Everybody wants to be a cat. You get to lie around all day, eat tuna brought to you by your human minions, and generally get worshiped and adored. And the best thing is that you don’t even need to be a pedigree show kitty to raise a few “aww’s” – even fugly kitties are still cute! That’s the premise behind Canon Japan’s Busakawaneko (cute-ugly kitty) Grand-Print photo competition. Cat owners from across Japan sent in photos of their adorably ugly balls of fluff in the hopes of scooping the grand prize of a holiday worth 100,000 yen (US$10,000). The winner and the runners-up will all be displayed on the JR Yamanote line train in Tokyo for around two weeks, starting on November 18. Or, you could also check them out right here!

The concept of appreciating adorably awkward and slightly irregular kitties is nothing new in the west, where internet superkitties like Grumpy Cat, Lil’ Bub and newcomer Monty (among others) are fawned over for their slightly flawed beauty. There’s even a dedicated Instagram account, thespecialcats, for owners to submit photos of their “imperfect” furry friends. We here at RocketNews24 are happy to see less photogenic kitties getting the love they deserve in Japan, too!

Before we introduce you to the top kitty, here are some of the runners-up!

▼　Here’s Yukitasu in his snap titled  “Bean Jam Bun”. Yukitasu wins the “Kitty I Want to Print on a Bag” prize.

▼　Kokoperi in “!!!”, who wins the “Kitty I Want to Print on a T-Shirt” prize.

▼　Pirossa in “Sexy Pose” who wins the “Kitty I want to Print and Put Up Everywhere” prize.

▼　Nekonote in “Meowmories” who wins the “Kitty I Want to Print on a New Year’s Card” prize.

▼　Su-san wins the “Leon-kun Special Prize” for this snap titled: “Blehhh!” (Leo-kun is the “Busakawaneko” mascot)

▼ Patch wins the “Kitty I Want to Print on a Calendar” prize for “Punyo on the Edge of the Bath”

▼　Atomugaaru wins the “Mirei Kiritani Special Prize” for this piece titled: “Oh So Tired, Everyday” (Model and actress Mirei Kiritani is an ambassador for the Canon brand)

▼ And the Grand Print winner is…　Miita79jwbl with “Ultimate Relaxation”

Congratulations, puss! We hope your owners put you up in a fancy pet hotel while they’re off enjoying the expensive holiday your cuteness won for them!

You can check out the rest of the entries over at the official Canon Busakawaneko Grand Print website!

Source: News.aol.jp, Canon.jp
Images: Canon.jp