cat-in-hat

The Internet is going crazy for these cats in fur hats.

Ryo Yamazaki is a talented Japanese photographer and the owner of three adorable Scottish Folds named Nya, Maru, and Mugi. Like any doting owner, Yamazaki can’t stop snapping photos of his adorable animals, but what makes his images stand out from the rest is the addition of a very unusual accessory.

These cats are in hats, and they’re not just any old off-the-rack hats either. These headpieces have been made with materials provided by the felines themselves, using fur they’d grown and shed. Given that the cats all have different coloured coats, the fur balls for making the hats come in three colours: the wheat-coloured variety comes from the youngest kitty, named Mugi, whose name translates to “wheat”, while Nya provides the grey colour, and Maru is responsible for pure white.

There’s been so much interest in the unusual fur balls that the owner recently posted a video showing how they’re made.

Yamazaki fashions the fur balls into hats of different shapes and sizes, before popping them on the heads of his patient cats, who wear them with all the poise of professional models. Here, 9-year-old Nya, the oldest of the three, shows off the brilliance of an acorn hat.

At 2 years of age, Mugi is the youngest of the trio. Given its colouring, an innocent fur hat transforms the kitty into President-elect Donald Trump! As Yamazaki says in the caption for the photo, this cat’s face says: “I will build a great wall of boxes in my room, and I will make my owner pay for that wall.”

Mugi seems much happier out of the Trump hairstyle and under the warmth of a cone fur hat.

Here Mugi-san the feline becomes Mugi-san the mountain, ready for its World Heritage Listing.

At 7 years old, Mugi’s older sibling, Maru, looks delicious in a hat that looks like a dollop of whipped cream.

Sometimes the white cat even gets to dress up in horns!

▼ Whether they’re trying on each other’s hats…

▼ …or dressing up for special holidays like Halloween…

▼ …the three felines are happiest when they’re playing dress-up together!

The hat-wearing kitties have actually become so popular that followers have been inspired to create artworks like this one in their honour.

If you’re in Japan and you’d like to see more cute images of Nya, Maru and Mugi, the photographer’s works are currently on display at the “Cat Holiday Exhibition” being held at the Parco Shopping Centre in Hiroshima from 18 November to 5 December. You’ll be able to pick up cute jewellery featuring the cat trio there too!

No matter where you are, you can always keep up-to-date with the cats and their hair-raising activities on Instagram. And if you’d like to find out more about some other popular Instagram cats from Japan, you might want to take a look at these adorable felines at the dinner table, a cute cross-eyed kitty, or Mash, an exotic shorthair that inspired a whole shoe collection. The photo-sharing site is absolutely teeming with cute kitties!

Exhibition Information
Neko Yasumi Exhibition / ねこ休み展
Address: Hiroshima-ken, Hiroshima-shi, Naka-ku, Hondori 10-1, Hiroshima Parco 6F Main Building Temporary Event Space
広島県広島市中区本通10-1広島パルコ　本館6F ・特設会場
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. (last entry 8:00 p.m.)
Admission: 500 yen (adults), 400 yen (students), free for children under elementary school age.
Website (Japanese)

Source: Instagram/rojiman h/t Bored Panda
Featured image: Instagram/rojiman