Celebrating Musette

Samantha met Musette entirely by chance at an emergency veterinary clinic in 2007. On Christmas Day, her whole family was at the clinic visiting one of their cats (who was ill but made a full recovery). That's where Samantha saw the tiny black kitten who mewed, reached her paws through the bars of her cage, and burrowed into her hair when she held her. The little kitten had been rescued a couple of days prior, and the clinic didn't have high hopes of getting her adopted. Though adopting a kitten wasn't the plan that day, Samantha and Musette have been together ever since!

Musette grew into a loving but sassy cat, and the sculpture was designed to capture her feisty essence. She is coy about giving or receiving affection: Maybe she will let you pet her, or maybe she'll bite you. She may only be seven pounds, but when she visits the vet, it takes at least three techs to handle her. Her bursts of energy — running down the stairs or across the room and literally bouncing off the wall — are one of Samantha’s favorite things.

At home, Musette is almost always nearby, typically just out of reach. When Samantha had her son, she was afraid Musette would attack him because he was a new person making strange loud noises and taking up all her time. Instead, Musette follows him around, teasing him with her tail. And when he tries to grab it, she has never once lashed out at him.

Musette loves her family very much and is the inspiration for Samantha’s support of the Best Friends Pet Resource Center. She believes that cats like Musette need the right human(s) in their lives to help them thrive — and that when they do thrive, it's incredibly rewarding. “Providing Musette with a loving home is one of the best things I've done in my life,” Samantha says.

As the future of animal sheltering, the Best Friends Pet Resource Center is more than just a place to adopt a pet. It’s a community destination that gives people better connection to adoptable pets and to each other, provides support for families to keep pets in homes, and offers opportunities for animal lovers to help make the state of Arkansas and the entire country no-kill in 2025.

It's also a place where we pay tribute to beloved pets like Musette with the sculptures you see displayed around the center and grounds, and a place where we express gratitude for generous donors like Samantha. 

You can save the lives of homeless dogs and cats in Northwest Arkansas and help keep families together.

When you adopt from a Best Friends location, or from one of the many shelters and rescue groups around the country, you’re not only adding a loyal and loving companion to your family, you’re helping to save lives.

Just a few years ago, cats and dogs were killed in staggering numbers in this country simply because shelters didn’t have the community support or the resources to save their lives. As of 2023, that number is 380,000 per year, but there’s still work to do to ensure a bright future for every dog and cat in America. 

Best Friends operates the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals and is saving the lives of homeless pets across the country by working with shelters and passionate people like you. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill in 2025. Together, we will Save Them All. 

Follow along to see photos and videos from our events, hear about upcoming adoption events, admire adorable adoptable pets, discover kitten care tips, check out foster success stories and so much more.