Bruno the cat has won the hearts of so many with his adorable quirk to stand like a person. Now, he is half way through his weight loss journey.
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Bruno was surrendered to Wright-Way Rescue in Morton Grove, Illinois last year after things didn't work out with his previous family. He came to the shelter very overweight and a bit confused by all the changes.
At 25+ pounds, the kitty with thumbs needed to lose at least 10 pounds. Staff immediately began to look for the perfect family that would be committed to helping Bruno continue his journey to a healthy, happy life.
During his time at the shelter, staff discovered his larger-than-life personality and penchant for standing like a little person. Not only does Bruno love his human companions, but also he acts like a human himself. He would stand up on his back paws and survey the room like a supervisor.
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"He likes to sit up on his back feet and beg for food. Sometimes he stands on his back legs for 20 minutes at a time," Jacoby of Wright-Way Rescue told Love Meow. "It's quite entertaining."
After four months of waiting, Bruno finally found his forever humans last summer. Lauren Paris and her boyfriend, Jason Bartlett, from Chicago fell in love with the polydactyl feline extraordinaire, and Lauren even wrote a song dedicated to Bruno as part of the adoption application.
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Since Bruno came to his new home, he's down almost 20% of his body weight, from 25 pounds to now 20.3 pounds of love.
"Bruno's goal weight is around 15 pounds. I'll personally be thrilled once he's below 18 - he's big boned," Lauren told Love Meow.
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The kitty has been on a 250-calorie daily diet along with activities, including Bruno's signature standing exercise, walking, exploring, and playing with his toys.
"We've stuck to this diet very strictly, and it's clearly working."
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"Bruno truly has a personality like no other cat I've ever known. He is a beautiful combination of so many opposites - he can be grumpy and gruff like an old man, and the next minute he's sprawled on top of me, purring for hours and loving being pet," Lauren said.
"He most definitely enjoys being the center of attention - anytime we have a friend over, he greets them at the door with about 100 meows, then flops down in front of them until they pet him (he does this to us daily when we return home from work as well)."
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Bruno loves to talk and is a people cat. It doesn't matter who you are, Bruno loves you and always demands your attention.
Watch Bruno's weight loss journey in this adorable video:
Bruno the Catyoutu.be
"He's extremely friendly, snuggly, but still manages to have Grandpa tendencies. He's truly a hoot and we are nothing short of obsessed with him."
Supervisor on duty!
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Bruno's favorite exercise is playing with his feather wand.
"We refer to it simply as Feather - his girlfriend. It is 100% his favorite way to pass the time when he's not sleeping or snuggling — he's slept with us every night since we brought him home in August."
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"He also loves visiting his Grandparent's house in Wisconsin (I refer to Bruno as their grandfur), and getting his workout in on their stairs."
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Bruno then and now! He is looking wonderful!
Follow Bruno's journey and adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
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Related story: Woman Asks Shelter for Cat that Has Stayed the Longest, and Finds Deaf Kitty Waiting for Her