To deal with the stray cats found on their streets, the city of Saga in Japan did the obvious thing. Called animal control? No, no, they selected eight of the strays as celebrities, and built an entire tourist and fundraising campaign around them.

The only problem, aside from worshipping false idols? Stray cats tend to go missing. So after two cats disappeared, citizens were given the chance to vote on their replacements. You know, like you do.

The above image showing the candidates comes from the video accompanying the full story. Even (or perhaps especially) if you don’t speak a word of Japanese, it’s fascinating to watch.

Thanks for the tip go to friend of the site and noted Japanologist Scott Simpson, who pens his own hilarious website.

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