In the hollow of a maple tree not far from the road, Ron Venden has made a cozy dwelling for the 7-month-old cat he swears has never left its tree home.

"It was a little feisty at first," said Venden, 66, a retired carpenter, of the cat, which a neighbor has named Almond. "(But) now it's a pretty big cat and it's just loving to see me."

How is Venden certain the cat never leaves? Mostly because there are never any paw prints around the tree when it snows, Venden explains — something a State Journal reporter confirmed Wednesday. Relatives corroborate the story, saying they've never seen it anywhere other than in the tree.

Almond doesn't seem fazed by snow or single-digit temperatures. He sits proudly in his roost, warm in a thick fur coat, surveying nearby Highway X and Venden's driveway, about five miles south of Belleville in Green County.

To Venden's knowledge, Almond has no other home outside his maple. The cat was born there in June, and while the mother and the other kittens left, Almond stuck around. Venden has been feeding it ever since.

So why does Almond stay?