Maneki Neko is a beautiful, cute looking waving cat. Many people believe that Maneki Neko is Chinese; however that’s not truly the case. In fact, Maneki Neko has Japanese origin. However, it has been lovingly accepted in Chinese Feng Shui.
But what does Maneki Neko mean? You may ask. In Japanese Maneki Neko means “Beckoning Cat”. The cat is believed to beckon – or summon – money, wealth, health and happiness. It’s considered one of the best Feng Shui money charms and cure.
There’re various names given to Maneki Neko (especially after being accepted by Chinese Feng Shui).
Here’s a list of some popular names:
- Beckoning Cat
- Lucky Cat
- Neko Kitty
- Money Cat
- Good Fortune Cat
- Waving Kitty
- Feng Shui Cat
- Japanese waving cat
And tonnes of others too!
And it’s not just the name. There’re numerous varieties of lucky cats in the market to choose from. They vary in colors, coins, banners, which paw is up etc. This is the primary reason why, I’ve divided this article in to 5 parts.
Each part discusses Maneki Neko characteristics that you need to keep in mind while buying – and subsequently – placing one in your home, office or business.
Everything is discussed – in detail – further ahead in this very same article, hence all you need to do is to read on!
Significance of differently colored Maneki Neko– Which one to choose
You might already know that colors play a very important role in feng shui and Maneki Neko isn’t an exception. You’d find beckoning cats in various colors in the market nowadays; each with different meaning and significance.
More on feng shui colors @ Colors Feng Shui
Below I’ve listed – in short – various colors a lucky cat comes in and what each color of cat means:
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Tri Colored
The tri colored lucky cats are pretty common and they’re believed to attract good luck, wealth, prosperity and abundance in general.
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White
White is the color of purity and hence white colored lucky cats are believed to attract purity (of thought and actions) and happiness.
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Black
Black lucky cats are like guards. They’re used to protect against anything negative and evil. They’re also good at warding off stalkers; thus providing safety, comfort and peace of mind.
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Golden
In feng shui, golden color is – usually – used to represent wealth and money. Hence a golden waving cat is believed to attract materialistic & monetary benefits. You’d usually find golden lucky cats at various business places such as, shopping stores, restaurant etc.
More feng shui tips to attract money & wealth @ Feng Shui for Wealth
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Red
Red, much like black, is a protector and is used to ward away evil and illnesses. It’s good at keeping illness away from kids.
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Pink
Pink is – usually – associated with love; a pink Maneki Neko helps attract love and romance. This is relatively a new color for lucky cats. The article @ Feng Shui for Attracting Love is a must read for everyone who wants to bring in more love into their life.
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Green
Green is also – relatively – new and modern color. It’s best suited for students as it helps in increasing concentration towards studies. Also, you can use green color lucky cat to ward off illness as green color helps fasten healing.
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Blue
A blue colored Maneki Neko is believed to attract harmony, happiness and good health to the members of the family.
Which Paw Should Be Raised – Left, Right or Both
This is another point where people often get confused while choosing the right Maneki Neko for themselves (or for gifting others).
Here’s what each raised paw signifies:
Raised Left Paw:
The left paw is – in general – associated with bringing in more good customers; this leads to more business, more sales and more money.
The left paw up lucky cat is best suited for sales based businesses. There’s also a belief that left paw up cat is more suited to businesses that run mostly during night time such as bars, discotheques, night clubs etc.
Another belief with raised left paw lucky cat is that it attracts women. Hence for business like beauty parlors, women gyms and other women centric business the left paw raised Maneki Neko is beneficial.
Raised Right Paw:
Raised right paw lucky cat is – generally – associated with money and good fortune.
As with the left paw raised cat, the right paw raised cat is believed to attract men. Hence male centric businesses such as all men gym or men’s salon should consider keeping right paw raised lucky cat.
Both Paws Up:
With both the paws up the lucky cat becomes attracting and protecting cat. It helps attract abundance while keeping negative energies and evil at bay. If you’re selecting both paw raised cat make sure that both the paws are at different heights as the same height paws suggests “surrendered” position.
Maneki Neko with Coin, Bib & Bell and Banner
There’s a good chance that you’ll notice a coin, bib or bell with all beckoning cats. The coin – obviously – represents wealth and money. The purpose of the coin is to enhance the money attraction capability.
The bib and bell are usually associated with protection and materialistic abundance.
Hence, you don’t need to be confused while choosing a lucky cat for yourself. Just go with the one that resonates with you. If you’re looking just to attract materialistic wealth then go for a coin one. However, if you wish to attract money with protection then the bib & bell lucky cat is the right choice for you.
There’re some more cats that’ll have a banner (with Chinese inscription) with them. These’re also very good lucky cats and the banner – usually – represents auspicious opportunities & money. You can buy these too if you like!
Since, you’re – now – aware of the type of Maneki Neko you’d be choosing for yourself; it’s now time to consider the location – or the best location – where you’d be placing the cat for best results.
The best placements for your Maneki Neko is discussed in the next section of this article; so just read on!
What’s the Best Placement for Maneki Neko?
As with everything else in feng shui, the placement of Maneki Neko is also crucial.
Having said that, the best placement for Maneki Neko varies with the kind of business it’s supposed to prosper.
Nevertheless, here’re some general rules to follow:
For Home: The SE part of the house is called the wealth area and placing a Maneki Neko there is good feng shui.
For Businesses: Beckoning cat is usually kept near entrances such that people entering a business premise can actually see it. However, if that’s not possible then you can –alternatively – keep it in NE of the business area.
For Home Offices: Place the lucky cat as close as possible to the office. Prefer SE corner.
Where to buy Maneki Neko From?
The market’s flooded with insane varieties of lucky cats available for sale. But, you won’t need to go out of your home just to get a good and – preferably – the best one for yourself (or to gift someone).
Here’re links of some of the – most trusted – online vendors you can buy an awesome beckoning cat from.
Well, with all that we’ve come to the end of this article.
I hope and believe that you liked the information above. If you did, then please help share it!
Since, Maneki Neko is related to wealth & money, here’re some more related – and MUST READ – feng shui articles that’ll help attract more & more prosperity: