Scientists at Shanghai Jiaotong University have discovered that the popular golden cats known as Maneki Neko could provide an environmentally-friendly solution to the city's power supplies problems. The beckoning golden cats can be seen in many shop windows and houses around the city, and are reputed to bring wealth to their owners.

Charlie Coloumb, who is leading the international team at Jiaotong University, explained to our reporter that the magic flapping arm of the cats could be used to generate electricity. "We are unsure exactly how the cats manage to keep their arms flapping up and down, up and down, 24 hour a day: but when we observed this, we were confident we could harness the motion as a power source."

The scientists hope to create a network of up to 10,000 Maneki Neko cats to power the city. An enormous cat is also under construction in Minhang District, and is expected to be completed before the 2010 World Expo.