Romeo, the beautiful long-haired ginger cat, had a rough start in life. His unusual appearance led to him being cruelly labeled ‘too ugly to love’ but thankfully his story has a happy ending because he found a forever home full of endless love.
Romeo had been living on the streets of Valencia, Spain when he crossed the path of Laura Llácer who is the director and co-founder of the animal shelter Santuario Campsón Animal and caught her caught attention.
A head-turning beauty
Llácer explained to Petsradar, who shared Romeo’s heart-warming story, that she was on her way to visit a different shelter when she spotted the unusual-looking Romeo, she said:
“While we were on our way to a rescue, we ran into this kitten whose appearance was different from other cats and that’s why everyone rejected him.”
Feeling very taken with the affectionate ginger cat, Llácer questioned some of the shopkeepers in the town square where Romeo was wandering, about whether the cat had an owner.
The locals then shared some distressing news with Llácer; Romeo had been rejected by everyone because of his appearance. She explained to Petsradar:
“They told us nobody wanted him because he was too ugly, but for us Romeo is a lovely little kitty who likes to play like the rest of the cats, and their differences make it special.”
Rescuing Romeo
Upon hearing about the discrimination that Romeo had faced because of his appearance, Llácer immediately scooped the kitty up and took him back to her shelter.
Once he was settled into the rescue center a vet gave Romeo the once-over and declared that he was a very healthy kitten.
The vet explained that Romeo had a birth defect that had stunted the growth of his face and caused him to be disfigured, but that he was just as healthy as any other kitten his age.
Llácer shared that Romeo was different in the most wonderful way, saying:
“Romeo is very, very affectionate and behaves differently than other cats. He remains a cat, but there’s something adorable in his behavior that reflects that lovely abnormality in appearance.”
The face of love and acceptance
A year has passed since Romeo’s rescue and he has now been officially adopted by Santuario Campsón Animal sanctuary and become the welcoming face of the center.
Laura Llácer lives on-site at the sanctuary which is home to ducks, turkeys, cows, and many more animals, which Llácer says Romeo loves to spend time with.
The ginger kitty now spends his days roaming the sanctuary visiting the animals and his nights curled up with Llácer.
A world of love
Romeo who was once considered by some close-minded people to be unloveable is proving their harsh judgments wrong by capturing hearts across the world.
Romeo’s Instagram page is hugely popular and every one of his posts is inundated with comments of love and support.
The world can be a cruel place but thankfully Romeo has found a loving haven of acceptance.