Romeo wasn’t born with classic good looks. Instead, he came into this world with a deformity that made his face uniquely his own.

Not that many would have noticed anyway. The kitten was living as a stray on the streets in southeastern Spain, likely to leave the world as anonymously as he had entered it.

That is, until Laura Llácer found him. As director and co-founder of Santuario Compasión Animal, Llácer was only passing through. But, unlike so many others, she couldn’t pass Romeo when she spotted him on the street.

Llácer was told all of Romeo’s brothers and sisters had already found homes – but that Romeo was “too ugly” for anyone to take him home.

“We were surprised that people did not see that this was someone special,” she tells The Dodo.

Llácer was so moved by this kitten who was left to face the world on his own because of the way he looked, she decided to give him the best home of all.

So Romeo found a very different kind of place to live – among the other rescued animals who call the sanctuary in southeastern Spain home.

Today, Romeo is never alone. Llácer says she’s his “best friend.”

And he will grow up with so many more friends – cows, ducks, turkeys and, yes, stuffed bunnies too.

“Romeo is very, very affectionate and behaves differently than other cats,” Llácer explains. “He remains a cat, but there’s something adorable in his behavior that reflects that lovely abnormality in appearance.

“Of course, he suffers a deformity, but that makes him different. That makes him unique.”

You can support Santuario Compasión Animal in its mission to support countless animals like Romeo by making a donation here.