Shelby Update Part 2

For the last week or two, I have been suspicious that Shelby has been spending time in the guest room bathroom sink.  Perhaps it’s the hair that I’ve found in the sink…I don’t know.  My mother and Carter found her sleeping there the other day, but I had yet to see it myself.

Until today. 

Connected to this bathroom is a really nice guest room with a queen sized bed that has a down comforter with a flannel duvet.  Wouldn’t that be more appealing to a cat?  Apparently not Shelby.  I shouldn’t complain as cat hair is easier to clean from a sink than from bed linens.

PS – should you come for a stay at our house, don’t  be surprised if the sink in the guest bathroom drains slowly.

Shelby Update

I have received several requests for a Shelby update.  I wish I could tell you that she is totally integrated into our family and that she seeks us out for attention.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  Shelby is still extremely skittish and does her best to avoid us.  When I can find her and nab her before she runs off, she likes the attention she gets.  She purrs loudly while I brush and/or pet her.  She will even snuggle into me and stay with me willingly (if only for a few minutes).

This is where I can find Shelby most often.  She’s sleeping behind the pillows on the couch in the living room.  It’s a warm little spot away from the commotion of the rest of the house.  When she’s here, Shelby will actually let me walk up to her and pet her.  When we encounter her elsewhere in the house, she’ll run away before we can even get close to her.

There is plenty of evidence, though, that Shelby is becoming more comfortable in our home and that she’ll eventually come around to us.  She is a voracious eater.  Nearly every morning her food bowl is licked clean.  Her first couple of weeks here, Shelby hardly ate at all so I take the empty food dish as proof that she is becoming more relaxed. 

More importantly, though, is the evidence of play.  The past couple of mornings, I have found her cat toys in various rooms of the house, though she appear to favor the guest powder room.  This morning I found a toy in the bathroom that had been at the bottom of her toy basket.  I would have loved to see her rummaging through the basket trying to pick out a toy.

I have to remember that my cat expectations are skewed.  My last cat, Corky (who died 1 year ago today), was quite possibly the most friendly cat ever and very laid back.  According to my father, “Stick your finger in his eye, he doesn’t mind.”

So perhaps Shelby is just being a “regular” cat and expecting her to greet us at the door after work is unreasonable.

Nah, I’m still holding out hope.

Shelby

This is Shelby.  She is still in hiding but allowed me to take a picture.  We have her in the library with the door closed.  We are hoping this gives her more of a feeling of security.  She has everything she needs in there…though she’s not eating, which is totally stressing me out.

She spent the morning under the bookcase.  She had to have been so uncomfortable.  Now she’s wedged herself between two moving boxes and the wall.  Shelby will let me pet her & scratch behind her ears.  Despite being so scared, she doesn’t hiss or swat at us. 

Cat Scratch Fever

So what does one do when recovering from the emotional stress of a miscarriage?  Adopt a kitty.

OK, so we were planning on getting a cat anyway.  It’s been nearly a year since Corky passed away and we thought it was about time.  We were planning on doing it after Easter but decided to pull it ahead a bit.

For the past few days, I had been searching PetFinder.com for suitable cats.  Through that I learned of several adoption days going on today at various pet stores around town.  At one pet store, they only had brought two cats for adoption but several dogs.  While the cats were cute and extremely laid back, we just weren’t making a connection.  We learned that this shelter had over 50 cats back at their facility and so we made plans with them to stop by later in the day.

The second pet store we went to today had at least 15 days available for adoption.  I instantly fell in love with a pair of Russian Blue kittens.  They were about 5 months old and brother and sister.  I asked to see one out of the cage and as soon as the lady handed one over, he immediately flipped out.  Determined not to drop the little guy nor let him escape, I held on for dear life. 

BIG MISTAKE!

He bit and scratched the heck out of my hand.  I was bleeding rather profusely from my right hand.  I found some hand sanitizer and paper towels and continued to look at some of the other cats.  About 15 minutes later, my right hand was swelling up…and rather fast.

At home, the disinfectant and ice did nothing to bring the swelling down and my pinky starting turning blue.  I decided it was time to hit the Urgent Care Clinic down the street.   Just in case I haven’t received enough medical attention in the last couple of weeks with multiple respiratory infections and a miscarriage, I got a tetanus shot today and another round of antibiotics. (I had Ben take some photos of my grotesquely swollen hand but the pictures just don’t do it justice.)

Way to take advantage of my medical insurance.  President Obama himself may show up on my doorstep and accuse me of abusing the health care system.  Perhaps I’ve had more than my allotted share of healthcare for the year and I’m to be cut off for the remainder of 2010.

Did any of this discourage me from adoption?  No way.  We had a 5pm appointment at the original shelter,  Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue, which is a no-kill shelter for dogs and cats.  FMAR was a wonderful place that houses nearly 50 cats and 12 (?) dogs.  Despite the sheer number of animals, it was incredibly clean and stink free.  And the volunteers were extremely patient while we hemmed and hawed over which one to take home.

We finally decided on Shelby, an 11 month old brown/black tabby.  Shelby was one of several kittens that was found at the Ford Wayne Assembly Plant last summer.  She and all of her siblings were named after Ford vehicles (Fairlane, Flex, Pinto, Comet, …). 

Shelby was very sweet and affectionate at the shelter but is a little freaked out here at our house.  She is currently hiding underneath a couch and only ventures out when it is really quiet.  We are hoping tomorrow that she’s a little more comfortable here in her new home and that she allows us to snap some photos.