Every animal, no matter its appearance or medical status, deserves a chance at life. This is the ultimate truth and definitely not up for debate. Period.
Unfortunately, some people do not agree with this and therefore end up doing some very gruesome things to animals, based on usually pretty unreasonable excuses.
I remember one of my childhood neighbors who got rid of his litter of kittens purely because he did not want to have any more cats. I’m not saying it’s not okay to not want pets. But the way someone decides to dispose of them determines what kind of person they are.
And my neighbor was definitely not one of the good ones.
Thankfully, there are many more good people in this world who deeply care for animals and their well-being. And today, we are bringing you a heartwarming story about one very good and noble woman who with one simple act of kindness changed the life of a unique kitten.
Meet Lori Farris, a 50-year-old special needs teacher from Florida who one day decided to save the life of a poor kitty that was due to be euthanized simply because she was “ugly.” As if there is such a thing as an ugly cat, am I right?
One day, as Lori was leaving one of her students’ homes, she saw an unusual cat on the side of the road. Lori greeted her and gave her a few pats on the head, and the cat started to follow her home.
So naturally, Lori decided to take her home where she would decide what to do with her.
Back at home, Lori gave the cat a thorough bath because she was covered in fleas and dirt. She gave her some delicious food to eat, named her Willow, and in a couple of days, took her to the vet for probably her very first vet examination.
The vet took her in, examined her, and determined that the poor kitty was suffering from intestinal parasites and a severe eye infection. And on top of that, her face had been deformed since birth.
The reason behind her facial deformities lay in the fact that Willow had been born with extra chromosomes. This condition is very rare in felines and is something similar to Down Syndrome in humans.
The vet told Lori that if she decided to give Willow to the local shelter, they would most definitely decide to put her down as there was hardly any chance for her to be adopted by anyone any time soon.
This realization shocked Lori. She couldn’t believe someone would euthanize an animal simply because she was not pretty, or more “normal” looking. She definitely could not let that happen to her already beloved Willow.
So she decided to adopt the cat herself! No kitty is too ugly to not deserve a forever home.
Lori didn’t mind Willow’s facial deformities. And she was more than ready to deal with and treat her other medical issues. She simply could not let the possibility of Willow being euthanized for her looks ever come true.
She truly saved her life!
After some time, Willow grew into a very healthy and happy feline. She quickly grew accustomed to Ella, Lori’s three-year-old boxer, and they almost instantly became besties. They run around Lori’s yard and play all day, and they regularly doze off together when their games tire them out.
Willow loves her new home. And she adores her cat mom Lori who ensures her lovely girl has all the things a purrincess can imagine. She is truly spoiled, and we’re all here for that!
Lori says that she doesn’t mind when people say Willow looks “weird” or “silly.” She is well aware of her unique appearance, and she doesn’t want people to be ignorant. However, she doesn’t appreciate when people call her ugly – because that is definitely not a way to describe this beautiful feline.
Willow even has an Instagram account where more than 200K good people are following her and sending their love and support daily.
Her Instagram bio says, “I’m a beautiful little Florida girl born with a fuzzy heart-shaped nose. I love flower hats.” Her entire profile is dedicated to embracing the diversity and uniqueness of everyone.
Lori makes sure that the things she posts are inspiring and encouraging. Her goal is to make people love themselves more and inspire them to believe in themselves and their ability to be the change this world needs.
It is truly amazing what a cute picture of a feline with a flower hat and an uplifting caption can do to a person. But it really works wonders!
At least that was the case with me. When I saw a video of Willow wearing a cardboard sign saying, “I don’t give a meow that you’re prettier than me!” it really motivated me to free myself from all the prejudices and expectations people have of me.
That’s the cattitude we should all aspire to have!
I hope Lori’s story inspires us all to treat each other with the kindness and respect we all deserve. And not only that, but also to stop selecting animals solely on the basis of their looks. Every animal is beautiful in their own unique way – and we should all remember that!
Not all heroes wear capes – some simply say, “Hello!” to every cat on the street.
