Ted (61) and Loretta(64) Cloara, have a soft spot in their heart for our furry friends. Their love of animals has brought many an unusual pet to their home, but in 1996 they adopted the strangest one they had ever seen. They adopted their cat, "Muffin," at the Chapel Hill Humane Society in February of 1996. The critter was very friendly, they say, and singled them out from all the other onlookers.

Purrin' and Chirpin'

"We got 'Sam,' our dog there, and I suppose that's the way I like to get pets," Ted tells me. Over the years they speculate they have saved over a dozen critters from destruction, bringing them love and joy. "Muffin," however, is a totally new story.

"When we took her home, I noticed small spiny protrusions and a flap of skin over her back. You never know what you're getting when you get a cat at the 'society,' and I thought poor Muffin might have been abused or something," said Loretta. "But as Muff got older, the flaps of skin grew and grew, and before you know it you have what you see now."

What do you see now exactly? Well, it appears "Muffin" has wings. This is not simply a flap of skin, either. Ted says if you feel under the wings (much to Muffin's displeasure), you can feel bone and sinew within the fleshy flaps.

"She don't fly." Says Loretta. Ted agrees, but tells a story that Loretta has apparently forgotten:

"One night when she was about nine months old or so, I woke up and saw her perched on my belly. It was about three in the morning, and she would often jump on our bed just to cuddle, or get us to get her food. Anyway, that night, I woke up with her on me, and I scratched her head. She hissed and stood up on her back legs and spread her wings as far as they would go, about 5 inches at the time,. It really scared me!"

Loretta claims that the only thing that spread its wings that night was "Ted's vodka stash," but Ted swears he was not intoxicated that particular night. Neither of them has ever seen anything like Muffin's attack pose since.

The retired couple still enjoy their pet, whom one of the neighborhood kids has nicknamed "Kittyhawk." They take it for walks, and people rarely notice it's abnormality.

"When her wings are down, which is usual for her, you'd have to really look hard to notice anything is strange about Muff," says Ted. Their Veterinarian, Carlos Rivera (44) agrees that the feline is a fairly normal cat.

"I treated her for heartworms once, and obviously I had to ask about the wings. The Cloaras didn't know why they were there, but didn't see anything unusual about the cat otherwise. After the treatments, I personally checked Muffin out, and she seemed fine to me, with minor deformities. There didn't appear to be any muscle in those wings, just some bone and tendon, which would be normal in any case..." Said Dr. Rivera, adding with a grin "But I bet you could sell her to that Ripley's museum for a good price!"

sources

phone interview with Ted and Loretta Cloara, February 28, 1998

Ashville Times, February 14, 1998

Photo courtesy of Ashville Times