One of my favorite finds in my last Hong Kong trip (thanks again, Animax and HKTB!) was sourced from CTMA Center, after a tip from the lovely kaoko: a Japanese cat-in-a-box coin bank, or “itazura coin bank” as it says on the box.

This battery-operated marvel of Japanese ingenuity takes the simple act of dropping a coin into a bank to a whole new level. Place a coin on the slot (the empty fish plate) and push down. Once activated, the kitty in the box will stick its head and paw out to grab your coin, and then gives out a satisfying mew when the deed is done.

And that’s not all it does! The itazura coin bank is also great fun for cats! The realistic mewing noises coupled with the moving paw fools kittehs of all shapes and sizes into thinking it’s the real thing. Our brood of cats try to grab, paw, and bite the mechanical cat for stealing mommy’s coin. It’s absolutely hilarious, and I never tire of watching my cats act like lunatics trying to coax the robo-cat out of the box.