Death of China celebrity cat leads to hospital compensation, benefits 1,100 stray felines

Fluffy ‘champion’ pedigree kitten dies because of medical blunder; clinic involved dismisses its director, closes for 15 days as mark of respect

A celebrity cat in China which died following a medical blunder has prompted the hospital involved to offer compensation and provide free sterilisation for stray cats.

The feline’s owner, Deng Feng, a Shenzhen-based cattery operator and pet influencer with 5 million social media followers, breeds rare-coloured British Longhair and Shorthair cats.

Since 2017, his cattery, GoldenTales, has produced world-champion felines. In 2024, Deng donated three million yuan (US$440,000) to a fund for rescuing stray cats.

Kuankuan, a female blue golden shaded kitten, was the progeny of two champion cats and prized for her exceptional pedigree.

Her sweet features, naturally lined eyes, and golden coat earned her the nickname “the Liu Yifei of the cat world”.