Typically, praying at a Japanese shrine is a lot more straightforward than you first-timers might think. You wash your hands at a traditional fountain before entering, throw a coin as donation into the offering box, and after ringing a suzu (鈴) bell attached to a rope to call upon the gods, and then you offer up your prayer. However, for Japanese Twitter user @kitbio, a recent visit to a shrine in Amanoshidate in Kyoto revealed an even more powerful spiritual guardian than the kami inside the shrine--a fluffy cat blocking the coin box, and sleeping conveniently under the bell

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With such a cute and comfortably relaxing feline resting on the donation box, it's no wonder @kitbio didn't want to disturb the shrine's new guardian by ringing the bell, and instead tweeted out these amusing pictures saying "I couldn't pray."

Japanese Twitter users commenting on the photo have commented, dubbing the cat a feline divinity and wanting to offer bonito flakes and kitty treats to the shrine in its honor.

Given that Japan actually has a temple for cats, it's not out of the question that the sleeping kitty was actually on duty!