It's what's for dinner!

In Japan, cats don't say 'meow', they say 'nya'.

Apparently, they also like to disguise themselves as hamburgers, dumplings, soft-serve and cups of green tea.


This is Nyan Nyanko. "Ko" is a Japanese word meaning something like "child" or "young." Together, "nya" and "ko" make the 'cutesy' word for kitten. He comes in a whole variety of shapes and sizes and, for some reason, I'm fascinated by him.


Here he's stuffed into something a bit more Japanese - okonomi-yaki, which literally means "what you like"-"grilled".


Sushi.


Shrimp tempura.


And for dessert, cake! I really can't even hazard a guess as to why the Japanese are obsessed with housing animals in food. And believe me, Nyan Nyanko isn't the only one. On top of that, these are extremely rare and considered collectibles. Here's one of the few I came across in Japan.


Part of my fascination probably has something to do with my love of Claes Oldenburg's soft-sculptures. Part of it, though, is the design. I have to give San-X credit. Usually 'stuffed animals' strike me as kind of sad, but these cats look surprisingly content with their decided fate.


Yum!