Pets
Fat Cat At Morton Grove Shelter Taking A Stand For Hunger
7-year-old Bruno the Cat, a 25-pound Russian Blue from downstate Illinois, is reviewing applicants seeking to become his new owner.
MORTON GROVE, IL — A overweight cat described as especially "high-maintenance" is up for adoption from a local animal shelter. Bruno, 7, is an 25-pound Russian Blue mix who tends to stand on his hind legs when he gets hungry, refuses to drink water if it's in the same room as his food and wants to be pet while eating, according to Wright-Way Rescue in Morton Grove.
Bruno is about twice as heavy as the average for his breed. He's also polydactyl, meaning on top of packing the extra weight, he is also packing extra claws on his front legs.
In April, he was surrendered to Wright-Way's Murphysboro intake center and has been living with a foster family until new owners can be found.
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Bruno is on a diet and he does not appreciate belly rubs, according to his listing. His foster home (not where he learned to stand on his hind legs) is helping him lose weight with diet and exercise.
Saying he was "too cool to be homeless," the shelter featured Bruno in a widely-shared social media post Wednesday. By the end of the week, he had been featured in BuzzFeed, Vice and HLN and generated international interest.
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"Fame has gone to his head," Wright-Way staff said, and Bruno is now reviewing all the applications to adopt him.
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According to his caretakers, Bruno's new owners should consider leaving multiple bowls of water around the house.
"I never drink the water in the kitchen where my food is. I only drink the water that was put in a completely different room," said the listing, written from the perspective of the quirky feline. Bruno is generally laid-back, it said, but he is serious about getting pets while he eats.
"I will still eat if you don't pet me, but I will meow more and stare at you for a while."
Find out more from Wright-Way Rescue, a no-kill animal shelter. The nonprofit takes in animals at an admissions and care campus in Murphysboro, while most adoptable pets head to its North Shore humane center in Morton Grove after veterinary care.
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