I'm old enough to be your grandmother, I guess, but we don't seem to be too age conscious on here - just animal conscious (although we've been known to go off topic from time to time . ) I have heard some very wise things from people your age on here, and likewise some pretty ignorant things from "adults".
I belong to one cat, Grasshopper, whose pic is my avatar over there - she's been taking care of me for 16 years now! I look forward to hearing and seeing more about Misty!
You mentioned you "thought" she had been abused - is this due to behavior patterns you've noticed?