Juniper and the Mins: Furry Friends Fur-Ever
“I grew up with cats and even helped my neighbor breed her Burmese cats,” Laura says. “My husband and I have had Artemis, a feral cat, since July of 2021, while our other cat, Pax, passed away in May of 2025.
“I met Juniper, whose original name was Jewel, at a Furry Friends adoption event at PetSmart. She was in the kitty room with her own kittens and some kittens from another litter. She was surprisingly calm despite all of the chaos around her, and was utterly unfazed when one of the kittens kept hitting her!
“Not only was she sweet, she craved attention, and I knew that she would fit into our home perfectly. Artemis, who, at this point, was bored and lonely, can be a handful at times, and since Juniper seemed so easygoing, she could definitely take care of herself.
“Although we’d set up a special room for her to get adjusted and ease into the household, she had other ideas. She so wanted to meet Artemis that within a few days, she was out and about! Sadly, though, being feral, he only likes her while she LOVES him. She keeps following him around and attempting to play with him.
“Extremely needy, Juniper wants pets, cuddles and play time all of the time! If you’re sitting down, she’ll quickly find her way to your lap. Our other cats have been more independent, so it’s been an adjustment to have one who needs love and attention 24/7. She also LOVES any and all toys. In fact, she can happily spend hours throwing her favorite octopus toy around.
“She’s very curious, wants to explore everything … and eat things! While it drives us crazy, it means that we keep our house clean so that she doesn’t get into something that she shouldn’t. Juniper is also a polydactyl cat, and it’s fun to watch her grip objects with her ‘thumb.’ She even scoops up her water with her paws at times.
“At night, she prefers to sleep in a cat bed in the hallway.”
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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.
