Miss Muffin

[the_mother_thing]

As many of you know, we lost our beloved King Charles rather suddenly in January. We were crushed, and still miss his personality & presence in our everyday lives. No cat could ever replace him - in our home or our hearts. There has been a cat in our home DD's entire life, as well as the majority of mine. I never would have thought I would consider this so soon after losing Charlie, but after much thought and discussion, we have decided ... it's time.

A local rescue has this 3-year-old sweet yet sassy tortie with medium-long hair. She is as adorable and soft in person as she looks in these pictures. She has an old injury to her front left leg that has healed, but limits her ability to jump to high places. It doesn't, however, cause her any pain, and she leads a normal life otherwise. We had a 90-minute 'meet & greet' with her tonight, and while she is a bit shy at first, we feel she will be a purrrfect fit for our home given she is comfortable with her foster moms' dogs. We will likely name her 'Muffin' (in keeping with the food-themed names for our other pets), which is also close to her current name the rescue gave her.

Our plan is to wait until Sunday to bring her home so we have time to get everything set-up for her in our guest bedroom, where she will have a safe & secluded 'transitional' space to begin the acclimation process. It's been awhile since we've acclimated a cat to our home, so - aside from the obvious things we're already planning (giving her a quiet, separate room to start out ... slow intro to the pups, etc) - any reminders/suggestions would be most appreciated to help ensure a smooth transition for Miss Muffin.

In the mean time, here are a couple pictures of her.

 

[VRBeauty]

Oh my, what a looker! And those incredibly long whiskers - could she possibly be any more stunning?

But of course the personality and fit is what really counts. I hope Miss Muffin turns out to be a perfect fit for your family, and vice versa!

 

[lovedogs]

Omg she's gorgeous!!!! So happy you guys found a furry friend that will be a good fit for your home. Please take a million more pics of her as she gets settled. Those markings are killing me, she's so cute!!!

 

[redwood66]

She is beautiful! I am so glad you will be giving another kitty a new home.

 

[arkieb1]

Oh she's beautiful!!!! I hope that she works out and settles in well!!!!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thank you VRBeauty, Lovedogs, Redwood, and Arkie. We are very excited to bring her home. Her foster moms said that once she gets to know us, she is an huge cuddle-bug, is very affectionate, and an overall great feline companion. She also likes being the center of attention, and is perfect for us in that we only plan to have one cat, so they said that will suit her personality well.

And yes, she is quite a looker! Her unique markings make me want to just stare at her all day. So yes, there will be plenty of pics forthcoming!

 

[E B]

she's gorgeous. I have such a fondness for calicos- I had one growing up and she was SO bossy, but so incredibly sweet. We adored her. I hope she's a good fit!

 

[Scandinavian]

So beautiful! Congratulations! To her and to you
I hope you do not feel bad about getting a new cat. You are rescuing a little sweet soul and that could never be wrong. And she is not a replacement, there is enough love for them both, just like if you had them both at the same time

 

[the_mother_thing]

EB: Thank you. Her foster moms said that torties supposedly are known for having a 'strong personality' and thus aren't as easily adopted as other breeds. I love pets who have lots of personality - even bossy ones haha - so I dont mind that. And I guess her leg injury freaked out some people, so she has been in foster for about a year now.

Scandinavian: Thank you. It's not so much 'guilt' that we feel, but more kind of 'surprise' that we missed the feline presence so much, but that's just a testament I guess to how much we interact with and spoil our pets, and how much a part of our life Charlie was. Hopefully Miss Muffin will be the same.

 

[Arcadian]

She's a doll!!! I think King Charles would approve

 

[AGBF]

I don't know what I thought this thread might be about, but I was afraid to open it for a while. I guess I felt I couldn't handle a new controversy. Why a controversy would be named "Miss Muffin", I have no idea! At any rate, I am so glad that I opened it today because it brightened a rainy morning here. "Miss Muffin" (Or whatever name she will ultimately have) is beyond gorgeous. I never saw a more beautiful cat and her story is wonderful, too. I am so glad that you are giving her a forever home that is safe with pups that know how to get along with kitties so that she will have companions! Such a great thread! I need more of these. Thanks, Jenn!

Deb

 

[Dee*Jay]

What a gorgeous and unique face! And the white bib and paws are just adorable! Welcome Miss Muffin!!!

 

[ruby59]

she's gorgeous. I have such a fondness for calicos- I had one growing up and she was SO bossy, but so incredibly sweet. We adored her. I hope she's a good fit!

Yes, my first cat was a calico. And I agree she was bossy as well. I think I read somewhere that there was a study that the solid color cats were more docile and the calico's more head strong.

Your cat Jenn is gorgeous What beautiful markings. I love the ones with the long fur.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Arcadian: I think you're right; he would probably have developed a kitty krush on her.

Deb: Muffin/Miss Muffin is the name we are giving her; it's close to the name her foster moms gave her, so it won't be too far off. I'm glad seeing her helped brighten your dreary morning.

Dee*Jay: I also love how her front paws reflect her face coloration, but on opposite sides (in the straight-on pic). Just so unique!

Ruby: Finding a longer-haired cat was a goal in our search, as I haven't had one in such a long time, and got spoiled playing with my aunt's cat when I was in Delaware. He is a little ham & love bug also.

I can't wait to snuggle the crap out of her. I ordered two new cat trees for her that should arrive on Saturday, one of which is made for senior kitties and has 'steps' (so she doesn't have to try to jump) that go up to the top platform bed. The other is lower because ... she needs options.

 

[tyty333]

She is beautiful! I love fluffy kitties...got one myself!

Enjoy your new fluffy baby!

 

[tyty333]

She is beautiful! I love fluffy kitties...got one myself!

Enjoy your new fluffy baby!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Miss Muffin is so beautiful! She does look so very cuddly. I adore cuddly kitties and dogs. So happy you found a sweet kitty to add to your home! She is just precious!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Foster moms just sent me a picture of Miss Muffin trying to help them with paperwork, which to her means 'pet my belly NOW!"

 

[lovedogs]

Foster moms just sent me a picture of Miss Muffin trying to help them with paperwork, which to her means 'pet my belly NOW!"

I just want to snuggle her!!!!!!

 

[boerumbiddy]

I love this cat! I have her short-haired sister at home with me now, and she is very gentle and shy though a little demanding of attention. I have heard of "tortitude" but the only color-related personality trait I have seen in my own cats is that the yellow ones are usually self-confident, even swaggering, outgoing and friendly.

 

[chrono]

Ms Muffin is a beauty and a cuddler. Smooch. Please keep posting her pics.

 

[Alybetter]

She's got a sassy look in her eye

Congratulations on your new arrival. I love cats so, so much.

 

[DAF]

She's gorgeous!

 

[PintoBean]

She is sooo purrrty! I had a wonderful long haired Maine coon for 19 years who recently passed away, so I have an extra soft spot for super furry fuzzy faced fur babies!

 

[Kbell]

She's beautiful! You're so thoughtful planning & trying to get everything right

 

[the_mother_thing]

Pinto: I am so sorry to read of your recent loss. I so understand your pain, as you know. ((hugs))

Thanks much to everyone for the kind comments. And I promise that I will share TONS of pics once she is home and settled. I am so excited to bring her home, it's almost reminiscent of when I was 'nesting' while preggers with DD, only this 'delivery' won't require a visit to the hospital & recovery.

Please, if anyone has ideas to help ensure a smooth transition, feel free to share them. My hope & goal is to minimize the shock of so much change for Miss Muffin as much as possible, as she has had a bit of a 'bumping around' as a rescue.

 

[ruby59]

Pinto: I am so sorry to read of your recent loss. I so understand your pain, as you know. ((hugs))

Thanks much to everyone for the kind comments. And I promise that I will share TONS of pics once she is home and settled. I am so excited to bring her home, it's almost reminiscent of when I was 'nesting' while preggers with DD, only this 'delivery' won't require a visit to the hospital & recovery.

Please, if anyone has ideas to help ensure a smooth transition, feel free to share them. My hope & goal is to minimize the shock of so much change for Miss Muffin as much as possible, as she has had a bit of a 'bumping around' as a rescue.

We took in a rescue cat that my son first took in but could not keep because it did not get along with their dog.

Give her a safe space to call her own with her cat tower, toys, scratching post. Show her where the litter box is.

And then left her adjust on her terms. We let mittens explore by opening up more space to him each day so that he could scope out the whole house one room at a time and feel safe and not overwhelmed.

Then I would just sit there and bat a toy or offer a favorite treat. I did not approach him, but waited for him to come to me.

Then we started playing and snacking, and now he is my shadow and cuddle bug.

 

[violet3]

OMG she's gorgeous!!! Congratulations!

 

[arkieb1]

My suggestion would be find out the brand of cat litter, the type of food everything the foster lady has been using now and replicate that, that will be the smoothest way to transition so Miss Muffin is familiar with as much of what she is used to already when she moves to her new home and then if you want to make changes to the type of litter you use you do it slowly, like mixing them until she gets used to it, the same with the diet, you then introduce things slowly to her, that is the best way not to upset a cat.

 

[Kbell]

My suggestion would be find out the brand of cat litter, the type of food everything the foster lady has been using now and replicate that, that will be the smoothest way to transition so Miss Muffin is familiar with as much of what she is used to already when she moves to her new home and then if you want to make changes to the type of litter you use you do it slowly, like mixing them until she gets used to it, the same with the diet, you then introduce things slowly to her, that is the best way not to upset a cat.

Definitely! when I got my two baby siblings I used a different litter thinking no big deal they're babies... (8 + weeks).
My girl had no problems but my boy refused to go in the box. He would jump out immediately when I put him in it.
It dawned on me after the fact it could be the litter so I swapped to what they'd been used to & bam... problem solved.
He literally laid down in the box after I changed it, looked at me & purred as if to say "THANK YOU!!!! FINALLY!!".
If only they could talk...