The Story of a Special Cat That Reminds Us: True Love Has No Beauty Standards

No one knows for sure why Willow looks like this, but since the day she was born, this beautiful cat had an unusual looking nose that was shaped like a heart. Willow was homeless and when Lori Farris, from Florida, was told that no one would want to adopt her because she wasn’t “pretty” enough, she took Willow home, and they’ve been together ever since.

Here at Bright Side we believe that every animal deserves to be loved and respected, and that looks don’t really matter when it comes to choosing a pet to care for. Willow, and her human Lori, keep proving this day by day and are inspiring thousands of other people to adopt “special” animals.

How Willow and Lori met each other

The story of Lori Farris and Willow began when one day Lori met Willow on the street. This tiny and dirty kitten followed Lori to her car. Lori took the kitten home, cleaned her, and then took her to the vet.

Willow had fleas and eye infections, but was generally healthy. The only other thing was that she had an oddly shaped nose, in the shape of a heart. Doctors still can’t say for sure why Willow was born like this, but when Willow was little, the vets told Lori that if the cat was to be put into an animal shelter, she would probably never find a forever home. It’s because most people want “pretty” pets by their side.

Lori took Willow home and has been taking care of her ever since.

Lori couldn’t leave Willow alone and she decided to adopt her. Since then, Willow lives with Lori and is being showered with love and care.

Willow became a real influencer to remind us that we all deserve love, and that looks don’t matter.

Willow has a blog on Instagram with more than 185,000 followers, and accounts on Tiktok and Twitter (@willowthebeautifulcat on Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter). Lori posts the pictures of her gorgeous cat to remind the world: we are all beautiful the way we are.

“I think people like her because she’s a symbol of love, kindness, and being beautiful, even though she looks different,” says Lori.

From time to time, Willow’s pictures are accompanied by words of wisdom that are addressed to humans, like these: “Be the human your cat thinks you are.”

We are so glad that Willow met Lori and found her forever home. The world needs more stories like this one. Let’s get together and promote the idea of adopting “special” animals that are especially beautiful in their own way.

And here are some more pictures of beautiful Willow:

Do you know people who’ve adopted animals from shelters or rescued lost cats and dogs from the streets? Or maybe you are one of those people? Tell us your adoption and rescue stories in the comments, and share the pictures of your happy pets!