Man “marries” his cat in a bid to raise money for local animal shelter
“If you like it so much, why don’t you marry it.”
Any child of the 80s or 90s will recognize that phrase.
But one Los Angeles, California man took it to the next level when he made plans to marry his CAT.
Scott Perry adopted the lovely Olivia with his now-ex-girlfriend in 2015. Originally named Collette, the 2-year-old cat was shy at first. She would hide under furniture and didn’t want much attention.
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It’s only when Perry went through his breakup that Olivia became more affectionate.
“I don’t know why Olivia pulled the disappearing act, but within days of my girlfriend leaving the next year, Olivia emerged from her shell and has not left my side ever since!” Perry said in a press release.
With his sweet, furry friend by his side during the coronavirus lockdown, Perry realized just how important the cat was to his well-being. That’s when he decided to make a gesture that raised some eyebrows.
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He was going to “marry” his cat – a publicity stunt for sure (you cannot marry an animal), but one that would help raise awareness of needy animals and the shelters that care for them.
The pair even have a wedding website.
“With the two of us locked down for the crisis, we decided to take the leap and make it official, by offering the world a bright spot to all the bad news out there and to raise money for the very place we met, Best Friends Animal Society NKLA,” their site explains.
The furry faux wedding was live-streamed on Instagram on May 23rd and the happy couple registered for nothing other than donations to the NKLA (No-Kill LA) Best Friends Animal Society where Perry adopted Olivia. (They are still trying to raise $4,100 of their $5,000 goal).
“The impact of the work that shelters have done is immeasurable. They provide safety to animals and happiness to families throughout the year, especially when we are smack dab in the middle of kitten season,” Perry said. “I challenge everyone to donate and adopt from local shelters, and commit to their pet on May 23.”
It should go without saying that there’s nothing legally-biding about this and the tech/marketing consultant is simply giving us something to smile about (or shake our heads at with a smile!).
But the duo did, indeed, get all dressed up for the nuptials.
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Of course, being a cat, Olivia didn’t take her special day all that seriously, nor did she expect a honeymoon amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post-wedding photos show her just as unimpressed with having her photo taken as she was before her Internet fame. Then again, maybe she’s just waiting for that diamond ring!
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If you missed the live wedding, it’s not too late to explore your adoption options or to donate to your local shelter.
No commitment ceremony necessary!
And if you’d like to watch 17 minutes of video of a cat/human wedding, you should be sure to scroll down below.
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Source: PEOPLE, Pet Plus Mag, Here Comes The Cat/Zola, @scottperry via Instagram