Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai shares heartbreaking update on pet cat’s health

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Masahiro Sakurai, the well-known developer from Nintendo, is sadly preparing to say goodbye to his cat, Fukurashi. He announced that Fukurashi’s health has gotten much worse over the past week.

Sakurai paused his updates on the new Kirby Air Riders game to let fans know how his famous cat, Fukurashi, is doing. He often shares pictures and news about Fukurashi online.

The well-known game designer announced she was recently hospitalized, sharing that she’s currently dealing with several serious health issues simultaneously.

Sakurai reports that Fukurashi (a nickname referencing the Japanese word for ‘puffy’) was found to have several health issues: fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion), a weakened heart (heart failure), kidney problems (kidney failure), and a bladder infection (cystitis).

Pleural effusion happens when fluid accumulates around the lungs. Cystitis, on the other hand, is inflammation of the bladder, most often caused by a urinary tract infection.

I was really heartbroken to read Sakurai’s post on X. He said that because treating one of the patient’s conditions seems to make the others worse, doctors have basically run out of options for him. It’s just awful.

Because being in the hospital would be very stressful for her, we’ve decided to keep her comfortable at home for her remaining time. We’re hoping she has peaceful days ahead.

Today, I brought my dog, Fukurashi, home from the hospital. His condition has worsened significantly over the past week. He was suffering from multiple serious illnesses – fluid in his chest, heart failure, kidney failure, and a bladder infection. Unfortunately, treating each condition seemed to worsen the others, and there was nothing more we could do.

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) February 3, 2026

People flooded the comments with messages of support for Sakurai, sharing in his sadness about his cat Fukurashi’s illness. Many had grown fond of Fukurashi over time and were heartbroken to hear the news.

It always made my day seeing pictures and posts of Fukurashi – she really brought a lot of joy to my life, and I’m so grateful I got to follow her journey.

Someone expressed their sympathy to Mr. Sakurai, saying they hoped his loved one would be comfortable in their final days and acknowledging how heartbroken he must be.

Fans mourn with Masahiro Sakurai after update on cat Fukurashi

Sakurai adopted Fukurashi as a kitten and first shared her with fans in a YouTube video in 2022. Since then, he regularly posts about her online, playfully describing her personality as a mix of sweet and sassy, and a bit spoiled.

He first shared news of her worsening health on November 4, 2025, in a tweet, explaining that she’d begun showing signs of illness in early October. Sakurai noted her eyes appeared tired and that she seemed unusually lethargic.

“She was unsteady on her feet, barely able to walk, not eating, and even failing at the litter box.

Her blood test results were so bad they were off the charts, so she was hospitalized,” he said.

I hesitated to share this news, especially with everything else going on, but I wanted to be upfront. Last month, my cat, Fukurashi, was very ill – the vet said his condition was critical. Thankfully, he’s now recovering, though he’s still not eating much and requires a lot of care.

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) November 4, 2025

Being away from home was upsetting for her, so Sakurai brought her back to the clinic and cared for her by giving fluids under her skin and feeding her with a syringe.

This sad news comes after the recent passing of two other well-known animal companions. Earlier in January 2026, Finnegan, a much-loved red fox, died just a few months after his owner, Mikayla Raines from the Save a Fox rescue organization, passed away.

Just days after the passing of Finnegan, Artemis, a much-loved gaming dog who inspired the character Archie in Destiny 2, tragically died after wandering onto a neighbor’s property.

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2026-02-03 21:21