Monday, June 9, 2014

Quasi, the "Ugly" Cat Who Will Win Your Heart

If you follow this blog, you know by now how much I love pets with special needs/facial deformities.  I just think the world needs to know how awesome they are!  If you've heard of Lil' Bub, Pirate Pug Jack, Dillon the Blind Cat - whose mom I interviewed! - or Zombie Cat, then you NEED Quasi on your radar as well!

Quasi's mom Renee calls her "adorkable," and the world knows her as "UglyKitty."  No one really knows what gives her such a unique look - they think it may be an unresolved cleft lip - but it has made her something of a star!

Quasi was the inspiration for the UglyKitty Fund, which raises money for a Maryland shelter.  Since starting the fund in 2006, Quasi and her mom have raised over $5,000 for the shelter, all the while raising awareness for all of the wonderfulness that is a special-needs kitty.  :)  I got Quasi's rescue story from Renee herself - check it out below!

(Photo from Quasi's website)

"When I graduated from college and moved to Maryland," Quasi's mom wrote, "I already had a small cat that I had picked up as a stray; however, I knew I wanted two cats.  I started searching the Petfinder website for local shelter cats that needed homes when I stumbled across Quasi.  I'll be honest, her photo did not do her justice, but my heart went out to her.  I told myself that she needed a home first.  If she was still available when I went to the shelter, I would take her home.  A few weeks later, I set up a time and went over to the shelter.  Luckily, Quasi, or Faith as she was called at the time, was still available.

"The shelter was an open setting where the cats were free to roam around.  It took me a few minutes to find her...sitting in the middle of a giant food bowl with a bunch of other cats eating around her.  I expected to see her cowering in the corner, but she was right there in the middle, holding her own.  I completed some paperwork, scheduled the in-home visit, and looked forward to bringing her home."

(Photo from Quasi's website)

Quasi was timid when she first arrived at her new home, Renee says, and she hid under the bed for two weeks.  When she finally emerged, she was still jumpy, running away when her new mom "moved or sneezed or said anything."  It wasn't until a year later that the shelter kitty finally felt comfortable to snuggle up on Renee's lap, and after that, she says, "Now, it's basically impossible to remove her from my lap."  

"I'm so happy that I took a chance on her and even more so that I was patient and let her come around on her schedule," Quasi's happy mom says.  "She's the most adorable, silly, loving cat that I've ever met.  I'm so lucky to have her." 

(Photo from Quasi's Facebook page)

I love happy endings like this one!  Where most people would have passed right by this kitty, thinking it "ugly" (hence the name "UglyKitty"), Renee saw Quasi's pure adorableness and took a chance.  Thanks, Renee, and thank you for sharing your story with us!


June is all about cats, and I featured this rescue story as part of Adopt-a-Cat Month on BlogPaws!  Join the Hop and tell us your kitty adoption stories!

Thanks for reading, and if you have an inspiring rescue story you'd like to share, just shoot me an email or tweet me @SecondChances23 :)




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