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As nice as it is to have clean clothes, few of us especially enjoy the process of doing laundry. But in Japan, where everyone hangs their clothes outside to dry, a couple of rainy days can mean a huge pile of laundry to get through, and it’s not unusual for people to spend a large chunk of their day off doing the washing.

So if you’re stuck at home doing housework, you may as well have some cute company, in the form of these cat-shaped clothes-pins.

The fact that so many people live in multi-story apartment buildings can make hanging laundry a little tricky. If you’re up on the third floor or higher, you have to be prepared for gusts of wind that can send your laundry flying, especially if you’re hanging something large like a towel. So to keep everything held down, you have to use some pretty big clothespins.

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Of course, the above photo is only going to put a smile on your face if you have a serious thing for the color blue, or for photos of web-based writers’ towels. We imagine far more people would enjoy clothespins shaped like adorable kitty cats.

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Whether you see them as silently guarding your damp t-shirts, patiently waiting for a pat on the head, or lackadaisically looking up at the skies, these functional felines are up to the task of tethering your laundry.

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Amazon Japan sells sets of two in black or white, with prices ranging from 448 to 650 yen (US$4.10-$6).

If you’re such an admirer of the feline form that the way they’re sitting on their behinds doesn’t sit right with you, there’s also an alternate version with posture a little closer to the real thing.

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This second version is also a little cheaper on a per-pin basis, as you can pick up a pack of four at prices ranging from 460 to 658 yen. They’re available in not only black and white, but also in tan, although the color is officially called “tiger.”

▼ We don’t recall ever seeing a tiger that shade, but they still do look mighty cute.

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Finally, if you’re looking to hang up a bunch of small items in one easy to move cluster, 918 yen will get you this handy kitty, also available on Amazon Japan here.

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It’s almost enough to make you wish your cat would shed more, just to give you an excuse to speed up your laundry cycle.

Source: Grape
Top image: Amazon Japan
Insert images: RocketNews24, Amazon Japan (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)