A petition to build a memorial statue in Bloomington of the recently deceased Internet-famous cat Lil Bub has reached nearly 3,000 signatures.
James Lambert lives in California but has visited Bloomington many times, he says he started the petition because Lil Bub deserves to be memorialized.
He says the beloved cat brought attention and money for animal charities.
Lil Bub has raised over $700,000 for special needs animals through ASPCA. He says that the statue would be a talking point for animals in need and a way to continue raising awareness.
“It shows compassion from just an animal and the hope that this animal gave to people and other animals,” he says.
Lambert says his goal for the petition is 10,000 signatures. Once the goal is reached, it will be presented to the city.
The passing of Lil Bub also lead to conversations about fake merchandise memorializing the cat.
Lil Bub's owner Mike Bridavsky posted a comment through the Lil Bub Facebook page warning about a non-licensed T-shirt being sold with an image of the cat. The comment requested people to not buy merchandise from sellers that aren’t licensed to sell Lil Bub products.