Many Twitter users are crazy about the backpack shaped exactly like a real cat handmade by a housewife in Fukui.
The cat backpack is a product created by housewife Miho Katsumi, in Fukui, Japan. Katsumi makes meticulously hand-stitched backpacks shaped like a real cat with pink paw pads, big sparkling eyes and a smooth, furry tail.
Katsumi has produced many backpack models based on Persian, Munchkin or British Shorthair breeds. Katsumi said the process of creating these backpacks is not simple, it takes her a week to design each bag and another 1-3 months to complete.
“It may take longer to achieve satisfactory results,” Katsumi added.
A small cat-shaped bag usually consists of 22 pieces of hand-stitched fabric, while a larger model, like a backpack, requires about 80 pieces of fabric.
In April 2021, Katsumi posted 4 photos of cat-shaped backpacks on Twitter, including a bag shaped like a cat holding a toy fish. The post quickly attracted attention across social networks, being shared more than 11,000 times.
Most of the comments expressed surprise, thinking that the backpack was a real cat. “Who wouldn’t think this is a real cat at first glance,” Twitter account Emlynx wrote.
However, Katsumi’s cat backpack product is so popular that she has received all orders since last year and will not accept new orders until further notice. Katsumi has so far sold 70 cat backpacks, each priced at 140,000 yen (1,074 USD).
In Japan, cats are very beloved animals. In Japanese folklore, cats will bring luck and have protective powers to their owners.