The Japanese "Meneki Neko" Auspicious Kitty Large 11" Tall

This ceramic gold kitty uses 2 AA batteries (not included) to enable the paw to wave . A symbol of protection and luck.

The legend goes ...that a Buddhist Master decided to visit a dear friend of his who also was a Master in a neighboring village in Japan. He gathered up his entourage of disciples and they prepared a picnic as it was quite a distance through the forest. Along the way a cat came onto their path and behaved in an unusual manner. The cat stood up on it's hind legs and waved one paw very distinctly as if to tell them to go back. The Master seeing this saw this as an omen and had everyone turn back to return to the journey perhaps for tommorrow. Later that afternoon a messenger came on horseback to tell the Master that the village he was going to visit had been wiped out by mauraders. If they had continued they all would have died. So this cat has been associated with the great bodhisattvas, the enlightened beings who protect beings from danger. Having it in the entrance way or seen from the entrance way is believed to bring a good omen, safety, and good fortune. Children love them...

Often put at the entrance of shops and restaurants for Auspicious Good Luck