Shelter Cat Called “Ugly” Finally Finds a Home Where She Gets the Love She Deserves

Those who have ever adopted a pet know that when you meet “the one,” you just know. This was the case for Germany-based Francisca Franken when she came across a rather unusual-looking cat named Bean on an animal shelter website. Describing her new feline friend as “an exotic mix between the Grinch and Maurice from penguins of Madagascar,” Franken was besotted with Bean’s grumpy face from the get-go. “I saw her photo and fell in love the second I saw her,” she reveals. “Well, at first I laughed because the pictures were so funny and I'd never seen a cat like this before.”

Bean was found wandering in an abandoned trailer park last year. Covered in wounds and suffering from an eye infection, amongst other health issues, the poor stray had plenty of reason to look a little crabby. However, her luck soon turned around when the shelter saved her life and nursed her back to health.

At first, no one came to claim Bean from the “lost and found” section of the shelter, so she was moved to the adoption floor. Surprisingly, no one applied for her, and some people even said she was “ugly.” The forlorn feline waited patiently for around six weeks until Franken finally found her, who immediately wrote to the shelter to ask if Bean was still available. “I got a call from a friendly lady from the rescue who asked me if Bean was really the cat I wanted to apply for because, apparently, nobody had been interested in her before,” Franken reveals. “The woman who called me was scared that I just pressed the wrong button or something.”

Franken booked an appointment to visit the shelter and meet Bean, and was pleasantly surprised by the previously unwanted cat. “One woman led me to her room, and what I saw was much more beautiful than I could ever imagine,” Franken reveals. “Bean was (and still is) so tiny and small. She has very stubby legs and a short tail and the flattest face I had ever seen. I started crying when I walked into her room because I was so overwhelmed. She was not at all what I had imagined—but it was so much better.” Franken adds, “A lot of people who saw her at the shelter said she was ugly, but I think she's the most perfect girl ever.”

Franken and Bean hit it off instantly, and the love-struck pair have been inseparable ever since. Franken took Bean home the same night, and the newly adopted cat made it clear how smitten she was with her human. “She made herself at home from the very first second,” recalls Franken. “She laid down on the sofa and took a nap as if the couch was the most comfortable thing she had ever experienced.” After a long, much-needed nap, Bean began playfully exploring her new home and her true personality started to shine through. Franken reveals, “If she stopped being cuddly and cute, so she started to show me her sassy side.”

Some months later, Bean still sleeps with Franken every night. The proud cat mom reveals, “She hasn't left my side at night ever since. She even waits for me around midnight to come to bed if I'm up late.” The smitten kitten even spends all day next to the computer while Franken works from home. And when she leaves the house, Bean climbs up to the window and watches her mom until she’s out of sight.

As well as having a cute and cheeky personality, Bean has one particularly funny quirk—she loves olives! “The first time she stole an olive was when I had a little late-night snack and she ran up to me and smacked the olive right out of my hand, scooped it up and ran away to eat it under the couch,” Franken recalls. Bean is so into olives, that she meows and begs at her mom every time she sees her take them out of the fridge. This is perhaps down to the fact that olives contain a chemical compound known as isoprenoids, which have a similar makeup to catnip. And thankfully, olives are a safe treat for cats in moderation.

Not only has Bean been given a better life, but Franken’s world has changed for the better, too. “Bean is not a real emotional support animal but she's definitely gotten me through tough times already, and I can't put into words how much I love her,” she says. “She means the world to me and she deserves all the love after having such a rough time before coming to me.”

Scroll down to see some adorable photos of Bean and follow her on Instagram to keep up to date with her life in her forever home.