Delores is a tortoise-shell cat who enjoys staring out the window. Or is she?
Comedian Jeff Wysaski has entertained the internet for years by leaving humorous signs and other items in plain view, rewarding sharp-eyed readers. (Check out his Obvious Plant Facebook and Instagram accounts for more projects.)
Last week, Wysaski turned his talents to creating funny profiles for cats up for adoption at his local animal shelter, the Sante D'Or Foundation in Los Angeles. Taking the cat photos, names and likes from the shelter's site, he created dating-service-style profiles giving the cats human dislikes, with a comedic touch.
While the cats' "likes" included normal feline favorites, such as "sleeping in a sunbeam" or "taking naps," the dislikes really cat-apulted the signs to success.
Blue-eyed Dinky, for example, hates "being talked to in a baby voice," noting "I am 36 in cat years. Please stop." Tuxedo cat Honey dislikes birds, but not for normal cat reasons. Wysaski listed her logic as "They are lousy sky wizards and fail to obey the laws of gravity."
"All the cats are real and need a home," Wysaski said. "The likes listed on each poster are also real. I snooped through their online profiles to make sure I was accurate."
The posters have since been removed from where Wysaski hung them on the shelter's door (without permission, as surprise is part of his shtick). Shelter Executive Director Christy Keefe says the effort was appreciated, but it didn't translate to adoptions -- though the posters have garnered more than 300,000 views online.
"Since the post has gone viral we have had one person who came into the rescue who had seen the post who wanted to visit some cats, and one online donation for $20 by someone who thought it was funny," Keefe said. "In fact we have had more reporters with inquiries than potential adopters."
Keefe notes the shelter is a small, nonprofit, no-kill shelter run by volunteers, and though the posters came as a surprise, they did get a laugh from the effort.
"And we are still trying to track down the warlock who turned Delores into a cat," she said, referring to one of the most popular posters. "But until we find him, or find her a forever home as a cat, she is welcome to live with us."
You can read about the actual cats at the Sante D'Or shelter page. And Wysaski says, "I'm on to a completely different project now, but helping dogs may be in the future."
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