All last winter this ball of fur showed up at the back door for breakfast and dinner then would disappear as soon as he ate his fill. One morning during a really brutal snowstorm I was putting his food out and for the first time he came very close and cried so loudly I sat down in the snow and let him jump into my lap. His long fur was so matted it was almost solid and tearing away in clumps. We lured him into a carrier with stinky cat food and off to our long-suffering vet (we've provided him with quite a few challenges over the years). His entire body except for head, tail and legs was shaved to the skin -- we called him our Space Monkey. He turned out to be completely healthy and a fabulous looking Maine Coon when his luxury coat grew back. He is quite a character and like all Maine Coons -- affectionate and calm. He fit himself right in with the rest of the guys that showed up at the back door and asked for a home in that particular cat way.

lorraine huth
wauwatosa, WI