She looks like a princess here, doesn’t she? My beautiful, adorable, black cat. She is named Mini. I picked that name because she is more on the petite size. She never overeats. She only gains a little more weight in the winter months from less activity.

Mini, our cat, is still with us at the age of 13, we think. The vet estimated her age the first time I took her to the vet as a stray kitten. She and her brother were left on the side of the road. The day she, Mini, discovered me is the day I took them both home.

I had just pulled into my driveway after a walk with my friend, Donna. My husband walked up to my car window. I rolled the window down and said, “We have visitors.” He instinctively looked behind my car to see who would be driving down our driveway behind me. I said, “No, look in the backseat.”

There he saw two black kittens in a box. He didn’t even bother to ask where I found them. He replied with an enthusiastic OK.

To be honest, Mini has been my animal soulmate. I always say she knows all my secrets. She is a very calm and smart cat. Here in this photo above, she is watching the yard for critters. She is a very good mole hunter. She will sit over a mole hole for a good hour. She stares with her head down patiently waiting. She has patience. Next thing you know, she is bringing one up to our deck to show me.

She used to cuddle on my lap a lot but lately, not so much. Maybe it is her older age. She prefers to sleep on a table in front of our wood stove these days. I can’t say I blame her. It is super warm. I setup a special pillow for her there and she just loves it, especially now with the big winter chills.

I love this photo above of Mini on our fire pit cover. Mini is sitting next to my terrarium bowl. The bowl has various succulent plants. She likes to hang out on our deck. She is always very smart about not wandering far into our backyard. She knows there are potential wild predators in the far backyard.

Another one of her favorite places to hang out in the summer is on our side steps. This is a funny photo of her. She is looking back at me. I tapped on the door window to say hello. It gets very warm in this spot during the late afternoons in the summer months. It is when the western sun hits the steps.

One day I discovered her sitting in this planter box. She was probably appreciating the warm soil and sunshine. She never eats my plants, tears at, or digs in the soil of my various planters. I am a plant lover. I have tons of containers and patio pots on my deck. She leaves them all alone. She is a good kitty. She doesn’t even touch my houseplants. Like I said, she is my animal soulmate. She knows I adore my plants.

This is another cool photo of Mini and Me! Her eyes picked up the orange color of the pumpkin somehow. This photo was taken by an i-Phone camera.

Mini was an abandoned cat. The story goes I was taking a walk with a friend on a roadside. Suddenly, two kittens came running out of the long grassy like brush along the roadside. At first, I said to my friend, Donna, “Don’t look at them.” I felt badly they were dumped there. But Mini was determined to not let us go. She chased and ran along the side of us meowing constantly. I swear I heard her say, “Don’t leave me here!”

I looked at my friend Donna who was nudging me to take them. She said she has dogs and just couldn’t. I finally caved after Mini’s determination. I said, “OK, I’ll take them!” Donna jumped for joy. She was thrilled we were not leaving them behind.

I never really was a big pet person. I did have a cat before, but it was Mini’s pure determination that called to my heart that day. Her more rugged cat brother, whom we named Hunter, was just browsing around behind Mini that day. He was hunting. But Mini was focused on me. Like I said, she is a smart cat.

That day, I took them out of the car at my home. Hunter saw a wild turkey in our backyard. He dashed out of the box and started to run to the turkey! I was like whoa, wait that turkey will hurt you and ran to grab him. I gave him the name Hunter right there on the spot. He was a much more tough cat, compared to delicate Mini. He was a boss. He didn’t like to be petted too much. But we loved him just as much.

After taking them inside to feed them that first day with us, they curled up together on a deck couch. They fell asleep. They knew finally they were safe. They were exhausted and it showed. It was adorable to see them curled up in a ball together. I bet they slept like that in the woods protecting each other before they were rescued.

The vet told me they were dumped off just before the age of needing to get neutered. He believed many people who dump cats do it then to avoid paying for things like pet care. They were not tiny kittens but a little grown. He also told me that, “Mini picked me, and it wasn’t the other way around.” I thought that was sweet. I also believed him.

I think when you save an animal, they know it for life. They are loyal. They never forget. Unfortunately, we lost Hunter a few years ago. He passed away and I felt sad for Mini. I wondered what she thought. But I do know this, she is a survivor. And I’m glad she picked me on that walk years ago.

Cathy Testa
Date of Post: 1/24/2026

Stay warm during the big chill this weekend…