Ironically with his nickname, ‘Fei Zai’ which translates to ‘Fat Kid’ in Cantonese, Junior is quite literally a white ball of fluff. His owner, Mee Lan, laughed and told FMT that she and her family were sane when they went about naming him.
With a thrilling story behind his name, one can bet that if there was ever a remake of an Indiana Jones film but the cat version – this would definitely be a scene in it.
Mee Lan told the story about how it seemed like this frail kitten’s time was up, as he clung onto the barbed wire with the risk of being swept away by the overflowing drains beneath him during a thunderstorm.
All the odds seemed to be against him with every passing second and any moment could have easily been the last for this tiny kitten’s life.
Fortunately, a stranger who happened to be at a nearby coffee shop rescued this little soul and placed him in a cardboard box – far away from danger’s reach.
Little did Junior know that his near-death experience was actually a blessing in disguise as another kind soul who was also dining in that coffee shop witnessed the whole scene take place. That person was Mee Lan’s husband.
Mee Lan told FMT that on that very day four years ago, her husband made a silent promise to himself: that if by the time he was done with his lunch and no one had come forward to adopt the scruffy kitten, he would make space in his heart for one more furry friend and bring him back home.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
“I was really put off by Junior when my husband first brought him home. He was dirty and honestly not the cutest!” confessed Mee Lan with a laugh.
“But with a little cleaning up and time, my heart now holds so much love for him and he has grown into such a handsome little white tiger.”
With lots of love and loads of baths, Junior has become the king of the house and spends most of his days danger-free and lazes around on sofas, wooden chairs and just about anything that he can comfortably fit his fluffy body into.
Besides sleeping, Junior always makes time in his busy schedule to eat. With a free flow of cat food at his disposal, Junior eats to his heart’s content or like “a hungry ghost” as Mee Lan described.
Seeing as his daily routine consists of ‘strenuous’ activities like eating and sleeping, it is no surprise how Junior is not so ‘junior’ anymore. In fact, his belly reflects this as it has gotten bigger, softer and jigglier over the years.
“When the vet told us that Junior was overweight, that was a sad day for us because the free flow of food had to stop. Although Junior is now limited to only two meals per day, those two meals still fill his belly up and he is as active as ever,” said Mee Lan.
Although it may seem like Junior has retired from the life of action and danger, this cat still finds himself in fight or flight situations.
Occasionally, Junior is forced to come face to face with his worst nemesis, Olly, who is Mee Lan’s Pitbull.
According to Mee Lan, her husband sets aside bonding time for the two furry creatures, which are often full of distasteful meows and excited barks respectively on each end.
Unfortunately for Junior, these bonding moments consist of him getting up close and personal with Olly.
“Olly will be all excited and waits outside our door whilst Junior gets his daily exercise in and does everything he can to scramble and hide from my husband,” laughed Mee Lan.
Although he has affection for everyone else in the family and even Coca (Mee Lan’s smaller dog), Junior may never be able to see eye to eye with this playful canine.
Nevertheless, Mee Lan is hopeful that maybe one day in the future he will.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.