So I have this foster cat, Winter. Seems I’ve had her forever. Sometimes 21 days feels that way. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining. Well, maybe I am. But give me a break. The cat is both adorable and a pain in my keister. Well actually, more like my shoulder. Or my arm. Or my neck.

I’ll explain…

Winter is as you’d imagine — mostly white with blue eyes the color of Tahoe sky on a brilliant January day when the sun shines on pillowy blankets of snow, all sparkly white and beautiful. But sometimes it can be too bright if you’re not prepared for it…kinda like my foster.

You’re probably wondering what I mean. Then again, maybe not. The thing is, Winter is wonderful 97.5% of the time. Probably the most loving cat I’ve ever fostered. But she has a tendency that might make her adoption a bit, shall we say, difficult.

Winter’s MO is that she’s a big hugger. Never seen anything like it. She jumps onto the arm of my office chair to wrap her arms around my neck. Winter then proceeds to nuzzle my face with what I interpret to be adoration. What can I say? She loves me. Never mind that she’d love anyone sitting in this chair.

Then, once she tires of that, Winter climbs onto my lap to face me, gets up on her hind legs, puts both arms around my neck, scoots herself up, then drapes herself across my neck like a winter scarf (pun intended). Soon she’s in a hugging-induced state of nirvana. This is not surprising, as my neck is pretty damn soft.

At this juncture I’m giving Winter pets and telling her what a sweet girl she is. I go back to typing my email and just when I’m sure she’s about to fall asleep, she nips me on my shoulder. Or my arm. Or my neck. This is Winter’s previously mentioned tendency.

Winter happens to be a firm believer in surprises. I think she enjoys the shocked look on my face. Could her nipping be from boredom? Not likely. I have 4 interactive toys for her plus a laser and wand toys. Still, she prefers being on my lap or around my neck.

Actually, it’s not so much the nip I mind as how quick she is in delivering it. Startles me every time. Some cats become overwhelmed with attention and touching. But Winter is indiscriminate; she’ll do it even when I’m ignoring her. It would be nice if she gave me notice, like with jury duty, so I can prepare myself for the inevitable.

This kitty needs a family who doesn’t mind the occasional love nip. I say ‘nip’ instead of ‘bite’ because it’s much more benign, don’t you think? No broken skin; nobody got hurt. Besides, if Winter doesn’t get adopted, I could end up with my 5th cat. Yikes.

Know anyone who wants a lovely cat?!

Winter’s bio: A delightful character who splashes water from her bowl so often I initially thought she had a kidney problem and called the vet. (Then I caught her in the act.) She politely pushes her used litter into a tidy pile in the corner of her box. She plays incessantly with almost anything and seems unafraid of my dogs and cats. She’s curious, gorgeous, loving and sweet (when she’s not nipping) — which, may I remind you, is 97.5% of the time.

In short, Winter is nearly perfect. Oh-so-very-close.

At Marin Humane dreaming of going home