Illinois Woman Spots Viral Post About “Extra” Cat, Then Does Something Extra To Bring Him Home
A viral adoption post for a very unique feline sparked a fierce competition, but one hopeful adopter refused to let her dream cat slip away.
A Viral Sensation
When a photo of a unique, extra-large cat began making the rounds online, one woman instantly felt a connection.
The cat, named Bruno, had a few distinct quirks that were capturing hearts all over the internet.
For Lauren, it wasn’t just a passing scroll on social media. She looked at the cat’s unusual stance and his little polydactyl paws, and a feeling washed over her.
“I felt so drawn to him,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘This is our cat.'”
The Jammed Hotline
Bruno’s original adoption post was quickly going viral, drawing attention from animal lovers everywhere.
The rescue organization, Wright-Way Rescue, had affectionately described the rotund feline as being a bit “extra.”
Knowing time was of the essence, Lauren immediately picked up the phone to call the adoption hotline.
Because of Bruno’s sudden internet fame, the phone lines were completely jammed. It took her 45 minutes just to get through to a representative.
The Two-Week Wait
Once she finally connected with the rescue, they instructed Lauren to submit an official application on their website.
But there was a catch. Bruno was receiving so many applications that the shelter announced they would need two full weeks to sift through them and pick his new family.
For a hopeful adopter who already felt like this was her cat, that timeline felt impossible.
“I was like, ‘Hmm, no, I can’t wait that long,'” Lauren admitted. She knew she had to stand out from the massive crowd.
Going The Extra Mile
Lauren realized a standard online application wasn’t going to be enough to catch the shelter’s attention amidst the flood of interest.
“I need to be his mom,” she thought. “Give me that fat cat.”
Since Bruno’s adoption post was all about how “extra” his personality was, Lauren and her partner decided they needed to match his energy.
“We knew we had to be extra,” she explained. To prove their dedication, they created and sent a special video pitch directly to the rescue.
An Immediate Connection
The creative gamble paid off spectacularly.
Wright-Way Rescue reached out right away to let the couple know they had received the video.
Impressed by their effort, the shelter invited them to come meet Bruno in person the very next morning.
Walking into the shelter, their expectations were high, but Bruno managed to exceed them all.
A Rotund Ball Of Love
Meeting Bruno face-to-face confirmed everything Lauren had felt through the screen.
She described him as an absolutely awesome, “rotund ball of love.”
“We loved him,” she said. “He was more than I expected.”
When the visit ended, walking away without him was incredibly difficult. They just wanted to take him home right then and there.
The Call That Changed Everything
The agonizing wait finally came to an end while Lauren was at work.
Her phone rang, and it was Lynn from Wright-Way Rescue on the other end of the line.
“I’m just calling to let you know that you have been approved to adopt Bruno,” Lynn told her. “Yes, he is yours.”
Lauren completely lost her composure in the best way possible. “I freaked out. I was jumping up and down,” she remembered.
Welcome To Your Castle
Bringing Bruno home was a surreal and emotional experience after such a whirlwind process.
“This is it, Bruno. You’re home,” they told him as he stepped into his new life. “What do you think of your new castle?”
It didn’t take long for the family to realize that the shelter’s description of Bruno was perfectly accurate.
“They described him in that original post as extra,” Lauren said. “And that’s Bruno. Just anything a normal cat does, times 10.”
The Standing Cat
One of Bruno’s most endearing and hilarious quirks is his tendency to stand up on his hind legs like a little human.
He pops up anytime Lauren and her partner are making food in the kitchen.
But his upright posture isn’t just for mealtime. He does it when he’s hungry, when he needs to use the bathroom, or whenever he simply wants something.
If their backs are turned and he feels he isn’t getting enough attention, they will suddenly turn around to find him standing tall, demanding to be noticed.
Life Is Just Better
Bruno’s unique body language makes him an incredibly communicative cat.
When he isn’t standing on his hind legs, he can often be found plopping onto the ground and rolling around happily on his back.
He also has some very specific demands, like requiring water bowls in every room of the house—as long as they aren’t placed next to his food bowl.
Half the time, his family will turn around to find him just staring peacefully out the window, looking “kind of like an old man.”
For the couple who went the extra mile to bring him home, the reward has been immeasurable. “Our life with him is just better,” they shared.
