It’s been said that we don’t choose our cats, they choose us. That’s exactly what happened when Valerie and Ted Rock of Illinois found themselves in a bar one evening, where a patron began passing around the only remaining kitten from a litter. Though his littermates had been adopted quickly, this kitten had been rejected because an unusually quirky feature: he had four ears!
(Images: Screen Shots via YouTube)
The couple couldn’t believe what they were hearing as the kitten was passed between the hands of bar-goers. Most suggested that his ears looked like devil horns and that he would turn out to be evil or bad luck. Some even began calling him Beelzebub, after the devil himself.
The kitten knew he had found a kind heart when he wound up in the hands of Ted though, and immediately nuzzled into the crook of his neck to fall asleep. The Rocks fell in love with him and adopted him that night.
They named him Yoda because of his likeness to the big-eared and wise Jedi from Star Wars. When they brought him in for a checkup, their veterinarian had never seen a cat with four ears before. Yoda’s condition is superficial and doesn’t effect his behavior, health, or hearing.
The Rock’s spontaneous act of kindness has paid off big time as Yoda grew into an incredibly affectionate, curious, and sociable cat. “He really captured my heart at the very first moment,” Ted says. “I just wanted to enjoy him for what he was.”
These days, Yoda occasionally visits schools, where he helps to teach children about the importance of accepting differences.