A cuddly snowball: Small Boy the Persian cat

Frolicking in a winter wonderland may be a pipe dream on our tropical island, but for Yanni Tan, every day feels like a white Christmas. She has her very own snowball—Small Boy, her fluffy, fair-haired furkid.
Pets Team 30 November 2015

YANNI TAN, 30s, freelance journalist and co-founder of an online community
SMALL BOY, 7, Doll-face Persian cat

With a full, clean coat that’s white as snow and soft as cotton, it’s hard to believe that this pedigree Persian is actually a rescued feline. Of course, when Yanni first brought Small Boy home, he looked quite wretched. In fact, she thought he was a cream-furred cross breed until the vet told her he was a white Persian! Yanni tell us about how she chose Small Boy's name, how she managed to "rescue" his coat, and more. 

Small Boy's name made us chuckle—he's anything but small!
Actually, when we first got him in 2009, he was malnourished and looked very thin. Next to our late 10kg Siamese cross, Spiffy, he was tiny. Actually, we named him Genghis initially—after his Persian roots—but my sister married a Mongolian man shortly after, so out of respect, we changed it. (laughs)

How did you transform his coat into such a glorious one?
His fur was so patchy at the beginning that I thought he had a fungal infection, but he cleared the test at the vet’s. I tried applying creams for several months, but nothing worked. Just then, I had to move into my new place, so I left Small Boy at my parents’ home. My mum wiped him down with a warm damp cloth and fed him cod liver oil daily. During that short stint, his fur “exploded” and he began to put on weight, becoming the soft, fluffy snowball he is now. 

Do you think people favour white cats?
Yes, but I don’t know why. I personally find the Siamese breed very exquisite and alluring. I think people are more inclined to Small Boy because he looks harmless, goofy and friendly. It’s a textural thing too–people like to touch things that are fluffy, and he looks like a giant powder puff that walks daintily on four stumpy legs.

If you could liken your cat's coat to any other white object, what would it be?
A Yeti! (laughs)

 

For the full feature of white, fluffy furkids and their paw-rents, flip to People and their Pets  (pg 48) of our Dec15-Jan16 issue!