For every story about a family getting a cat, there are probably two of a cat “getting” a family. Was that family thinking about getting a cat when they left the house? No. Did they come back a few hours later with a cat? Yes. 

How does this happen?

Winnie is now a 4-year-old Calico who made one of those stories come true. Megan LaRue took her daughter to a cross-country meet party. The host family just happened to have a litter of kittens that needed good homes. “One special kitten stole our daughter’s heart,” Megan recalls. “All of us fell in love with Winnie when she came home to us.”

Just like that, Winnie had a family of her own. Winnie is an indoor only cat, but she finds lots of ways to stay busy inside. She loves both playing and cuddling with the family. She likes to run through the house, chase toy mice, and play a cat version of soccer. Goals are not the goal! All of this is fun until it’s naptime. “She is an excellent napper and relaxer,” explains Megan. “Especially when there is a nice sunbeam to stretch out in.”

At bedtime, Winnie has a couple of unorthodox companions. When she was a kitten, Winnie pulled the belt off a fleece bathrobe. She was so pleased with herself, she did it again with another bathrobe. The belts are now among her favorite toys. She pulls each belt around the house and has special meows just for talking to them. Most nights she brings them both to her bed. “It is so cute to see her belts ‘tucked in’ at her bedside,” says Megan.

When guests arrive, Winnie pulls out the party tricks. “There is a three-inch-wide decorative ledge on our foyer wall, about eight feet up from the floor,” Megan explains. Winnie likes to walk across the high ledge to greet the guests. To the uninitiated, it looks like Winnie is floating in the air. To the LaRue family, it’s just part of what makes her special.