Just like us humans, not all animals are the same. Some of them are born with special traits and qualities, and others deal with complications later on in life that can result in them having their own unique characteristic.

The most adorable special cat we have come across so far is Potato. When you first see Potato, you don’t notice his round, butter-wouldn’t-melt eyes, or his beautiful coloring. You notice his ears – or lack thereof.

Potato probably knows best that it’s not always easy to fit in when you don’t look like everyone else, but luckily, this little cutie has already found his furever home. But it wasn’t always that way.

When Potato was found on the streets in China four years ago, he was in a bad way. He was taken to the vets, who found that he had rare external ear tumors called ceruminous adenoma, which affected his ear canals and on his ear flaps.

While his condition was treatable, the problem lay in the fact that the tumors kept returning. In the end, it was decided that the best way to keep little Potato safe was to remove his ears completely.

This can’t have been easy for the brave feline. Cats need their ears to pinpoint their prey during hunting, and can hear much higher pitches than us humans can. Luckily for Potato, he no longer needed to hunt for his food, because he had his own loving family to feed him every day.

Potato’s family knew that he was special, and they wanted the world to share their love for him. So they set up an Instagram account dedicated to adorable photos of him, appropriately called @no_ear_meow_potato.

They shared a photo of him during his recovery stages which is just too darn cute. Of course, it’s always nicer for a cat when it gets to keep its ears, but we have to say, there’s something very endearing about Potato’s round head and big eyes.

The great thing about cats is that they don’t discriminate. Potato already has a best friend in his brother, Horlick, and the two are often seen hanging out together on Potato’s Instagram account. If only humans could behave in the same accepting way as animals!

Horlick knows that Potato is a little different, but that only makes him all the more protective of his brother. He keeps a close watch on him, sleeps alongside him, and makes sure to look out for him.

This photo shows the strong brotherly bond between the two kitties. There’s no splitting them up, not even in sleep!

It’s thought that Potato still has some of his hearing, which is pretty amazing, and shows what a careful job the vet must have done when removing the tumors.

Potato’s owners guess that the little cutie is around 6 years old, so he’s still got a good, long life ahead of him. He was adopted just over a year ago by his parents, and celebrated his “first” birthday with them just last month.

Potato’s story is proof that even after going through the most difficult of times, it’s always possible to come out the other side smiling. And the best way to do that is to find yourself a close pack of friends and family who will love you unconditionally.

We certainly love Potato unconditionally ourselves – how could you not?

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Source: Animal Channel, Hartz, Instagram/@no_ear_meow_potato.