Before you laugh, this isn’t just some stupid internet-friendly cats Photoshopped on to rice, it’s much more than that. Neko-Sushi is “an extremely unusual life-form” the website tells us, “although several references have come down to us through history from various researchers and witnesses, their existence is still shrouded in mystery and actual sightings remain rare.”

The oddly sincere tone that creators Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts have taken when describing the cats is at once unnerving and hilarious. For once someone has actually created a meme with a creative backstory rather than just aesthetically-funny-Twitter-fodder to pander to our scrolling tendencies. Rice to meet you sushi kitties!