The pet I’ll never forget: Denis the cat, the ugly rogue who taught me to love myself

Growing up, we were both ‘different’. But his confidence and mischievousness showed me that it’s what’s inside that counts

In 1999, we adopted a tabby kitten, whom we named Denis, along with his mum, Fleur. She ran away shortly after (I blame my mother for calling her Fleur) and left Denis with us, but he couldn’t have been in better care. He became the 11th member of the Wyatt animal kingdom, joining five cats, a golden retriever named Stanley, two goldfish, Beavis the hamster and Otto the leopard gecko.

Denis was the youngest of the cats – and the ugliest. Now, you’re probably looking at his picture and calling me out for ugly-shaming. But cats are the supermodels of the animal world – you just need to look at any cat-owner’s phone, which will be full of pictures of their photogenic feline. They have expressive eyes, undulating tails, adorable paws and symmetrical faces. For a cat to be unattractive is quite an achievement.