In a corner of the city, a young woman named Sayoko (Mikako Ichikawa) lives alone in a one-story, traditional Japanese house. However, she’s not really alone. In every part of the house is a cat, another cat, yet another cat… For some reason cats find her irresistible, so she decides to share her house with them. She passes her time tending to her house, taking care of the family altar of her beloved grandmother, and operating a rent-a-cat business through which she lends her cats to lonely people — all while enduring the taunts of her bizarre neighbor. “Rent-a-…Cat. Rent-a-Cat, cat, cat. Feeling lonely? I’ll lend you a cat.” Every day, Sayoko walks along the riverside pulling a two-wheeled cart full of cats, repeating these words through her megaphone, hoping to rescue some lonely hearts.