Lil Bub, the internet’s cutest cat, went to pet heaven on Sunday. The 8-year-old feline was suffering from a bone infection, but her sudden departure in her sleep surprised even her owner, Mike Bridavsky. “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 in an Instagram post. “I know that her spirit, magic, and overwhelming energy are still with us.”
Lil Bub’s star began to rise in 2011, thanks in part to the health problems that made her so darn adorable. Because she was born with osteoporosis, she was toothless and her jaw was underdeveloped, which resulted in her signature stuck-out tongue. Her looks garnered her a whopping 2.4 million followers on Instagram and she starred in a 2013 documentary, Lil Bub & Friendz, which was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. She even endorsed CBD oil for pets with joint pain.
But Lil Bub wasn’t only about fame and fortune. She was the instigator for the first national special needs pet fund, fundraised over $700K for animals in need, and participated in scientific research. What’s more, Bridavsky says her “message of determination, positivity, and perseverance” inspired pet-lovers everywhere. We can only hope she’s having a blast in heaven, eating all the tuna, drinking all the milk, and giving fellow late celebrity feline Grumpy Cat a much-needed attitude adjustment. In honor of Lil Bub, we’ve rounded up her greatest GIFs. May she have eternal life on the internet.
Cover Photo: @iamlilbub (Instagram)
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RIP Lil Bub
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