This takes being a "cat person" to a whole new level.
Japanese company Neurowear has created a pair of supposedly mind-reading plush cat ears, called Necomimi, that can react to a wearer's moods.
The ears made their debut at San Diego's Comic-Con this past weekend, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Neurowear says the Necomimi is another step towards looking at new and innovative ways people will be able to communicate in the future.
The staff at Wired recently tested out the ears and evaluated just how well they work. Neocomimi runs on the EEG technology used to detect seizures and measure brain activity. The ears are powered by four AAA batteries and feature two motors along the headband, which help the ears react to signals being sent out by the wearer's brain.
The ears will droop when the sensors detect that the user is unfocused or relaxed. When the user's brain sends off feelings of being alert, the ears will perk up -- much like a cat's. When the user hits that sweet spot between relaxation and focus, the ears wiggle.
Wired complained about a bug that put the ears into a loop of repetitive motion and slight discomfort from long periods of wear, but noted the ears provided interesting insight into the neurological effects of daily activities.
The ears are currently available on the Necomimi website for $99, and the company plans to make them available for purchase in Halloween specialty shops by October and toy stores by the winter holidays. Clearly there's been some interest in the product already, as the prototype video released in March 2011 currently has over 2 million views on YouTube.
Similar applications of EEG technology to consumer products include the MindWave, which allows a user to control a set of mobile games using their brain waves, and the iBrain Headband, which uses an algorithm to reads users' thoughts and has the potential to help them communicate words simply by thinking.
Or you could just use the Necomimi to get (creepily) close to your feline friends.