This little golden beckoning cat was given to me by my partner. It’s probably the most kitsch item I own and I cringed when I first received it because it was a cheap, shiny plastic thing, a far cry from the exquisitely crafted design pieces that I preferred. To make matters worse, it  required AAA batteries to make it “work,” essentially waving its paws all day long. 

In feng shui, a cat like this would sit in the money corner to beckon wealth. I reluctantly had it on my table, allowing it to do its waving thing. But as the cat waved relentlessly—day in, day out—its unfaltering efforts became a part of the energy of the home. When the batteries ran out you could somehow feel that something was amiss, like a part of the home’s energy had left. Its dedication to its duty to...