Pet King

Chapter 567: The Pleasure of Being A Cat Enthusiast

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Siberian Forest cat was a very expensive cat breed, which was not much cheaper than the Ragdoll cat. Customers interested in the cats of this price range would usually choose a Ragdoll instead of a Siberian. Otherwise, when these customers showed off their Siberian cats on social media, other people would misunderstand them as being unable to afford Ragdoll cats, which would be very embarrassing. Buying cats was like buying cars, the buyers were always worried how the people around them perceived their choices. Some people would always say, "Oh, why not buy that brand/breed at this price..." Although the buyers may not mind, it was quite nauseating to hear such comments all the time.

The popularity of the Siberian cats in China was probably less than one percent of that of the Ragdoll cats. The situation was not much better in foreign countries. The sales volume of the Siberian cats was relatively low, and it was a typical niche cat breed. Since Zhang Zian operated the pet shop, he had only sold one Siberian cat till now.

However, Siberian cats possessed a characteristic that most cat breeds did not have. Their saliva contained very little sensitized protein, allowing human beings who were allergic to cats to stroke cats without worrying about allergic reactions.

Following Zhang Zian's sight, Vivi saw a kitten playing with the Ragdoll cats in the corner. This kitten's hair was longer than the short-haired cat, making it look like a walking hairball. Whether it was its body size or appearance, it resembled a Ragdoll cat. At first glance, she even thought that it was a Ragdoll.

She was pleasantly surprised and couldn't believe her ears—Could she really raise such a cute cat?

"Of course, you could." Zhang Zian replied affirmatively. "Have you watched the movie Nine Lives? It is said that the director of this movie was allergic to cats. That was why he could only select a Siberian cat, the breed that he was not allergic to, as the protagonist."

"Vivi, that's great!" Snowy was also very happy for Vivi.

Before coming to the pet shop, neither of them had thought that there was any cat that carried no allergen at all. This was really a pleasant surprise!

Zhang Zian then added, "If your allergic reactions are mild, there are actually some cats with low level of allergens to choose from, such as Siamese cats, Balinese cats, Devon Rex cats and the like. But from your description, your allergic reactions are rather serious, so for your own sake, you'd better select a Siberian cat. You will definitely not be allergic to the Siberian cat."

When he finished speaking, he picked up the Siberian kitten from the corner and walked to Vivi.

Vivi was concerned about her allergies, but also worried that she couldn't help but want to hug the cats when she saw them. Therefore, she had been hovering near the door since entering the store and could not go inside.

She eagerly looked at the Siberian kitten that was gradually approaching her. She was touched by its adorable appearance. It wriggled its body and looked around, trying to escape from Zhang Zian's hands and continued playing with other kittens.

Zhang Zian came to Vivi and said, "You can touch it. See if you are allergic to it."

Vivi lifted one hand but she did not dare to extend her hand. Her previous allergic reactions made her extremely fearful and she worried that she would immediately have allergies if she touched it. Zhang Zian was just a pet shop owner, not a famous doctor. Even if a well-known doctor was standing in front of her and telling her to touch the cat without worries, she may also hesitate.

However, this Siberian kitten was just so adorable and energetic. It big, blue, and innocent eyes made people unconsciously show love and tenderness towards it.

Snowy encouraged Vivi from the side, "Vivi, touch it! Don't you like cats very much? Haven't you been longing to raise a cat since a long time ago? Now, there is an opportunity in front of you!"

That was true. Vivi had been wishing to raise a cat for a long time. There were various kinds of plush toys in the shape of cats on her bed in her bedroom. When she went out, she was so envious of other people who had real cats. And then when she returned home, she would plunge into the ocean of cat dolls, imagining them as real cats, holding them tightly, burying her nose into their hair…

Unfortunately, they were just dolls and did not have the body temperature of real cats. Vivi could only smell the odor of fiber products. Most importantly, dolls could not move, meow, or look at her with their lively big eyes…No matter how rich her imagination was, she could not convince herself that those dolls were real cats. And dolls were unable to satisfy her longing to stroke real cats.

Now, the opportunity to end those situations was in front of Vivi. If this Siberian kitten indeed did not carry any allergen as Zhang Zian said, then she could sweep all the cat dolls into a rubbish bin.

Hence, Vivi emboldened herself, extended her finger to tickle the Siberian kitten on its chin.

"Meow!"

As if enjoying the tickle, the Siberian kitten narrowed its eyes and looked at her.

These were the characteristics a real cat should have. It was furry, it could meow, it had body temperature, and it could interact with human beings.

Suppressing her excitement, Vivi nervously stared at her finger that had just touched the cat's hair for a while. If she had allergic reactions, she would start to sneeze and have a runny nose. Her fingertip would start to redden and be itchy, and such conditions would spread to her fingers, her entire palm, and even her wrist. Eventually, her body would be itchy. In severe cases, there would be a thickly dotted red rash all over her body...

Both Snowy and Vivi stared at Vivi's fingertip as if there were invisible sacred objects there.

As the minutes ticked away, nothing happened.

"Wow!" Vivi hugged Snowy and cheered. Vivi almost cried with excitement.

Having realized her long-cherished wish, Vivi could not wait to declare this good news to the whole world.

The netizens watching the live broadcast were terrified. They only saw the screen shaking violently and heard the screaming. They thought that Zhang Zian had finally aggravated his sexual harassment to girls from verbal harassment to behavioral harassment. They all shouted that they were going to call the police.

There were also some netizens who were more restrained and pragmatic.

"Prior to this, I really had no idea that there were cats that did not carry allergens. Now that I have learnt this fact, I could tell others and show off in the future."

"Even so, there is no need for her to be so excited. She is just going to raise a cat..."

"I can only say that you don't understand the world of cat enthusiasts! I have a friend who is also allergic to cats, though her allergic reactions are not as severe as Vivi's, she insists on keeping a British Shorthair cat. To raise her British Shorthair, my friend takes anti-allergic drugs, gets the desensitization injection, her air purifier is operating 24/7, and she uses a vacuum cleaner to suck the cat hair all over her house…I feel exhausted looking at her! Yes, she is allergic to cats. But so what? She is so joyful that she posts pictures of her cat on Weibo and WeChat Moment happily every day!"

"Tut, I can only say that if you are not a cat person, you can't understand the pleasure of being a cat enthusiast…"

"Yeah, I'm going to tell her that a Siberian cat is a good choice for her. At least she does not have to be so tired if she raises a Siberian cat... But even if she knows it, she will certainly not give up her British Shorthair cat. I guess in the end, she will raise two cats together…"

Snowy asked Zhang Zian with admiration, "Mr. Store Manager, how did you know about the non-sensitized cats and low-sensitized cats?"

Zhang Zian smiled, and replied pretentiously as usual, "Because I am a pet shop owner. I would be so useless if I don't know about these things."

Vivi laughed and jumped repeatedly. She was extremely happy and had finally vented her long-lasting melancholy.

She stretched out both her hands to the Siberian kitten. "I want to hold it."

"Sure, here you are." Zhang Zian was already tired holding the kitten. He placed the Siberian kitten to Vivi's hands and taught her how to hold it.

As if gaining a treasure, Vivi carefully held the kitten in her arms. She poked its forehead, tickled its ears, and stroked its soft tail, and was reluctant to let it go.