Muffin’s story

This is Muffin’s story. She is a gorgeous long-haired calico cat that appeared one day. Sadly, she was probably dumped since she quickly accepted human contact; a true feral usually takes a long time to warm to human contact. She has always been a favorite of mine and my other cat-feeding neighbor.

It wasn’t long before she had a litter of kittens. She had three adorable fur babies in my laundry room and spent all her time in there taking care of them. My cat-feeding neighbor hadn’t seen her around and was worried about her until told her what happened and brought her over and showed her where Muffin was.

The neighbor and I hatched a plan to ensure this would be Muffin’s only litter. Once the babies were old enough, I took them inside to tame and she took Muffin to the vet for spaying. Unfortunately at the vets she bit someone and had to be quarantined so it was two weeks before she was back home. They also really butchered her ear notch and took half her ear off.  With all the complications, her vet bill wound up at $500.

The taming of the babies went well. I failed as a foster though. I couldn’t quickly find homes for them and got attached, so instead they were added to my family. Trouble, Punkin and Little Bit fit right in with my other three cats and my dog.

I didn’t think animals held grudges, but I think she does over the whole vet experience. She used to go back and forth between our two houses for meals, but since that trip to the vet, she only comes to my house.

Muffin still lives outside, but she does come by daily. She is so lovable. I’ve tried to get her warmed up to the idea of moving into the laundry room, setting up all sorts of comfy spots for her, but she always leaves, coming back the next day at feeding time.

Once in a while when I pop out to feed the cats, Muffin will be at the door and one of her babies will come over and greet her. I feel bad that she is still outside, but she doesn’t get along with my dog and there are already too many cats in the house. Maybe one day I’ll sneak her in – who knows?

I keep trying to get her settled on my property, but without any luck so far. I have no idea where she spends her time once she disappears behind another neighbor’s shed after eating. She’s always very clean when I see her, so I assume she has a good spot out of the elements that she likes.