Draven Rodriguez says Schenectady high school will allow laser cat picture in yearbook

Schenectady High School student Draven Rodriguez says he has successfully lobbied to get his epic cat-and-laser-enhanced portrait into his senior yearbook.

After drawing more than 6,000 signatures online in support of his picture through the website ipetitions.com, the high school senior wrote, “The school and I have worked out a compromise we’re all happy with.”

The photo will be printed in the yearbook, just not in the senior section, Rodriguez added.

The professional portrait, which was taken by Vincent Giordano from Trinacria Photography, features Rodriguez wearing a suit and holding his fluffy, striped cat against his face. In the background are 1980s-style laser beams and a larger-than-life translucent image of the cat’s face.

While Rodriguez had initially hoped to garner 500 signatures on his petition, the Internet’s enthusiastic response far exceeded his expectations. “I don’t want to even discuss the number of signs this has gotten. It’s nuts …” he wrote.

And just in case you were wondering, the cat’s name is Mr. Bigglesworth, according to the Albany Times Union.