“Everyone in the apartment complex I resided in was aware of Ugly,” claims a resident. “Ugly loved three things more than anything else in this world: fighting, eating, and garbage,” to quote one person. The impact of all of these things, along with a life spent outside, had its effect on Ugly. To begin with, he only had one eye, and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He also lacks his left ear on that side; his left foot appears to have been severely fractured at some point. Meet Ugly, this is his story (we think he’s beautiful).
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He had been turned the wrong way, with his tail now gone and leaving a small stump from which he would jerk and twist constantly.
Ugly had scabs all over his tabby coat, making him less attractive. There was always the same response when people encountered Ugly: “That’s one ugly cat!” The children were advised not to play with him. Adults hurled stones or attempted to blast him away using a hose.
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However, Ugly always had the same response. He would stand there and not budge until the cruel stranger gave up on the hose and the rocks and left him alone.
If you threw things at him, he would come running and rub his head against your feet in an attempt to obtain forgiveness. When Ugly saw youngsters, he would come running excitedly and bang his head against their hands in an effort to be stroked. He immediately began drinking from your shirt or ears, whatever he could get his hands on if you picked him up.
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Ugly fell in love with the neighbor’s Huskies one day. They didn’t take kindly to his advances, and he was severely injured. I heard his screams from my apartment, and I rushed to his aid. He was already dead by the time I got there; he had been brutally murdered. I carried him home because touching him made me afraid it would be unpleasant for him. He gasped and struggled, but then something tense beneath my ear sent a familiar warmth up through my body. Ugly was sucking on my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he banged his head against my hand.
Then he turned his one golden eye toward me and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even though he was in so much pain, covered in wounds, the battle-scarred cat was only asking for one thing: a little bit of affection.
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At that moment, I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or run away from me. Ugly just looked up at me, trusting me to relieve his pain. Ugly died in my arms before I could bring him inside but I sat there and held him for a long time afterward, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could alter my opinion about what it means to have pureness of spirit. To love so totally and truly.
Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures or talk show specials ever could.
Although it’s preferable to be honest, there are many individuals who want to be richer, more prominent, popular, and attractive. For me, however, I will always endeavor to be ugly.