Meet our Diva...Muffin!!

Muffin is our beautiful, long-haired black and white cat. She's without a doubt the queen of the house. When she walks it's a strut, a queenly stroll through the house. And like any good diva, she does not like to have her picture taken! She seems to know when she's the subject and will give you a very stern look or ignore you altogether.

She's not really interested in toys any longer. After all, she's going to be eleven years old this year - time to act her age. But she loves Ernie's feet. If he's sitting, and puts his foot out, she will literally turn upside down and start playing with his feet. She tries to catch the foot in her front paws (she's been declawed - I know, I've learned my lesson here, so, no preachin'!!). She will roll around his feet and twitch her tail and generally be in toe heaven. Me, on the other hand, she will do nothing but seriously bite my feet. Her ears are back and she slants her eyes at me and she does NOT play with my feet. She BITES. I don't know why...they are just as foot-y as Ernie's!!

Muffin was born in August 1998. We had had to put our beautiful dog to sleep the previous Christmas and we were looking for a cat this time. When we found out she was available, we picked her up in October and she's been with us ever since. Ernie says he doesn't care but I know he does. He will laugh at me when I whine that she's not affectionate like our golden tabby was (nother story!) Muffin is absolutely her own cat. She's not affectionate to where she wants you to pick her up and cuddle. She will sleep in your lap in the evening when you are down for the count and watching the telly. She does not like to be disturbed once she's down and settled and will give you the old evil eye look if you have to get up.

Muffin is a big girl. When she jumps up on your lap, you can feel her She weighs close to 13 pounds and she has the most beautiful whiskers, long and silky. She has one quirk. At the top of her left eye, she has one white whisker, about 3 inches long - really striking. Over her right eye, she has an almost invisible black whisker!

And, Muffin LOVES her cookies. I buy a bottle of the cat treats and feed them to her, one at a time. If I say "Cookie, Muffin", she comes out of her hiding place! Really! Just like a dog! HA! At least a dog will slobber all over you and the hand that feeds it and generally lavish beautiful, unconditional love all over you. Muffin, on the other hand, will look at the cookie, look at you and then carefully reach out a paw and knock the treat out of your hand. Comical, actually. I've been patient to where I can now get her to take the treat out of my hand with her mouth. But she's the most ungrateful animal! Still, because she's as independent as she is, we can lock her in the house for a few days and know she won't have any wild parties while we're gone. We give her plenty of food, fill several bowls and her self-filling water bottle and leave her behind.

Friday is going to be a circus. We have to take her to the vet for her annual exam. Now, she's not very vocal to us, but when she finds herself in her carrier, in the car, you would have thought she was going to die! VOCAL, CATERWAULING, GENERAL CRYING....can you hear me now? Once inside the vet's office, she turns it off and refuses to come out of her carrier. But back in the car to head home and it's the VOCAL, CATERWAULING, GENERAL CRYING....why??? She's going home!! Arrgh!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Til next time, thanks for stopping by!
Mel