The 25 Best Anime Cats, Ranked

What are the best anime cats?

Cats are something you either love with every fiber of your being or vehemently hate, and honestly if you’re the latter, this list isn’t for you!

From cat girls to actual cats, it seems like felines are everywhere in anime, and they’re almost always super adorable.

Today, we’re giving the best cats in anime their time to shine so that they can get all the admiration and affection they deserve.

The 25 Best Anime Cats

Choosing the best anime cats isn’t an easy task because all cats are perfect, in our opinion, but we’ve toughed it out to round up some real stars.

These cats have been chosen based on their overall level of cuteness, personalities, and popularity among fans.

So, take a break from watching funny cat videos to check out our list of the 25 best anime cats:

25. Sorata

Starting off our list, we have the insanely adorable black and white cat Sorata from the series Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi.

Rescued by Takano when he was in high school, Sorate was abandoned in an alley, and the moment when he was found broke our hearts.

Sorata later is taken care of by Yokozawa and then Hiyori due to the latter working too much to properly care for this little fur ball.

Fun fact about Sorata: it was revealed in the anniversary special interview that he can read, and his favorite genre is non-fiction!

24. Jiji

Jiji is the magical cat companion of Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service, and if you haven’t seen this film, you really need to evaluate your priorities.

This cat is a handsome all-black fellow with large eyes, and his personality varies between the American and Japanese versions of the film.

In the American version, he is very sarcastic and proud, while in the Japanese version, he is much more humble and cautious.

We absolutely love Jiji with a passion, and we may or may not have a couple of plushies of him lying around.

23. Sakamoto

Sakamoto is another black cat, this time coming to us from the anime Nichijou, where he is able to speak thanks to the power of SCIENCE!

Adopted by the genius inventor Hakase, Sakamoto is able to speak thanks to the specially made red scarf he wears around his neck.

Of course, with the power of speech, this cat does what every other cat wishes it could do: be condescending and demand respect.

This cat is absolutely hilarious, and he easily steals the show, making him one of the biggest reasons to check this series out!

22. Baron

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen is one dapper gent, and he is a major character in the film Whisper of the Heart and the deuteragonist of The Cat Returns.

A living statue of an anthropomorphic cat, Baron, comes to life at night in his three-piece suit and gentlemanly top hat.

The best short-haired anime girls don’t have anything on this snazzy cat, and he’s easily one of the best felines in anime!

21. Korin

Korin is one of the best Dragon Ball Z characters, and no, we won’t accept any criticism, so move over Vegeta!

We haven’t seen enough of this boy lately, and it’s a damn shame because this fat, white cat is a martial arts master!

Seriously, a cat that is an immortal martial arts master! It doesn’t get much cooler than that, and we need more of him in our lives.

Here’s hoping the next season of Dragon Ball Super brings him back because this cat deserves more time in the limelight!

20. Blair

Blair from Soul Eater is an interesting case because she is totally a cat, but she spends more time in her human form.

While her human form is nice and all, as a cat, she is all black and often has a witch’s hat perched upon her head.

As a monster cat, Blair is pretty powerful, and she has taken down many enemies in her day, though it helps that she has nine lives.

Along with being a great anime cat, Blair is also one of the best purple-haired anime girls, and her fun, flirty personality makes her hard not to love.

19. Kaya

Kaya is another black cat, and he is a former stray adopted by the Miyanoshita family after he came to them during Kayako’s funeral.

Unfortunately, this cat ends up possessed by Amanojaku, who is imprisoned inside Kaya for the majority of the series.

So, Kaya spends most episodes as a grumpy cat with a mouth so foul even a sailor would do a double take!

18. Nekobasu

Nekobasu, more commonly known as Catbus, is, as his name suggests, a huge cat who is also literally a bus.

Not only is Catbus absolutely adorable, but he’s an extremely helpful character in My Neighbor Totoro, making it easy to love him.

Of course, we also have to mention Kittenbus from the 13-minute short film Mei and the Kittenbus, which is just adorable.

This short film tells the story of Mei and a child version of Catbus, and our hearts literally can’t handle the overload of cuteness.

If you haven’t watched either of these films, do yourself a favor and go watch them right now because they are the best!

17. Karupin

Coming to us from one of the best sports anime, The Prince of Tennis, Karupin is one of the fluffiest anime cats we’ve ever seen.

A Himalayan cat owned by the Echizen family, Ryoma is very attached to this floof ball, and Karupin feels the same.

This adorable kitty is often seen sleeping or roaming around the house, though he can also be a bit mischievous.

Karupin’s favorite food is kitty snacks, and he deserves all the snacks because he is literally the sweetest boy who deserves all the best.

16. Kirara

InuYasha is a fantastic anime due in large part to this two-tailed fluffy nekomata who can go from sweet and cuddly to a vicious killing machine in 0.6 seconds.

A traveling partner and the main mode of transportation for Kohaku, Kirara loves cat food, treats, and playing with cat toys.

While her cuddly form is the size of an adult cat when she transforms, she is large enough to ride on, and flames emerge from her feet and tails.

Kirara is the best fluffy murder machine ever, and we want to both snuggle her and ride her around like the noblest of steeds.

15. Arthur

Arthur may be your average stray cat, but he is adorable and actually influences the plot of Code Geass despite not having supernatural powers!

For example, one time, Arthur stole Zero’s mask, which ended up giving Lelouch an opportunity to become Sazaku’s friend.

Although this black cat is usually just chilling in the background, he’s more than done his fair share to move the plot along, so he deserves the rest.

14. Neko Sensei

Also known as Mr. Cat, this somewhat unsettling cat is a ballet teacher at Gold Crown Academy, where he seems to really want to marry his students.

He’s often proposing marriage to his students as a “punishment,” though ironically, he finds the two characters who want to marry him creepy.

Neko Sensei is definitely one of the weirdest characters from Princess Tutu, but he does end up finding love in the end!

Oddly enough, this freaky feline finds love as an ordinary cat outside his anthropomorphic form and even has a bunch of kittens.

Thankfully, his lady love isn’t one of his students because that really would have made things awkward and weird.

13. Kuroneko

Kuroneko-sama, whose name literally means Mr. Black Cat, is a super cute kitty from the 1998 anime Trigun.

A small black cat with giant green eyes that take up most of his face, Kuroneko is, for the most part, a completely normal cat.

While he doesn’t influence the plot, he can often be seen lounging around and napping, basically living his best cat life.

This cat may not be supernatural, but he’s just as iconic as the most popular anime characters, and we absolutely love him!

12. Nekotalia

Okay, so this isn’t so much a single cat as it is an entire group of cats hailing from the really weird but enjoyable series Nekotalia.

All of these fluffy felines are the cat equivalents of the characters in the show Hetalia, and every cat represents a specific country.

Of course, all the cats get up to a lot of political bickering that is low-key hilarious, and we love it so much.

France Cat is one of our favorites because he’s an absolute fluff ball that always has sparkles around him, which is amazing.

Although this series is really out there, it’s definitely worth watching if you love cats and want to laugh at personified countries!

11. Maya

Maya is Sakaki’s Iriomote Mountain cat from the anime Azumanga Daioh, and he is the first cat to ever like Sakaki pet it.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop every other cat from absolutely hating Sakaki, especially the cat Kamineko.

That grey cat has an unspoken vendetta against Sakaki and even tries to rally all the other neighborhood cats against her!

Thankfully, Maya is able to scare the other felines away and keep Sakaki safe because Maya is literally the best.

We especially love how his face is always serious and blank, like he’s some sort of One Punch Man cat.

10. Puck

An artificial spirit created by Echidna Puck is the protector of Emilia, one of the best anime waifus in Re: Zero, and, oh boy, is he a cutie.

However, if you know anything about cats in anime, it’s that the cuter they are, the more terrifying they are when you piss them off!

Upon first glance, Puck is an adorable gray cat who loves joking around and just generally being the cutest thing we’ve ever seen.

Unfortunately, if you get this kitty mad, he will turn into the Beast of the End, which is really a sight to behold.

We won’t spoil too much about Puck because we don’t want to ruin the excitement of seeing him transform for the first time!

9. Shamisen

From the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, we have Shamisen, who appears to be just a normal stray cat at first glance.

However, when Haruhi picks him up to be her familiar during a game, he ends up gaining the ability to speak!

Funnily enough, Shamisen has a really deep voice and is always ready to talk about something philosophical.

He also plays a big part in the plot, as when he’s used by Kyon to test their connection to the real world when fiction and reality start blurring.

Moreover, he’s just freaking adorable, which automatically makes him an awesome cat, in our opinion, because all cats are great! 

8. Happy

An Esceed from Extalia, Happy looks like a blue cat with a white belly, and he’s a member of Team Natsu of the Fairy Tale Guild.

Used a lot as comic relief, Happy is definitely great at making people laugh, even if he doesn’t mean to.

Happy is basically the mascot for the anime series, and he’s instantly recognizable thanks to his large head and huge eyes.

This quick-witted and cheeky blue kitty definitely steals the show when he appears, and it’s really hard not to like him!

7. Neko-Gami-Sama

Better known as Lord Cat, Neko-Gami-Sama is a cat-like creature who is oddly both adorable and kind of unsettling.

While he obviously has some impressive powers, he doesn’t use them in a way that you would assume a cat would.

Instead, Lord Cat sits inside vending machines and warms the drinks to “body temperature” by holding them against himself.

We’re not going to lie; this cat is one of the main reasons we watched Pani Poni Dash, and we totally don’t regret it!

6. Kuro

Kuro is a Cat Sidhe, and Rin Okumura’s familiar from the anime Blue Exorcist, and he looks like a black cat with two tails.

While he’s often playful, he does have a ferocious side and has been seen attacking humans who desecrate his shrine.

This magical cat has been around since ancient times, and back in the day, he was a protective deity for silkworm farmers.

Despite not being seen as a god anymore, Kuro is still a divine kitty in our book, though that could be said for basically every cat we see.

5. Luna, Artemis & Diana

Luna, Artemis, and Diana are the wise cat advisors to the protagonists of Sailor Moon, and like Kuro, they’re ancient.

Although Luna has the biggest part to play in the series, it’s hard to pick a favorite from this trio because they’re all pretty awesome.

However, during the first official Sailor Moon character popularity poll, Luna did come in eighth out of 38 possible choices!

These cats also have human forms, though only Luna’s is ever shown in the Anime, while everyone is shown in the manga.

As some of the most iconic anime cats, these three are definitely some of our favorite kitties of all time.

4. Anpu

In The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., one of the best comedy anime series, Anpu can often be seen lounging in front of Saiki’s house.

This cat is basically what everyone who hates cats thinks they are like, and it is absolutely hilarious.

Anpu saunters around like his mere presence is a blessing to humanity, and he will do whatever he can to manipulate people to do what he wants.

All this cat wants is unquestionable adoration, but when Saiki is indifferent to him, Anpu goes crazy trying to gain his approval.

This leads to a ton of cat-themed shenanigans, and we absolutely love watching all of the things this kitty gets up to.

3. Chomusuke

This black cat looks like the pet every goth kid in middle school dreamed of having, and honestly, we want her.

Chomusuke is Megumin’s familiar from Konosuba, and she is all black with a red cross on her forehead, tiny bat wings, and large yellow eyes.

While she looks a bit funky, she’s overall a pretty normal cat, so long as you ignore the flying and firebreathing that sometimes happens.

We really hope to see more of her in Konosuba Season 3, and if she isn’t there, we will literally riot.

2. Meowth

Even if you have never seen the Pokémon anime or played any of the games, you’ve probably at least seen a picture of Meowth.

Probably the most well-known anime cat, even among non-anime fans, Meowth is a member of Team Rocket.

Not only does he stand out on the team, but he is also the only one of his species to speak and walk on two legs.

He may not be the cutest cat on our list, but watching Meowth and Team Rocket try to steal Ashes Pokémon is so nostalgic.

Meowth isn’t just one of the best cat Pokémon, but he’s easily one of the best anime cats of all time!

1. Madara

Taking our number one spot is Madara, one of the main protagonists from Natsume’s Book of Friends.

At first, this kitty is just another Youkai who wants to nab Natsume’s powerful book, but that doesn’t go as planned.

So, Madara makes a deal to be Natsume’s bodyguard in exchange for getting the book if and when he dies.

However, as the pair spend time together, this pudgy kitty and Natsume gradually form a very sweet relationship.

Madara soon becomes willing to protect Natsume with his life, and while he still is a snarky kitty, he’s too precious not to love.

Summary

We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the 25 best anime cats as much as watching adorable cat videos on YouTube.

Anime is chock-full of great cats, and while it’s always hard to pick favorites, these fluffy, feisty felines are easily the greatest, in our opinion.

If you’ve yet to watch any of the series this kitties star in, add them to your watch list ASAP because you can never have too many cats!

Here’s a quick recap of the 25 best anime cats:

1. Madara
2. Meowth
3. Chomusuke
4. Anpu
5. Luna, Artemis & Diana
6. Kuro
7. Neko-Gami-Sama
8. Happy
9. Shamisen
10. Puck
11. Maya
12. Nekotalia
13. Kuroneko
14. Neko Sensei
15. Arthur
16. Kirara
17. Karupin
18. Nekobasu
19. Kaya
20. Blair
21. Korin
22. Baron
23. Sakamoto
24. Jiji
25. Sorata

Which anime cat is your favorite? Leave a comment below.