RIP Lil Bub

Lil Bub, the little cat with dwarfism from Bloomington, Indiana that captured the attention of many(including Robert DeNiro) died on December 1st fighting a bone infection. Born as a runt and with many medical issues, the tiny cat was adopted by recording studio owner Mike Bridavsky, who then turned her unique appearance into an internet sensation. Photo ops, book signings, genome testing, documentary, and even an album release made Lil Bub a cat for everyone(even those of us who aren’t cat folk.) Bridavsky also turned a lot of the money around and gave to lots of animal charities, which is a pretty solid thing to do.

Lil Bub was the Ying to Grumpy Cat’s Yang, if you will. Always content looking with a smile and her tongue poking out of her tiny mouth, Lil Bub was the personification of perseverance in the face of impossibility. Sure, big talk for a runt of a cat with messed-up genes and birth defects, but there’s a lot to be said for having a symbol of hope. Something that in those dark times pushes you through, even if it’s just for a single moment while scrolling through the garbage pile of the internet. A crap day turned momentarily right side up as you come across the face of an odd little cat that in those big, round eyes and cartoonishy cute button mouth says “I’m messed up, too. But I’m still making the most of it.”

So among the pantheon of celebrity cats such as Morris The Cat, The Cat From Outer Space, Felix The Cat, and the zombie cat from Pet Semetery, Lil Bub can now sit among those feline Gods and Goddesses and meow with pride. Lil Bub was given a shit hand from the start, but she turned it into a full house.

Rest easy, Lil Bub. Rest easy.