“Ugly.” “Gross.” “What the hell is that?”
These are the first things people tend to say when they meet Possum, an unusual-looking cat with gray fur, bald patches and a rat-like tail.
Either that, or they think Possum has mange, or she’s a burn victim.
But in Stephanie’s eyes, (Possum’s human mom), she is adorably perfect.
She was one of several kittens born in Stephanie’s co-worker’s backyard in central North Carolina.
The mother cat was feral, and Stephanie’s co-worker did her best to care for her and the newborns.
All of the kittens were “normal” looking, just like their mother — shorthair domestic cats with white and calico fur.
Possum, on the other hand, was gray and almost entirely bald when she was born. She was also the runt of the litter.
It was thought that perhaps Possum has recessive genes of a werewolf cat or lykoi.
The rest of the litter were soon found forever homes, but nobody wanted to adopt Possum.
Stephanie and her co-worker were worried that if they took Possum to a shelter for adoption that she would be euthanised because of her looks
Although Stephanie already had a full house, she was falling in love with Possum, so she decided that she would take her in and make a part of her family.
“I felt and still feel like she would have been euthanized if she went there,” Stephanie told The Dodo.
“I live in the South and a lot of people in this area don’t view cats as pets. I’ve heard a lot of stories about people using them as target practice.”
“I’ve known some pretty horrible people who will speed up if they see a cat in the street. A lot of people in this area won’t or can’t afford to spay or neuter so we have a huge feral problem.” Stepanie explains.
“With her looking the way she does, I just didn’t feel like her chance of getting adopted was good.”
Possum has now blossomed in her forever home, and has no idea that she is a bit different to the other kitties.
They are all one big happy family.
