Yixing Purple Clay Cat Tea Pet

As the name implies, a tea pet is a figurine nourished by tea water. Yixing clay is the most common material because it is easy to maintain. When drinking tea, you can smear the figurine with tea soup or pour the leftover tea directly on it. Over time, it will become warm and glossy and emit a faint tea fragrance. Common tea pet designs include golden toads, pixiu, mythical creatures for warding off evil, small animals and human figures, all symbolizing attracting wealth and treasure as well as good luck and fortune.

Yixing clay is a unique clay material produced in Yixing, China. It has excellent air permeability and can absorb the essence of tea, becoming more lustrous the more it is nurtured. It is an ideal material for making tea pets. When you pour tea soup on this tea pet, the air holes in the Yixing clay will absorb the tea flavor. After long term nourishment with tea soup, the surface of a red clay tea pet will develop a warm patina, with its color deepening and becoming more shiny. Red clay tea pets will form a honey colored patina, growing more translucent and bright with continuous care.

In Chinese culture, cats symbolize good fortune and peace, bringing good luck to people. This Yixing clay lazy cat tea pet, with its curled up posture, looks like it is guarding the tranquility of the tea table, symbolizing retaining good fortune and living a stable life. Its lazy demeanor aligns perfectly with the peaceful state of mind pursued in gongfu tea, allowing people to calm down more fully during the process of brewing and tasting tea to savor the charm of the tea. It also adds a leisurely life vibe to the tea ceremony setting.