Yeah, don't listen to what people say if it's negative, some people just don't like animals at all, which in my opinion means they have very little empathy (including for other humans!)

I'm lucky to have had the opposite reaction with Bun-Bun... after years of just having cats, and most of my friends not liking my cats (they are quite aloof, and Misha my tuxedo cat scratched quite a few of my friends when she was young), the bunny is the king of popularity. I think also because he lived in our clinic for a little while and a lot of the general public saw him, a lot of people are interested in him and always ask about him, including people you think wouldn't care like my boss's teenage sons, and people who haven't even met him in person. He was recently referred to as a Facebook celebrity! (I post more about him than myself.)

My sister made fun of me for doting on Bun-Bun, but she lives far away... now she's visiting and has spent hours watching him, was jealous when he would only crawl in my lap and ignore her (he finally spent some time in her lap though.) My mom even painted a portrait of him!

Yeah my mom is an artist and art teacher. I also do art but more fabric/beadwork (I'm trying to think of how to incorporate rabbits into some of that now!) My mom produces far more art than she sells, I think she could have a lucrative side-business as a bunny portrait artist!