Lil BUB Wins Big for the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 10, 2014

For more information, please contact:

Laurie Ringquist, Director, Animal Care and Control, City of Bloomington, 349.3870

Lil BUB Wins Big for the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter

Bloomington, Ind. - Bloomington's Lil BUB recently joined World's Best Cat Litter™ and three other famous cats in the launch of the largest round of its GiveLitter™ charity yet. Lil BUB designated the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter and Ouabache Valley Felines and Friends, Inc. to be her shelter partners.

This round of the GiveLitter™ charity allowed online cat lovers to donate up to 50,000 pounds of litter to shelter cats in need. Cat enthusiasts were asked to vote for their favorite cat, and the cat that received the most votes was awarded 20,000 pounds of World's Best Cat Litter to donate to their shelter partners. The cats with the second, third and fourth highest vote totals received 15,000 pounds; 10,000 pounds and 5,000 pounds of litter, respectively.

Voting lasted from March 17 through March 26, and Lil BUB was pronounced the winner with 34,636 votes. As a result, the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter and Ouabache Valley Felines and Friends will each receive 10,000 pounds of World's Best Cat Litter™. Since it began in 2010, the GiveLitter™ charity has empowered cat lovers to donate 296,651 pounds of free litter to deserving shelters across the country.

"Lil BUB has been an amazing advocate for shelter cats, and we are proud to have been selected as a shelter partner in this contest," said Laurie Ringquist, Director of the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter. "This donation will allow us to allocate money we would have spent on litter to other high-priority needs such as medical care for sick or injured animals."

Lil BUB was the runt of an otherwise healthy litter from a stray, outdoor mother and was born with several genetic mutations that make her special. She is also a dwarf, which means her limbs are disproportionately small relative to the rest of her body, giving her a kitten-like appearance. BUB rose to fame online after videos of her were uploaded to YouTube in November 2011. Since that time, BUB has often used her fame to help other animals in need. BUB has donated over $1,800 to the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter. She has partnered two years in a row with Pets Alive's Calendar Project and has raised a total of $9,000 for them through her online store. BUB recently announced Lil BUB's Big Fund for the ASPCA, raising grant money for special needs pets in shelters around the country. In total, BUB has helped raise more than $100,000 for animals in need in her 2.5-year life span.

To learn more about the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter, please visit [the website|/animalshelter] or its [facebook page|www.facebook.com/COBanimalshelter]. To learn more about how you can help Lil BUB in her fundraising efforts, please visit [her website|www.lilbub.com].

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