Bruno & Carlo Bartlett: Upright and #Extra
Photo: Wright-Way Rescue
In 2018, 7 year old Bruno spent 4 months at Wright-Way Rescue in Morton Grove, IL, after previous owners surrendered him for not “meshing with their kids”. In an attempt to help Bruno get adopted, Wright-Way posted about Bruno on their Facebook page, describing his #extra purrsonality: his refusal to play with toys (except his feather wand), his need for a variety of water bowls throughout the house but away from his food, his desire to be pet while he eats. Oh, and then there were the photos: a scowling 25 pound polydactyl (extra toes) cat, standing on its back legs, its stomach protruding.
Needless to say, Bruno went viral.
Chicago couple Lauren Paris and Jason Bartlett saw the post and, along with the rest of the world, fell hard for Bruno. They too needed to show off their #extra nature, to stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants, coming from as far as Australia! In addition to their official application, Lauren and Jason sent letters of intent and recommendation, and videos of themselves and their home. However, they still needed a way to catch the shelter’s attention, amidst the mass Bruno hysteria.
Enter Kathleen Gibson, Lauren’s friend and Second City Chicago employee, who quickly wrote “Gimme That Fat Cat”. Lauren sang the original tune, and posted the video to Facebook to grab the eye of Wright Way Rescue.
Needless to say, Bruno went viral.
Chicago couple Lauren Paris and Jason Bartlett saw the post and, along with the rest of the world, fell hard for Bruno. They too needed to show off their #extra nature, to stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants, coming from as far as Australia! In addition to their official application, Lauren and Jason sent letters of intent and recommendation, and videos of themselves and their home. However, they still needed a way to catch the shelter’s attention, amidst the mass Bruno hysteria.
Enter Kathleen Gibson, Lauren’s friend and Second City Chicago employee, who quickly wrote “Gimme That Fat Cat”. Lauren sang the original tune, and posted the video to Facebook to grab the eye of Wright Way Rescue.
The rest is history. The story went viral again, and countless news stories, TV appearances, podcasts, and radio shows have followed. Bruno genuinely loves the attention, while his parents revel in the opportunity to promote animal rescue.
In February 2019, fate struck again when the family flew to Vegas to adopt Carlo, Bruno’s standing doppleganger and the yin to Bruno’s yang. Their 120,000+ following tunes in daily to follow their #extra antics, adoptable pet features, weight loss/body pawsitivity, and more. They love spreading joy and reminding everyone how cool it is to be different. Just look where it got them!
In February 2019, fate struck again when the family flew to Vegas to adopt Carlo, Bruno’s standing doppleganger and the yin to Bruno’s yang. Their 120,000+ following tunes in daily to follow their #extra antics, adoptable pet features, weight loss/body pawsitivity, and more. They love spreading joy and reminding everyone how cool it is to be different. Just look where it got them!
Photo: Mary Ellen Crowley