This little sweetheart has been hanging around my place since around April 2006. She belonged to my neighbour and was always a friendly approachable cat that would keep her distance from Smokey.

Sadly her owner never let her (or the 3 other cats he owned) in the house, never called her for food, nothing. He also owns two large dogs that NEVER get let out of the house and as far as I know he also had rabbits and pidgeons.

Around Novemebr time I noticed a horrible growth on the cats lower front leg and I mentioned it to the owner who told me he had taken the cat to the vet and was told it couldn’t be removed or it would kill the cat.

I put a carboard box out in a sheltered corner of our yard with some old blankets in and the cat used to sleep there.
Novemebr turned into December then January and February, snow and ice came and still the cat wasn’t fed or let in by its owner.

When Smokey passed a few weeks ago I let the cat into the house for a look round and she has never left. I aksed the owner if I could adopt her and he really didn’t seem to care. (The other cats all have new homes with various neighbours now).

I don’t know why but we called her Muffin :)

The growth on her leg was worrying though, it was now the size of a golfball and aside from looking raw and pink it was clearly infected so she went to the vets.
They informed me that in a worst case scenario her leg may have to be removed and she went back a few days later for them to perform surgery.

The growth had grown right down to the bone and despite removing as much as they could there is a chance it may grow back.

But now she is home in her bandage and goes to the vets again today for a checkup.

Update:
Muffin is back from the vets and he says she is making a great recovery and healing well.
Her bandage is off (although I am worried about he chewing her stitches) and she will be going back in a week to have her stitches out.