Lil Bub, The Cat With A Perpetually Stuck-Out Tongue, Dies At 8

After a short life filled with philanthropic achievements when she rocketed to internet fame, Lil Bub has died. The cat with the small and perpetually stuck-out tongue died peacefully in her sleep Sunday morning after battling a persistent, aggressive bone infection. She was 8 years old.

“Dearest BUB, I will never forget your generosity, your limitless supply of love or your uncanny ability to bring so much magic and joy to the world," Mike Bridvasky, the Indiana man who rescued the cat, wrote on Instagram. "I am forever honored and humbled that you chose me as your caretaker. Please visit all of us in our dreams.”

Lil Bub was born with feline dwarfism, osteopetrosis and a foreshortened jaw that gave her the petulant look that made her famous. Bridavsky posted photos of his cat on Tumblr after adopting her eight years ago, and she quickly became an internet sensation. Reddit picked up the story of her life a few months later.

Lil Bub landed a role in a documentary, “Lil Bub & Friends,” that also included other feline celebs, Grumpy Cat and Keyboard Cat, and won the Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature award in 2013.

Related: Long Live Grumpy Cat, Dead At Age 7

Although she hobnobbed with celebrities, the cat’s greatest accomplishment was the money she helped raise for disabled and rescued pets as she toured the country with Bridavsky. In 2013, Lil Bub was the spokescat for a spay and neuter program by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And in 2014, she and Bridavsky launched the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Lil Bub’s Big Fund, “the first national fund for special-needs pets.”

Lil Bub also was the subject of groundbreaking genetic and biological research to help other cats like her. All told, she helped raise more than $700,000 for animals in need, and “spread a message of determination, positivity and perseverance to people all over the world,” Bridavsky wrote.

“And even though my heart is absolutely crushed by her graceful departure from planet Earth, I know that her spirit, magic and overwhelming energy are still with us, reminding us every day to be better,” Bridavsky said.

Bridavsky wrote in his Instagram post announcing her death that Lil Bub was “cheerful and full of love” Saturday night, but “unexpectedly passed away peacefully in her sleep.” Even knowing of her health difficulties, her death was abrupt and came without warning.

“I truly believe that she willingly made the decision to leave her failing body so that our family would not have to make that difficult decision ourselves,” he wrote.

“It is impossible to put into words the profound effect that BUB has had on my life, on the lives of thousands of homeless pets, and on the lives of those of you that have cared for her as if she were your own family,” the post continued. “She taught me everything that I know about unconditional love, she brought my wife Stacy and I together, she's the reason we have our beautiful children Rosco and Lula, and she has been a constant source of warmth and love in our lives for the past 8 years. To say that our family is devastated would be an understatement.”