Bruno the EXTRA cat

Lauren Paris is our hero. To have her adoption application selected for a very special kitty, she wrote a song for him about how she should be his mom (see the video below!)

Lauren adopts kitties + gives them a charming life. Bruno, her most recent adoption, who she literally sang to get, is from Wright-Way Rescue. Wright-Way is a nonprofit organization whose “mission is to reduce the number of homeless pets euthanized in the Midwest each year through an adoption program, community education, promotion of spaying and neutering, and a veterinary medicine program”.

We are thrilled to share her first blog post!

Welcome!
1/15/2019

Photo: Mary Ellen Crowley

​Welcome to our new blog, friends! We’re so glad you found us – THANK YOU.

We get asked so many questions about Bruno that we've decided to create a whole new space that’s far more conducive to communication with you fabulous folk!

Simply put: it’s hard to describe how much happier Bruno has made our lives. I had two cats throughout my childhood that lived to be almost 20 years old (one of whom I constantly referred to as my best friend – weird only child stuff, I know), but it's been almost six years since they passed. The first night Jason and I brought Bruno home and crawled into bed with him (yes, he sleeps with us every night), I just started bawling. Full on weeping, y’all. I had completely forgotten the insurmountable joy having a pet can bring – especially one as special as Bruno. He’s a gift.

What I wasn't anticipating was the way having Bruno go viral would change my day-to-day life. I was completely unprepared to talk to press, navigate hundreds of 'business' emails, use my lunch hour to Skype television producers to answer questions about my cat …you get the picture. Luckily, I had a lot of support. The reaction to Bruno didn't necessarily shock me – my reaction was psychotic (screaming at my desk while seeing his photos for the first time), but I knew it wasn’t unique! The aftermath was just a wild ride - I was getting slammed with so many messages on my personal accounts that we had no choice but to create Bruno’s Instagram before we even picked him up from the Wright-Way Rescue, and that's when all hell really broke loose. Not exactly what I expected when we decided to adopt a kitty!

However, the messages we were receiving were overwhelming in the best way: photos of Bruno were making people smile, and helping others cope with their anxiety/depression. One woman reached out saying she was with her family in a silent and tense hospital waiting room when she came across Bruno’s story. Within minutes, she was passing around her phone to a room full of strangers, while they all smiled and laughed together over this adorably goofy 25 pound standing cat.

Bruno makes people smile, and he brings people together. Who can ask for anything more?
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I have (perhaps selfishly) found such joy in connecting with so many of you on Instagram. We truly can’t thank you enough for your kindness and support thus far (can I underline that 300 times?). However, our ability to connect can feel limited in DM's, and messages often get lost in the inbox.

That’s why we’re here.
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We genuinely hope this forum invites you into Bruno’s home and life in a whole new meaningful way, encouraging you to join the conversation. We're looking forward to the opportunity to get more in-depth on a variety of subjects, and a lot more personal!

What do you want to know about B/our family? What do you want to see? Looking forward to it all…

XOXO,
Lauren & Bruno

The original post for this article first appeared here