Cats have crawled their way into every aspect of Japanese life for centuries. The “hand-fed tigers” were first brought to mainland Japan from India by the Chinese around 500 A.D. to protect Buddhist scrolls from mice. Today they appear in ukiyo-e woodblock prints, centuries-old shrines and pop culture icons such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon and the ubiquitous “beckoning cat” good luck charm called maneki-neko.

Though the cat furniture line is primarily an ad campaign for Fukuoka’s wood artisans, making tasteful, handcrafted pet furniture could prove to be a viable revenue source for the beleaguered Japanese craft. The global pet accessories market is a billion dollar industry and the American Home Furnishings Alliance says that pet furniture, in particular, is booming. A 2015 study by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council suggests that most millennial customers today have no qualms about spending for fancy pet beds because they see their domestic animals as family members.

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