Lil Bub is one of today’s most famous cats on the Internet and her fame happened by accident.
Lil Bub was rescued and adopted by Mike Bridavsky, who found her in an Indiana tool shed in a few years ago. She did not look like any of her siblings.
“[This] leads us to believe that she may actually be an alien creature that crashed to Earth, and found this litter of Earth kittens and just joined them to fit in,” Mike jokingly told mental floss.
He picked her up as soon as he saw her and Bub started purring his hands.
Mike said, “Hey, Bub,” and she fell asleep on his shoulder. That’s when he found out that Bub was having a hard time getting adopted because she needed special care.
Lil Bub is a perma-kitten, which means she will stay kitten sized and maintain kitten-like features her entire life.
She was also diagnosed with an extreme case of dwarfism. Her limbs are small compared to her body and she has difficulty moving around. Her lower jaw is shorter than her upper jaw. Her teeth never grew in so her tongue is always hanging out.
She is also a polydactyl cat and she has extra toes in all of her four paws.
“She was very small, very strange, and even though she was irresistible, I think people were scared of the responsibility, medical bills, and potential heartbreak that seemed inevitable with a special cat, like BUB. At the time, I assumed she would not live a very long life, so I just wanted to give her a home and take care of her,” Mike told Conscious Cat.
So Mike rescued and adopted her. He took her to the vet who declared that Bub was the weirdest cat he’d ever seen. He diagnosed all of Bub’s condition and also told Mike that she was in pretty good shape.
Yes, despite all her “deformities”, Bub is a healthy and happy cat. She loves playing with her human dude and hanging out at his recording studio.
“That’s the reason I started sharing her: I was super-proud of her and I really thought she was the most amazing creature,” Mike told SPIN.
He started posting her photos on BUBlog. And one day, one of her photos went viral. People started responding “what is this cat” and wanted to know more. Mike joked that Bub was going to be famous. Little did he know just how famous they were going to get.
Do you know how famous?
Lil Bub has a book out called “Lil BUB’s Lil Book: The Extraordinary Life of the Most Amazing Cat on the Planet,” featuring full-color photos of Bub traveling through space, exploring the Earth, flying in hot air balloons, napping, and even skateboarding.
She’s got her own merchandise store where they sell shirts, plush toys, mugs, a Lil Bub bobblehead, pillows, blankets, and socks.
And guess what? She’s even featured in a documentary produced by Vice Media called “Lil Bubz and Friendz.”
But they’re not doing all this just to get famous.
They’re doing all these to spread awareness and advocate for homeless and special needs pets. They’re invited all over the US for different personal appearances and meet-and-greets because people want to meet this special cat.
And they take advantage of that fact. Whenever people come to any of their appearances, they have to make a donation of money, food, or other supplies to the shelter that’s hosting the event.
They’ve also set up Lil Bub Fund, a partnership with ASPCA, where donations are allocated to ASPCA programs dedicated to helping special needs animals across the country.
And the proceeds of the merchandise on their website are donated to their local shelters, particularly Bloomington Animal Shelter, the Monroe County Humane Association, and the Exotic Feline Rescue Center.
Learn more about Lil Bub and and how she radically changed Mike’s outlook on life below.
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