever-expanding world of weird felines is a lot of fun.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"

[Daijah]

actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

read for the tarot readathon 2025: the star (read a graphic novel or manga)

this manga was a really cute, fun read. i absolutely loved the art style it was seriously one of my favorite parts. the plot itself felt a little lackluster though mostly because it was pretty episodic. it reminded me of watching little episodes of phineas and ferb rather than a continuous story which isn’t usually my vibe for graphic novels or manga.

that said i still enjoyed it a lot mostly because i’m a sucker for anything cat related. the grumpy cats especially cracked me up and made the whole thing worth it. it’s definitely a fun, light read, but not quite one of my all-time favorite mangas.

[jennalikebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

gotta check my sanity after this one

[Astilbe The Hobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this very very cute and very fun. The art was colorful and cut through out and I felt the story flowed nice! 🥹 I’d probably font myself reading it again at some point for a pick me up. 🩶

[Britnee R · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute ... couldn't read a lot of it thought cause of the words

[A Little Mystery Book ᰔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny short stories collection. I throughly enjoyed it. I had many laughing moments with this one.

Things I loved about Cat Cthulhu:
-Manga
-Cats
-Humor

[Chanel Chapters]

Plot was confusing but it does have cute alien kitties so…

3⭐️

[Lo Wayward Tomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

already got it approved by the hubs, we are allowed to get a Cthulhu cat.

[Chris Gernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute, funny collection of 4-panel comics combining cats with the Cthulhu mythos, with a situation introduced and wrapped up with a punchline on each page.

It’s also - I’m not sure how this happened - one of the most detailed, accurate, and faithful adaptations of this literary universe I’ve ever seen. I was expecting a bunch of silly throwaway gags, but this somehow manages to achieve a perfect balance between light humor and looming dread throughout. Genuinely surprising and impressive.

[Mathew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda fun if you're already very familiar with the Lovecraft mythos, but only in a awww, hey I know that name! kinda way. Otherwise there is zero content, story, or really anything but weird plushy characters that aren't really cats or great old ones. This is the kind of book that the author was like "hey guys! I have a great idea!" and all their friends were like "WOW, that's great! You should totally do that!" but not really.
If you've either read a lot of Lovecraft, or are a fan of the TTRPG, this book might offer a smirk here and there, but otherwise, you'll be lost and to be honest, you're not missing much.

[Sarah T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty incredible!

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was ridiculous and hilarious and kinda creepy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really silly and really cute and I want another book looking at some of the other monster cats that were shown at the end.

[Salla · Rating 2 out of 5]

En ymmärtänyt yhtään mitä tässä tapahtui.

[Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute book 😁

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

The translation seemed a little wonky at times, but still a cute comic that did make me genuinely laugh at points

[Sopuber Fungirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This maybe should have been a five (on my own personal and very specific rating system) but i just hate Lovecraft so much

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

Delightfully odd, this book combines adorable cats with a eldritch twist.

A humorous slice-of-life tale of a high school student with a normal cat, Ur, and one he found in a box in an alley, Cthulhu. Strange and adorable, his cats keep him busy as he deals with odd feline visitors, enthusiastic cultists, and a mysterious priest that all seem drawn to his home.

Humorous and strange with colorful art. I enjoyed seeing cat versions of the various Lovecraft creatures.

A fun read especially for fans of H. P. Lovecraft and cats.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. I wasn’t expecting it to be a manga since the art style is so different. Hoopla’s edition was published (e-book) to be read left to right… except the pages are still right to left, which was confusing at first.

I think the main issue was my not being the intended audience. I’m aware of the Lovecraft universe, enough to recognize some of the names & references we see in the manga, like Cthulhu and the fish people. But I’ve never read the original stories, played the games, etc. And this is very much a book intended for fans of the source material - there’s a strong kind of ‘inside joke’ feeling to it, minus the humour. Without the nostalgic aspect, I don’t know if the storytelling is enough to stand up by itself.

[Mehsi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off quite fun/weird/absurd but just got too weird/random for me in the end. Haha. I had just expected more cat shenanigans with cthulu cats, the start was good in that regard, I had a laugh at various things there, like seeing two old ones fight and being tamed by kitty snacks, or what his paws smelled like and what that did to humans.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy has taken in a cat that is part cat, part mythical creature (and eventually finds out is the current form of an old god). It attracts both fans (both cats and humans), worshippers, a priest who moves in with the boy’s family, enemies in other mythical cats, and several other cat creatures that are old gods as well.

The way Pandania presents these creatures make it seem like a modern fantasy mythology new forms for old mythical gods who have mostly died out of human memory. There are some occult symbols used in drawings and a priest moves in, but it seems more mythology like other Greek gods, Norse gods fantasy adventure rewrites that are currently popular and not super dark or sinister or anything. Some will just find this cute and funny, but others may find this a little more disturbing if the symbols and such in the background actually mean something to them.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: A cult of worshippers gather outside of the boy’s home, and most of them are naked people who are so decorated in symbols they don’t actually look naked. (They are always strategically posed too.)
Violence: Cat fights and nothing more.
Ethnic diversity: The people appear to be Japanese.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: The priest doesn’t do much except interpret why certain cats get along and others don’t; he also shape-shifts. The worshippers just dance in the yard and offer fish.

[Ed Sical · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realize going in that Pandania basically specializes in cats… monster cats… and what appears to be an evil secret society of cats. Once you figure that out, everything about Cthulhu Cat makes a lot more sense.

Nothing against this graphic novel—it’s just very niche. This is, quite literally, cute cosmic horror. You see the title, you get exactly what’s advertised.

The art is adorable and a little trippy in exactly the way you’d expect. That part works really well. The story, though, feels a bit all over the place at times. I’m not entirely sure if that’s due to translation quirks or just committing fully to the “kawaii chaos” of it all, but either way, it doesn’t always hold together.

That said, I’m not going to tear into the plot too much—this is cosmic horror cats. You kind of know what you’re signing up for.

What I did enjoy was the way the story is structured. Each page is broken into short bursts—usually 4–5 panels hitting a quick plot point or joke. Some of it feeds into a loose overarching narrative, and some of it just leans into the goofy, cute energy. It makes the book really easy to pick up and put down, even if you’re just reading a page at a time.

I wouldn’t broadly recommend this unless you’re really into Cthulhu or really into cats—but if you are, this is a fun, mindless little trip that knows exactly what it is.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was working my way through more Yokai Cats from my library and saw this one. It is both very much of a kind with that series, but also quite different since it has a single continuous plot with the same characters (though Pandania manages to include a lot of catified mythos creatures, both as main actors and just in the background). It was a fun light read, and I enjoyed the author's afterward describing their first time playing Call of Cthulhu the RPG: "The village was destroyed. Two of us died. I'd love to play again" which is a perfect summation of the game (sans characters going insane).

Things I didn't like so much: the main character just looks weird, sort of like Charlie Brown with his odd head squiggle things. Also, he just doesn't read as a child; early on when it showed him going to school, I kind of assumed college. But I think he's intended to be younger, maybe even elementary age given the lack of uniforms when he's shown in school. Also, the book references a lot of the extended mythos lore from writers other than Lovecraft, which I don't really care for since they try to impose order on something that is supposed to be incomprehensible and alien.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! This is an absolute delight. This is more story driven than Yokai Cats, Vol. 1 or Monster Cats Vol. 1 or even The Evil Secret Society of Cats, Vol. 1 and it is a wonderful story! Not only is Cthulhu cat adorable but so are his friends, Ur (white cat) and enemies, Hastur (wears a mask and has tentacles). And it's a funny story The church of starry wisdom? Sounds like a cult. I'm not going. and his school friends disappearing and suspecting it's his fault, a couple of running jokes there worked really well. Loved it!

[BP Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complete madness... I loved it.

I usually have comparables, but I've honestly never seen anything like Cthulhu Cat from Dark Horse Manga.

This graphic novel is ideal for anyone who is into horror comedy, cats, or manga.

The basic premise is that the HP Lovecraft Eldrich Horrors are cats. Not normal cats, mind you, but weird, fantastical horrors... who still roughly resemble and act like cats. I'm a big fan of the main character, Carter, who finds Cthulhu in a box in an alley, and even though Cthulhu is strange and a little scary, he adopts him anyway because cats need a home. Carter then just rolls with it as other cats of Cthulhu's "unusual breed" start showing up because all cats are weird.

The part that made me laugh the most was when Cthulhu and Hestur (another Elrich horror cat... who just shows up in the yard once in a while) are fighting and the issue gets resolved with the use of Churu sticks.

As a cat guardian, I loved every page of this completely bonkers book.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just a reimagining of Cthulhu and related Lovecraft lore as cats in Pandania’s distinctive, cutesy style.

It’s essentially a bunch of loosely connected shorts featuring characters and creatures from Lovecraft’s stories. There’s really no plot or anything else substantive. But, this is also a story for children. So.

I mean, it is a little weird to have Lovecraft lore reimagined in this way for a young audience—largely because I think it’s irresponsible to separate Lovecraft’s writing from the man himself and all his very problematic personal views. His stories are very racist and very xenophobic. It’s weird to see them stripped of all context here.

Anyway.

This is for children. Things are going to be adapted or omitted of made very silly. If that’s not your thing, probably skip this one~

[Dennis Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

P̷̛̛̛̩̺͇̊̅̍͂͗͑͐̎̂̏̐̐ḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝ǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝ǧ̷̡̟̲̹̩̱͉̮̭͇͚̮̖̟̽̓͊̔̓̕l̶̬̞͎̖͉̹̝͕̝͖̣̉͆u̷̬̩̰̫͕̘͎̔́̃̄̍͋̓i̶̡̹͈͎̳̞͙͖̾̂̀͑̀͆̑̓̽̉͐͘͘ͅ m̵̢͕̫̓̔͑̊̈ǧ̷̡̟̲̹̩̱͉̮̭͇͚̮̖̟̽̓͊̔̓̕l̶̬̞͎̖͉̹̝͕̝͖̣̉͆ẃ̸̝̝̰͋͒ǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝ǎ̴̯̀͠f̵̢̻͈̫̬̻͔̘̞͈̆̇̍̈̌͊ͅḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝ C̴̀͐ͅǎ̴̯̀͠t̸̫̫̤͕̳̻̰̣̭́̌̉͝ͅḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝u̷̬̩̰̫͕̘͎̔́̃̄̍͋̓l̶̬̞͎̖͉̹̝͕̝͖̣̉͆ḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝u̷̬̩̰̫͕̘͎̔́̃̄̍͋̓ M̶̧͚̪͉̯̜̰͎̘̀͋̇̀͗̍́͆̑̏͂̿̊̚ë̸͓̮͉͈͇͍̖͎̩̞͈́́́̋̇̾͋̈́̾͆͑͘͘͜͠͝ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅẃ̸̝̝̰͋͒l̶̬̞͎̖͉̹̝͕̝͖̣̉͆y̶͔͗ë̸͓̮͉͈͇͍̖͎̩̞͈́́́̋̇̾͋̈́̾͆͑͘͘͜͠͝ḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝ ẃ̸̝̝̰͋͒ǧ̷̡̟̲̹̩̱͉̮̭͇͚̮̖̟̽̓͊̔̓̕ǎ̴̯̀͠ḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝ǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝ǎ̴̯̀͠ǧ̷̡̟̲̹̩̱͉̮̭͇͚̮̖̟̽̓͊̔̓̕l̶̬̞͎̖͉̹̝͕̝͖̣̉͆ f̵̢̻͈̫̬̻͔̘̞͈̆̇̍̈̌͊ͅḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝t̸̫̫̤͕̳̻̰̣̭́̌̉͝ͅǎ̴̯̀͠ǧ̷̡̟̲̹̩̱͉̮̭͇͚̮̖̟̽̓͊̔̓̕ǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝


C̴̀͐ͅU̴̡̢̱̳̳͓̗͔̮̔͜͜͜T̷̡̧̬̲̭̦̘̩̊̉͛̓̓̌͌̕Ȩ̸̪̯̗̘̥̣̲̣̣͍͚͙̥̩́̀̈̆͑