During my years volunteering at local shelters, I’ve been angered by the reasons people abandon cats. This story is somewhat like those, but it has a happy ending.
Lori Farris, a special education teacher who visits students at home every day, noticed something tiny one day as she left a student’s house.
A small dilute calico kitten sat in the front yard, hoping someone would see her. It looked like the kitten had been left alone on the streets to manage on her own.
Lori briefly petted her tiny head and continued on her way. However, the kitten decided street life was not fun at all, so she followed Lori to her car, hoping to get more than just a brief petting. 
Lori quickly decided to pick up the kitten and bring her home. But when they arrived, Lori noticed something unique about the kitten. Her face was squished and looked like nothing was quite in the right place.
Lori decided to take the kitten to the vet to see if there was anything wrong with her. The kitten had an eye infection and needed treatment for fleas.
But when it came to her squished face, even the vet couldn’t figure out why it looked like that. Lori mentioned this in a TikTok video.
“The doctor doesn’t know why she was born with her face like this. It’s just a birth defect.”
Fortunately, this minor birth defect wasn’t causing her any serious health issues. However, one of her nostrils was fused closed, so she could only breathe through the other one. As Lori mentioned in the video:
“It looks funny, but it still works fine.”
From then on, everyone at the vet called her ‘funny face’. Lori decided to name her Willow, after Willow Avenue in Tampa, Florida where she found her.
People asked Lori why she adopted a cat that looked different, so she added something to Willow’s name. She created an Instagram account for her and lovingly called it ‘Willow the Beautiful Cat’!
Even though Willow is a unique little kitty, she’s just like any other cat in many ways. She’s playful and always makes her parents laugh. Willow enjoys wearing flower hats, especially ones lovingly made by her forever mom, Lori!
Nowadays, Willow has lots of followers on her Instagram account. Her mom Lori shares cute pictures and inspirational quotes featuring Willow.
I’m really glad Lori chose to bring Willow home, despite her unique appearance. Lori saw the true beauty that Willow had inside and gave her a safe and loving home.
Be sure to follow Willow on Instagram so you can see her cute flower hats and read her inspirational quotes. I’m definitely going to follow her journey!
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