As much as most people are revolted by the mere thought of cockroaches infesting their homes, it’s unfortunately not uncommon to see one crawling up the walls inside a house in Japan. Except in the rare case that no one minds letting the cockroach roam about on its own terms, the discovery of the six-legged vermin can cause absolute panic and chaos regardless of its size.

Luckily for Japanese Twitter user Kyousuke (@HOMEALONe_ksk), there’s no need to come up with an ingenious way to get rid of the pests. In fact, Kyousuke has five feline guardians to give any audacious cockroach a staredown until they retreat. So when one day, a small cockroach was seen walking across the ceiling, they immediately went into protect mode and glared at their new enemy.

The cockroach dared not move even a millimeter, and both cockroach and cats stared back at each other for hours (yes, hours). But at such a clear disadvantage in number, size, and sheer tenacity, there was no way that the lone insect could win.

Thanks to the almighty cat guardians, the cockroach eventually admitted defeat and, crawling toward the front door of their abode, disappeared altogether.

It turns out that all the while, Kyousuke was hiding in the corner of the room, trembling with fear. But as long as he has his furry companions by his side, it doesn’t look like he has too much to worry about.