These Darling Cat-Shaped Desserts From Japan Are Almost Too Cute to Eat

Move over, cat loaf. There's a new crowd of feline-themed baked goods in town, and they are taking the Internet by storm — one tiny cocoa powder paw print at a time.

The cat-shaped wagashi (a type of Japanese confectionary made from glutinous rice) are more than just pretty desserts — they're also the creative outlet for a Web designer named Laura, who runs a blog with her mother called Caroline & Laura's Tea Break.

To make these sweet little dessert kitties, Laura combines gyūhi (a softer version of mochi rice cake) with sweetened white bean paste to create a variety of wagashi known as nerikiri. After tinting the resulting dough, she sculpts and shapes them into their squee-worthy cat silhouettes.

Laura's whimsical feline creations are partly inspired by her own real-life cat, Apelila, who regularly dons kawaii outfits like this summer festival yukata:

While this impressive edible art is almost too pretty to eat, there's really no need to feel guilty! After all, the urge to "gobble up" tiny, adorable things is totally natural (no, seriously — the scientific term for the phenomenon is known as "cute aggression").

Continue below to see more of these remarkable desserts.