Cosplayer Rurusama observed her diva cat Lucifer to prepare for her movie debut in Luck My Life

SINGAPORE – Cosplayer-actress Rurusama had a very clear vision of the kind of cat she wanted. 

“I wanted a black, fluffy cat, which is actually very difficult to find. I’m also allergic to cats,” says Rurusama. Also, it needed to be a Siberian cat. 

The Singaporean, 27, is unsure why she is specifically drawn to black cats, but she knows she needed a Siberian because the breed is said to be hypoallergenic. 

The search for the dream cat took over a year. But when she saw Lucifer in a photo, she knew instantly that he would “be my son”. 

Lucifer is a black, fluffy, male Siberian munchkin. The name, she adds, was given by the pet store owners and the cat was already used to it. “Lucifer was about seven to eight months old when I saw him, so the name stuck.”

Looking at the furball for the first time, the name Lucifer sounded right for him, she recalls. Her fur kid is now three years old.

The popular content creator did not grow up with pets at all. As the youngest of three children in a close-knit Asian family, she remembers her parents saying she could not even take care of herself, much less an animal. 

It was not until she moved out at around 22 – partly for space, partly to grow her creative career with housemates who were also content creators – that the idea of a cat became real. 

Social media had slowly converted her from a dog to cat person, feeding her endless videos of feline drama and affection. 

Lucifer, with his majestic coat, plush tail and short legs, checked every box. Being a Siberian, he also has dog-like qualities. 

Friends who see him in person often remark that he looks even more regal than in photos, despite his small, compact size of about 3kg.

Lucifer is clingy, yet aloof, and affection is firmly on his terms.

“He likes to be in your personal space, close enough to supervise, but doesn’t always want to be touched,” says Rurusama. “He’s a little bit of a diva. He knows he’s pretty and he can get away with things.”

Having a cat at home has helped Rurusama in her debut feature film Luck My Life.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on Feb 17, Rurusama plays Cat, one of the four mahjong masters who mentor Richie Koh’s Tian Cai, a former mahjong prodigy. Born with extreme good luck, Tian Cai loses it all due to his arrogance. He needs to learn humility and respect for the Chinese tile game to get back his fortune. 

To prepare for her film debut, Rurusama took acting lessons where she learnt the basics, such as on-set lingo and how to work with cameras and marks. 

Before filming, she spent several sessions with director Eric Wong, experimenting with different versions of her character, making Cat sassier, sexier and more diva-like. “Much like Lucifer,” says Rurusama with a laugh. 

She also noticed how Lucifer tolerates annoyance for about three seconds before reacting, which she applied to her performance, especially in bickering scenes.

No photographs, please

For someone who spends much of her time in front of cameras, Rurusama is disappointed that the star in her life dislikes being filmed. 

He also hates dressing up and does not enjoy being put in costumes, she laments. “There is no way I can cosplay with him.”

Fans of Rurusama – she has more than three million followers across her social media platforms – will likely not see photos of her and Lucifer, except in occasional Instagram Stories. 

The content creator draws firm lines around what she shares publicly: her real name and relationship status are off-limits. 

“Lucifer is part of my private life, so he’s all to myself,” says Rurusama.

Her fur kid, who is an indoor cat, is also the one who can get her out of bed. Lucifer’s first meal of the day is around noon, so if Rurusama, who is not a morning person, sleeps in, he will meow outside her bedroom door until she opens it.

Dinner is at 6pm, but he reliably starts yowling at 4.30pm. If she stalls, he escalates to gently biting her ankles to register his displeasure.

The routine is not just dramatic flair. Lucifer has gastric issues and eating late makes him uncomfortable. Sometimes, if his food is delayed, he will refuse to eat at first and she has to sit beside him and coax him through the meal.

Rurusama’s parents help look after Lucifer when she is away, showering the feline with the kind of grandparent-level affection only doting elders can provide.

That affection is clearly mutual, says Rurusama. “Lucifer becomes dramatically more vocal and cuddly, flopping over for attention that he does not do with me,” she adds.

When things are not going well, Rurusama often turns to Lucifer, explaining how simply having him nearby steadies her.

“He just needs to exist. At times when I need to talk to someone, I know he is there for me and does not judge me.”