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7-Eleven’s edible cat paw proves Japanese convenience store sweets are on a whole other level

Oona McGee Feb 21, 2024
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New limited-edition “meow parfait” captures the look and texture of a kitten paw for Cat Day.

Stepping through the doors of a Japanese convenience store is like stepping into a treasure trove, where beautiful items gleam like precious gems from store shelves, tempting you to fill your basket with all sorts of intriguing curios.

One especially intriguing find we discovered on a recent visit to 7-Eleven took us totally by surprise, catching our attention with its beautiful pink hue and curious title, “肉球のにゃんパフェいちご＆みるく” (“Nikukyu no Nyan Parfait Ichigo & Milk“), which translates to “Paw Meow Parfait Strawberry & Milk“.

▼ The English translation on the pack does not do justice to the cuteness of the Japanese name.

Released on 16 February, this is a brand new dessert that cat lovers won’t be able to pass up, not only for the adorable cat paw inside, but the cute feline details on the packaging.

The plastic film on the side of the pack, which details the contents of each layer, is decorated with an image of a cat and a set of paw prints.

Lifting the lid made us smile in delight, because what immediately jumped out at us was…a pale pink paw!!!

The cat paw is beautifully brought to life with four pink dango (sweet rice cakes) and a large strawberry cream daifuku (a mochi rice cake sweet that traditionally contains a red bean filling).

Beneath the adorable paw are three dessert layers, which, from top to bottom, consist of: white whipped cream, strawberry mousse, and milk jelly.

One of the most universally adored aspects of a cat’s paw is its delightfully squidgy feel, and though we desperately wanted to press our fingers into the adorable paw in front of us, we resisted, daintily picking it apart with a spoon instead.

Popping one of the paw pads into our mouth was a bizarre but wonderful experience, as the chewy texture and strong elasticity of the dango fooled us into thinking we might just be eating a cat’s paw.

The strawberry cream daifuku further enhanced the fantasy as it was pillowy soft, and only slightly chewy by comparison, with its sweet and milky cream filling conjuring up images of a cat licking milk off its paw.

The three-layered parfait portion beneath it all added even more excitement to every mouthful, with the fluffy strawberry mousse creating a tart bittersweetness, and the milk jelly providing textural contrast to the mix.

It was an incredibly delicious and fun dessert, and particularly appropriate for Japan’s Cat Day on 22 February, so-called as the two two two (“ni ni ni”) of the 22nd day of the second month of the year sound similar to the words nyan nyan nyan (“meow meow meow“).

Like the cat sweets we tried at Family Mart around this time last year, the new cat paw parfait will only be around for a limited time, so you’ll want to get in quick to try it. And if you’re looking to go all out with your Cat Day celebrations, you can always visit this unique Ghibli-esque village run by felines in a castle in Tokyo!

Related: Seven-Eleven
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