Lil BUB's dude wants to build a spaceship and return the beloved cat's ashes to space

Ethan May, Indianapolis Star
Lil BUB's dude wants to build a spaceship and return the beloved cat's ashes to space

Lil BUB may have been too good for this world.

That's why it's all too appropriate that Mike Bridavsky, the owner of the internet-famous cat, wants to send her remains into space.

“Her back story is that she came from space here to Earth to help us out in a lot of ways, which she has obviously done,” Bridavsky said. “I would like to send her back in her spaceship.”

Lil BUB died Dec. 1 at the age of 8.

Bridavsky, a Bloomington, Indiana, native, found the tiny cat with osteopetrosis inside a tool shed in July 2011 and gave her a home.

Since then, Lil BUB did a lot of good: She raised money for animals in need after becoming famous thanks to regular posts on Tumblr and a viral photo of her precious face on Reddit.

"She has literally saved thousands of lives (both pets and humans), she started the first national fund for special needs pets, she was the subject of groundbreaking genetic and biological research, she's helped raise over $700,000 for animals in need and has spread a message of determination, positivity, and perseverance to people all over the world," Bridavsky wrote when announcing her death last Monday.

Mike Bridavsky of Bloomington, Indiana, adopted Lil Bub, a special needs cat, in 2011. The feline became an internet sensation thanks to her dwarfism, polydactylism etc. which created her unique look.
Mike Bridavsky of Bloomington, Indiana, adopted Lil Bub, a special needs cat, in 2011. The feline became an internet sensation thanks to her dwarfism, polydactylism etc. which created her unique look.

Lil BUB's owner hopes her altruism doesn't stop with her death.

"The ultimate goal is to have the spaceship satellite in orbit," Bridavsky said.

Instead of having Lil BUB's ashes hitch a ride to space on a rocket with an unrelated mission, he would like to partner with Purdue University to create her own spaceship with a camera that lets people see what BUB sees and even donate to her charity fund each time the satellite completes a trip around the planet.

Well, Lil BUB always encouraged us to dream big.

Lil BUB's big fund partners with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to raise money for animals in need.

Bridavsky knows what it's like: The medical bills for his runt of the litter averaged $15,000 annually, he told the USA TODAY Network in 2017.

Those medical experiences included procedures with Purdue's veterinary program, which he said needed special equipment to operate on the tiny cat.

His hope is that funds raised from Lil BUB's satellite can help support veterinary research.

Bridavsky said he has talked to Purdue about what he acknowledges is a big project, but he hopes it can all come to fruition.

In the meantime, he has heard from Bloomington about the possibility of a public memorial service, though those plans are still in the works as well.

Bridavsky said he will remember Lil BUB as a beloved pet and the matriarch of his family in "the most mysterious and magical way you can think of."

But the feline friend was even more than that, he said.

“She’s a beacon of hope and light for millions of people and pets, and I think that will stay forever.”

Fly high, Lil BUB.

IndyStar reporter Justin. L. Mack contributed to this report.

Call IndyStar digital producer Ethan May at 317-444-4682 or email him at emay@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @EthanMayJ.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lil BUB into space? That's what owner Mike Bridavsky wants to do