Lana says: When I first found this kitten, I think he was the ugliest kitten I had ever seen in my life. He was so skinny and completely covered in filth (motor oil maybe?) that it was almost horrifying. I couldn't leave him like that though, so I took him in. Luckily, he wasn't feral, and was instead one of the most cuddly kittens I have ever known. But I was moving and couldn't take him with me, so I tried to find someone to adopt him, but without luck. There weren't any shelters near where I was in the Israeli countryside, and even in Tel Aviv, there are so many stray cats that the shelters will not take them in, they will only accept owner surrenders. Anyway, after volunteering at one of the shelters there, I would rather release a cat that had a chance of fending for itself that take it to the shelter. So all I was able to do was take him to the vet, get him neutered, and then release him. The neighborhood is pretty safe for cats, and a lot of the neighbors feed strays, so I think he will do all right. I didn't get a picture of it, but he became completely white (and orange) when I last saw him, so the grey color was not natural.
The adult cat in a few of the pictures is another stray who often hung around. He looks so much like the kitten, but can't be the father because he had been neutered long before the kitten was born.
There has never been an ugly kitten on the Daily Kitten before, but doesn't this guy look so much better in the end?!