Cat invites herself into stranger's home after cold snap, human feeds her chicken nuggets and she stays for good: 'I don't think she stopped purring any time my hands were on her'

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Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Feb 6, 2026 5:00 PM EST

Chicken nuggets would win anyone over. 

Food is something that holds an emotional place for people. It's not about energy or sustenance, as much as it's about an emotional gravity to cooking, eating, and meal time. Even with little kids it's used as a reward system. You get a lollypop at the doctor's, or an ice cream cone when you have a bad day. Your parents make you your favorite meal on your birthday, and reward you with food when you do a good job. It's no surprise that in the story below, a cat was won over with some chicken nuggets. 

The cat has been loitering around a certain house for some time. The woman who lives there just lost her cat of 15 years, a tragic trajectory that is inevitable. She was waiting to get another one because she wanted to give herself the proper time to really mourn, but the cat distribution service had other things in mind. The cat was waiting outside, and it was so cold that of course she let her in. She was immediately snuggly, cuddly and warm with affection. She was purring the whole time, and the woman gave the cat some chicken nuggets. She fell in love immediately, but thought it was a one off thing. To her surprise, the cat came back! She basically broke in and decided it's her home now too. The woman couldn't be happier about having a cat, despite initially wanting to wait and get a new cat later. 

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  • 01
    Four months ago, my best feline friend of 15 years, Celia, crossed the rainbow bridge after sudden
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    kidney and liver failure after a two-year battle with diabetes. I felt like she took a piece of my
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    heart with her, and I told myself I wouldn't adopt another cat for at least a year so I could properly mourn.
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  • 04
    If you guessed from this post that the CDS had other plans for me, you'd be right. Meet this absolute biscuit-making fiend, Bernadette :)
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    Cheezburger Image 10603319552
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  • My favorite meal growing up was baked mac and cheese, and my dad would make it for me every year on my birthday. Homemade cheese sauce starting with béchamel and a roux, cheddar and gouda, and a crumble of breadcrumbs and parmesan on top before baking. It's so gooey and delicious. When I got older I would ask for lamb shanks, which are also delicious. This year on my birthday I had sushi one night, and carbonara the other night, made by my chef boyfriend. It was so delicious, and now I'm stuff with cheese, pasta, and all my favorite things. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10603319296
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    I've known and helped other tenants feed this dumpster kitty and her two dumpster pals since I
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    moved into my apartment complex 18 months ago, but they've never let me get close
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    Cheezburger Image 10603316480
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    enough to pet (despite my best efforts). Since moving in, I've never seen the trio stray very far
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    from the dumpster, definitely not as far up in the complex as my unit. But last week, after a nasty
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    Cheezburger Image 10603319808
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    cold snap, this pretty lady randomly decided to hang out with me on the stairs to my apartment.
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    She spent the next hour demanding pets and scritches that I was all too happy to
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    provide until my butt had gotten sufficiently numb from sitting on the cold concrete. I got up to see
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    if I had any food in my fridge to give her, and she completely shocked me by following me
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    inside my apartment to check with her own eyes!! I decided I'd give her the finest dining experience I could manage (de-
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    breaded chicken nuggets, mmm) out of my post-cold snap fridge and let her explore my unit with the front door still open so she
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    knew she could leave whenever she wanted. She acted right at home--alternating between rubbing herself all over my things
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    and coming back to make biscuits in my lap for the next hour. I don't think she stopped purring any time my hands were on her. I
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    fell in love immediately, but I was sure this was a one-off thing. Eventually she decided to go
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    'home' and I thought that was the end of it, but the next day she followed my partner from his car (parked near the dumpster) to my
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    apartment again, and we decided that if she showed up a third time then it was clearly the CDS at work.
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    Lo and behold, I guess it was because she showed up again the next day. I took her to the vet yesterday and got her all the meds and vaccines she needs to
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    get her in tip-top shape. I'm going to a pet store today to get general supplies. I feel like I have Celia to thank for guiding
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    Bernadette to me and I can't be more excited for provide her a safe, happy, warm life indoors. Welcome to the family, Bernadette!!
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