Showing posts with label Maneki Neko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maneki Neko. Show all posts

Tuesday, 15 May 2012

Feng Shui Cats vs Maneki Neko Cats

Yes, there are Feng shui cats and they look a bit like Maneki Neko cats. I think the former is a spin off from the latter but I might well be completely wrong, and probably am. You'll see Feng shui cats in Japan, China and Hong Kong, apparently. The Maneki Neko cat or beckoning cat is famous in Japan. It is thought to bring good luck and is placed outside shops etc. to improve the financial fortunes of the business.


Feng shui, for me (layman's terms) is the science (art?) of improving the home environment through the positioning, placement and selection of items of furniture and furnishings. The improved environment thereby improves the well-being of the people living in the environment. I think it works because it is common sense really.

A Feng shui cat is a spin on this science, it seems to me. I don't see how it can truly be part of the Feng shui concept because a single item on a shelf cannot improve the environment especially if it is a red, rotund plastic or china cat! But nonetheless it is a very cute looking cat.

The Maneki Neko cat is based on the Japanese Bobtail, a well known purebred cat with a long history in Japan. It is Japan's iconic domestic cat.

Photos: Feng shui cats by Bahi on Flickr -- Maneki Neko cat by Nemo's great uncle on Flickr. The cats in the picture were sold in the British Museum, London by the way.

Wednesday, 2 November 2011

Are cats left pawed?

Left-handed cat - Photo by pepleo
38.3% of cats are left-handed. 20% are right-handed and 41.7% are ambidextrous. This is the conclusion of a study of 60 cats, entitled "Paw preference in cats related to hand preference in animals and men". Cole, J. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, Vol 48(2), Apr 1955, 137-140.

The reason is put down to "innate anatomical structure" - not sure what that means other than it just happens.

The findings are interesting. Let's not forget that this is a small sample and one study. However, my personal first hand experiences of living with cats is that my old lady cat appears to use both forelimbs equally but favors her left forelimb. This supports the findings.

My three legged boy has lost his right forelimb so he's gotta be left-handed! The Japanese bobtail "Maneki Neko" is left-handed (see below). This is correct based on the research.

maneki neko statue

japanese bobtail

Why are cats more likely to be left-handed or ambidextrous than people? Apparently 90%  of people are right-handed. The answer must lie in the wild cat, the wild ancestor of the domestic cat and for us it lies in the primates, our wild ancestors. My guess is that there is a need in cats to have near equality of dexterity of both forelimbs in hunting, climbing and chasing, whereas for humans, in using tools, one hand suffices. Also by favoring one hand it becomes more practiced and dexterous.

The photo of the Japanese bobtail by Helmi Flick is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

Featured Post

i hate cats

i hate cats, no i hate f**k**g cats is what some people say when they dislike cats. But they nearly always don't explain why. It appe...

Popular posts