Heavy/Getty Lauren Luyendyk and Arie Luyendyk have a new family member.
Arie Luyendyk and his wife, Lauren Luyendyk, have welcomed a new family member into their home.
On October 11, 2023, “The Bachelor” couple shared that they have a new kitten.
“Soooo yes we got Alessi a kitty & she named her Willow,” Lauren Luyendyk wrote on her Instagram Stories along with a photo of her 4-year-old daughter holding the white kitten. “She has literally never been happier haha,” the mom-of-three added.
In a subsequent post, Lauren Luyendyk shared a photo of Willow lounging on the carpet.
“I’m pretty obsessed with her, too,” she captioned the snap. “I’ve never had a cat before and now I already want another. But Arie said no,” she continued.
This is the first pet that the Luyendyks have had, officially, since welcoming twins Lux and Senna in 2021. Willow has yet to make her official Instagram feed debut.
Here’s what you need to know:
Fans Reacted to the Luyendyks’ New Cat on Reddit
Shortly after Lauren Luyendyk shared the family news, many fans took to Reddit to react to Willow Luyendyk.
“Arie and Lauren have created such a beautiful family, and from what I see, they are both such wonderful parents. Arie is such a sweet, devoting dad. Alessi literally melted my heart when I saw Arie’s instagram story today where Alessi was reading a book to the cat,” one person wrote.
“Omg her daughter is sooooo happy. Also the kitty is super cute, I can’t aaahhhhh,” someone else added.
“That is such a cute cat omggg,” a third comment read.
“Adorable. I love how much Alessi loves animals,” a fourth Redditor said, referring the Arie and Lauren Luyendyk’s 4-year-old who is always wanting to be around animals, whether catching lizards outside or watching a nearby butterfly.
Arie Luyendyk Previously Adopted a Dog Named Bastian
In 2010, many years before meeting Lauren Luyendyk, Arie Luyendyk adopted a dog named Bastian.
“I was dating a single mom at the time, and so for Mother’s Day, we went to the Humane Society. She had two kids and Bastian was just such a sweet dog,” he told Us Weekly in 2018. “He was so good with her kids and, you know, something about this is that he was found in a foreclosed home and he was just really a good dog right off the bat. So since I brought him home, I just really fell in love with him,” he added.
Sadly, Bastian died in December 2020.
“Had to say goodbye to our pup Bastian,” the former “Bachelor” star wrote on his Instagram Stories at the time, according to Bachelor Nation. The dog had been having seizures and Arie Luyendyk made the decision to put him down so that he’d no longer suffer.
Lauren Luyendyk had grown close to Bastian in the time that she knew him, taking to her own Instagram Stories to share a tribute to the pup. “We miss you already Bastian,” she wrote.
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