Dwayne Hubbert never thought he could have a cat because of his allergies.

So, when one popped up at his door four and a half years ago, he tried to find another home for her.

No one wanted to take her, though, so Dwayne and his wife, Julie, became the happy owners of Kitty. When they had owned a cat together 28 years ago, Dwayne had to get rid of it because of his allergies. After spending time with Kitty, however, Dwayne realized his allergies were not affecting him.

"She's like a miracle cat," he said, "My wife always says that Kitty was meant to be our cat."

Kitty is a Norwegian forest cat, a rare and expensive breed. They are unusual because of their adaptations to cold climates. They have fur between their paws and inside their ears. They have a pronounced mane of hair that starts growing in around the age of 5. Dwayne used this to determine Kitty's age of 8.

A rare cat such as this is seldom found as a stray. When Dwayne found her, she was in good health. She had not been a stray for long. Dwayne and Julie fed her and Kitty decided to stay.

Dwayne later found out that the owners of Kitty lived only a few houses down the street from them. He asked around the neighborhood and discovered they had no intention of reclaiming Kitty.

"They knew we had her; they would drive past our house every day and see her," Dwayne said.

Dwayne considers himself lucky to have Kitty. He said she is the most loving cat he has ever met. He also says she is the most curious cat alive.

"Whatever I do, she wants to know about it," Dwayne said. "If I go to the laundry room, she has to investigate it when I walk out."

Kitty also plays hide-and-seek with Dwayne and is a big fan of being chased. At the end of the day, she sleeps, sometimes on her back, with her legs outstretched.

Unfortunately, Kitty has feline leukemia, an incurable disease that affects 2 to 3 percent of cats and targets young, old, sick and weak animals. It acts as a retrovirus, much like HIV in humans. Cats affected with this often suffer from health issues, and Kitty is no exception.

"We're pretty sure this is her last year. We plan on spending as much time as possible with her," Dwayne said.

Kitty's lacking health has made her into a full-time indoor cat. She used to spend time outside catching mice and moles.

"She really loved the taste of moles," Dwayne said.

While outside, she would stay within the borders of the Hubberts' yard most of the time. Dwayne said that was only one of the characteristics that made Kitty such a great pet.