California Man Planning To Marry His Cat To Raise Money

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They say true love is hard to find because when you go searching for it, you will have to wait until it finds you instead. For most people, the best way they can ensure they show their love to their significant other is by marrying them; even Beyoncé said if you like it, then you should put a ring on it. However, a California man planning to wed his beloved cat to raise money for Los Angeles animal shelter is news that has taken the world by surprise. We have always assumed that our soulmates are people, but imagine loving your pet so much that you want to marry her or him. It is happening in this crazy world we live in, and here are the details of why a person would marry a pet.

A love story that dates back to 2015

In 2015, Scott Perry and his ex-girlfriend were perhaps ready to start a family and decided to try getting some practice through caring for a pet. Therefore they went to Best Friends Animal Society, and when one cat, Olivia, saw them, she jumped onto Scott’s ex-girlfriend’s laps. That love-at-first-sight moment was when they knew they had found their pet, and since then, Olivia has been Scott’s forever friend. Unfortunately, Scott’s girlfriend left him the following year leaving Olivia with the difficult task of healing Scott’s broken heart. It was a job that Olivia found challenging because she kept hiding under the furniture, but eventually, Scott said she came out of her shell to be his comforter.

With the pandemic forcing people to stay at home with their pets, Scott has realized the best way he can prove his love for Olivia is by marrying her. He consequently even proposed to the cat as she lay on the porch and with her “Meow” response, which was taken to be a “Yes,” he began planning the wedding. However, it is more than just a celebration of love between the two; Scott’s main agenda is to raise money for the shelter that helped him and Olivia to know each other. They are hoping to raise $5,000 and have already created a Zola page and fundraiser.

You can catch the live ceremony on Scott’s Instagram on May 23, 2020, at noon. He also asked everyone who has a pet to commit to do something for them on that day since he reasoned it is our furry friends that helped millions to cope with the pandemic. The strange thing is that Scott did not tell the shelter of his intentions to raise money on its behalf, but they sure will appreciate the noble gesture since they welcome donations.

It is not a unique case

While it is shocking to learn of a man marrying a cat, Scott is not the first person to do so. In 2010 The Local published the story of how Uwe Mitzscherlich decided to wed his 15-year-old cat, Cecilia, who had only a little time left before she died. Cecilia was asthmatic and obese, and there was no better way of appreciating her for her companionship than through marriage. Uwe therefore paid Christin-Maria Lohri €300 to officiate the ceremony since German authorities could not.

On the other hand, Barbarella Buchner was done with men after breaking up with a man she had been in a relationship with for seven years. She had adopted Lugosi and Spider in 2000, and when her boyfriend broke up with her, she cried into the cats’ fur since they never left her side. In 2004 she also opted to make their relationship official through marriage because after experiencing the love she had with men, she felt her connection with the cats was much deeper. Her ceremony was done online for a small fee of £20.

Even dogs have been married to people

Women keep saying that all men are dogs, yet after model Elizabeth Hoad went out on 220 unsuccessful dates, she resorted to marrying her dog. One might reason it is double standards, but Elizabeth felt her 6-year-old dog, Logan, was the only person who had remained loyal through the years. The model dressed Logan up in a stylish tuxedo and hat, and they exchanged symbols of their love: a ring for Elizabeth and a golden wristband for Logan as reported by Rare (https://rare.us/rare-animals/after-220-failed-dates-with-men-this-model-decided-to-marry-her-dog-instead/).

In most cases, marrying pets has been out of love and appreciation, but in 2007 one man in India wed a dog to atone for his sins. In 1992, he had stoned two dogs to death and hung them up on a tree. However, since the incident, Selvakumar had not known any peace due to the intense suffering he had undergone. He lost hearing in one ear, and all his limbs were paralyzed, but after visiting an astrologer, Selvakumar took the advice of marrying a dog as atonement.

What are the implications of marrying an animal?

Although Metro published that there is nothing to stop you from marrying an animal or object, you should note that such unions are not legally binding. Therefore even for Scott Perry and Olivia, even the animal shelter from where he adopted the cat does not endorse such unions. All the same, for most people, the curiosity revolves around whether the “couple” can have sexual relations.

Bestiality is illegal in most countries, except for a few like Finland, Hungary, Romania, and China. However, Barbarella Buchner clarified that even if a marriage implies having sexual relations with your spouse, it has never crossed her mind to do so with her cats. To her, bestiality and pedophilia disgust her the most. Joseph Guiso, another man who married his pet, shared her sentiments saying that although what prompted his decision was the guilt of living with the dog out of wedlock, a sexual relationship is never going to happen.

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