Chubby little cat with extra toes adopted after becoming viral sensation

A chubby little cat named Bruno with extra toes and a strange habit of standing on his hind legs has been adopted after becoming a viral sensation.

Wright Way Rescue shelter in Illinois posted about Bruno on Facebook, and were inundated with more than 150 adoption applications for the cat, described as “lazy” and “high maintenance”.

In the post, the shelter said: “I am a seven-year-old polydactyl cat who is 25 pounds… I like to stand on my hind legs! This usually happens when I want food.”

Bruno was adopted on August 21 by Lauren Paris and her boyfriend Jason Bartlett, who live in Chicago. The couple have since created a brand new Instagram account, where they will post photos of Bruno and document his weight loss.

To beat off competition from other would-be owners, Lauren, who works in musical theatre, wrote and performed a song about her desire to adopt Bruno. She also sent in letters of intent and recommendation, along with videos of her house, and application paperwork.

Lauren said: “I first saw Bruno in Wright Way Rescue’s post that was going viral. There were two pictures of him standing on his hind legs, showing off his curvy body, and a fabulously written bio. There is no other way to put it, than to say – I freaked out at my desk. I just knew we would be a perfect match.

“The shelter kindly allowed us to visit him two days later (after receiving our application and all the materials), and we fell in love. Additionally, everyone there was so kind to us.”

Lauren said Bruno’s transition into her home has been seamless, and he is very cuddly and affectionate with the couple.

She said: “We got the call Monday afternoon that we’d been selected. When I saw ‘Wright Way Rescue’ pop up on my phone… I melted. I ran down the hall to clutch my co-worker as I received the news, and squealed and jumped up and down. And then I called everyone I know.

“We’ve just received so much support from family and friends with all of this that it was so exciting to share the news with them too – they had a huge part in getting our video seen.

“I am so happy to report that thus far, Bruno’s transition into our home has been seamless. From the moment he stepped out of the carrier when we brought him home, he’s really seemed at ease. Incredibly affectionate and cuddly, constantly purring.”

Social media users loved Bruno for his polydactyl paws and chubby tummy, and the cat already has 34,000 followers on Instagram.

Lauren said: “I’m sure it sounds silly, but by the time we got in bed Monday night, I just started bawling. I hadn’t realised how much I missed having a cat in my life – I had an amazing cat growing up who was more like my sister (I’m an only child).

“Bruno so far has exceeded our wildest expectations, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him as part of our family.”