Mahoutsukai no Neko

Rio is a book-loving fourteen-year-old whose awkward nature sets him apart from his peers, unlike his talented, popular twin brother, Mao. Though the brothers are very different, they are close. When Rio is struck by a car while trying to rescue a cat from the street, he finds himself in darkness, where a voice asks whether he wants to live or die. He chooses to live. Rio wakes in an unfamiliar world filled with strangers and strange animals—and discovers he has become a black cat. He soon learns that cats are revered there for their special role as wizards’ familiars.