When my friends and I moved into our off-campus house last August we had the hardest time making it a home. Courtesy of our parents, we all contributed used furniture and a varied and colorful assortment of silverware and dishes. Even with these tokens from home, our house just couldn't feel right.

Until I brought an adorable little white fluffball back with me after a short weekend home in September.

Cupcake, a Persian-like barncat with blue eyes and a calico tail, made herself welcome in our house right from the start.

For the first 13 years of her life, Cupcake spent her days outside, chasing mice and catching birds. Growing up a barncat, she never had the little luxuries afforded to her indoor counterparts. When she breezed into our house back in the fall, she brought with her a breath of life and humor we never knew.

It took her a few days to warm up to her new surroundings. She wasn't used to the confinement of a house and she chose to hide underneath my bed until I drew her out with the promise of food and affection. Since then, she hasn't spent one minute alone if someone was in the house. According to Cupcake, every open lap is an invitation for attention.

Everyting Cupcake does makes us laugh. She finds great interest in paper, batting it around as though it were a prized shrew. Whenever we all sit together deep in coversation, Cupcake looks as though she is listening intently and contributing in earnest. She even willingly takes rides in our homemade papoose when the mood strikes her.

Surprisingly, our guy friends love her almost as much as I do. They've nicknamed her Mrs. Norris or Mrs. Jinx, depending on who you ask. Whenever they come over for a visit, she jumps right up and takes a nap on any willing lap. Cupcake especially likes it when they sleep over on our couch, finding a warm nook in which to snooze for the night.

I don't want to sound like one of those "cat people" who obsess over their feline with the same ferociousness as a teenager at an N'Sync concert, but Cupcake is by the far the world's cutest kitty cat. I adore her and I make a point of telling her this several times a day. As a result, my roommates claim she is the most spoiled and egotistical cat they've ever witnessed. She expects constant adoration and attention. Without it, she complains. Loudly.

Granted, Cupcake may try our patience at times. She'll meow outside our bedroom doors early in the morning. She leaves long white strands of fur all over our black pants. She's even been known to cough up a few hairballs.

But, we all agree, this year just wouldn't have been quite as complete without our little Mups.

• The sweetest Cupcake