She was rescued at about four months old with her twin sister. They were found under an abandoned trailer and taken, completely against their wills, to the nearest shelter. The kindly shelter folks, apparently stuck in the '80s, named these ferocious little feral kitties "Heather" and "Crystal".

On our next shelter visit, we were taken by their beauty. My wife, Lee, and I were presented to Heather, who allowed some stroking, but being picked up was out of the question. Crystal wanted nothing to do with us and bloodied my hand to prove it. Not too social yet...

Being deemed suitable cat servants, we were allowed to adopt the lovely five-month-old Heather in March 2004; Crystal just wasn't ready or we'd have taken both. Arriving home, we were greeted by Spike, our big tabby guy. He decided to mostly ignore the newcomer as long as she didn't try to eat his food. Heather decided Spike was not a problem. Lee renamed her "Princess".

As her (partial) Maine Coon heritage became more evident and her tail fuller and fluffier, I started calling her Princess Fluffybutt and Pretty Girl. By any name, she has become Daddy's Diva - can't imagine how that happened - and ruler of all she surveys. She still doesn't like being picked up, but no longer draws blood and tolerates nail trimming as long as I cuddle her and talk to her.

I work from home and our nine-and-a-half pound mistress decided to better organize my time. She has established expected times for stroking, belly scratching, cuddling, and treats. My sunlit office is very cat-friendly and she's seldom far from me. Treats are due when Mommy gets home from work. And she'd best not be late - we can get quite vocal about such abuse!

Princess Fluffybutt is quite active and loves her TurboScratcher, anything with feathers, and catnip mice. She stalks and chases bugs - which are usually visible only to her - and generally has a fine time. She chases around with Rascal, The Night Stalker, a tabby boy who joined us eight months after she did. They have a cat condo in the living room and a tower in my office. When "King of the Tower" gets too intense, I bark at them, and that's that. Nap time.

When bored(?), she likes to explore the kitchen cabinets, and not just the base cabinets, but those over the counter, too. When I hear the familiar "bonk" of a cabinet door closing, I know right where she is. For the moment...

Princess Fluffybutt is a fine singer - we don't meow, we sing - sometimes singing a little tune to herself. She also makes amusing "sleep sounds" (Can't be a snore. Would a princess snore?) that cause big grins and occasional laughs for her staff. Her purrsonal physician said not to worry about it. She is beautiful, very smart, affectionate, and a total joy. We love her and we know she loves us.