Shelby's Tail - A Love Story

Shelby is my story of friendship, sickness and true love. A cat and her human. 

Our story began in 2006.  She was born in St. Louis, MO and her humans were Michael and April.  I was lucky enough to be friends with Michael and April.

On Halloween night in 2006, I was newly divorced, living in a small apartment and not really sure what to do with myself.   I called Michael and April to see if they would be home.  They said they would and would love to have me join them. 

I was very grateful for their friendship and I thought it would be nice to hang out with them and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters in their neighborhood. To make things even better, they mentioned they had a new litter of kittens and a litter that was about 10 weeks old. Playing with new kittens at their house was one of my favorite things to do!

I arrived early in the evening before dark.  We got the candy ready and then they showed me around their home and introduced me to all the kittens. I also said hi to the adult cats.  They were Maine Coon breeders so the cats and kittens were all absolutely gorgeous.  

The kittens were all bouncing around, jumping all over each other, biting each other.  Normal kitten things. One of the 10 week old kittens seemed to tag along with us throughout the house.  Still bouncing around but definitely hanging with us.  Michael told me it was a little girl.  She was an orange tabby with white.  

We finally settled in the living room.  I sat down at the end of the couch and set my  purse on the floor next to me.  After a couple minutes I looked down and there was the same kitten sitting next to my purse. 

Michael laughed and told me her name was Shelby.  They always picked a theme when naming new litters and Shelby’s litter was named after cars.  Shelby, Miata, etc. I reached down to pet her and she immediately started purring.  She had the loudest purr I had ever heard.  She did not move the entire evening with the exception of trying to get IN my purse.  Even the times I got up, Shelby stayed right next to my purse.  I was falling in love. 

It was finally time to go.  As I stood to leave, Michael looked at me and said, “Don’t forget to take Shelby with you.”   I thanked them graciously but told them I could not currently afford a kitten.  This was their business and I had purchased cats from them before so I knew the cost. 

Michael and April both smiled and said she was mine.  No cost.  They said watching her and watching me, they were convinced we were meant to be together.  They had no idea how true that statement was.  The Universe had spoken. 

Our love story begins. 

We went through everything together.  I got her home that first night to the apartment I was living in and she immediately knew she was home.  I don’t think I was supposed to have a cat but I didn’t care.  When I left for work in the morning, she would be in the window telling me goodbye.  When I got home, she would run to me like a dog would.  

We moved into a house shortly afterward.  Again, she immediately knew it was her home.  I had gotten another cat by then.  Miata.  From Michael and April.  I had let them know that I was going to get another cat for Shelby.  She needed someone to play with during the day.  Miata had to have a surgery and afterward, she was unable to breed.  Michael and April told me I would be doing them a favor if I took her. Shelby and Miata must have remembered each other because they immediately got along.  

During the time I had Shelby, I had a variety of other cats.  Some died, some I had to find a different home for.  Shelby was always my girl though.  

Throughout the next 16 years, Shelby was by my side.  She was my best friend and always by my side.  She made me laugh, she comforted me when I cried and she made me feel not alone.

When I met Jim, Shelby immediately liked him.  I trusted her judgment.  Jim had two cats of his own.  We introduced them and they quickly became ok with each other.  Not besties, but ok.  Shelby and I ended up moving in with Jim and his cats.  I found homes for the two other cats I had.  Shelby and I were a pair though.  If I was going somewhere, she was also going.  Shelby and one of Jim’s cats, Tiger, eventually became good buddies.  They would go out the window from the second story bedroom and hang out on the roof.  Or they would lay next to each other on the stairs.  She did have to adjust to not sleeping in the same bed with me though.  Jim did not want cats in bed with us. 

Jim and I got married and after a few years, we moved out to the country.  So we packed up and all moved to a house with 10 acres.  Me, Jim, Shelby, Tiger and a new cat, Felix.  Shelby was allowed to go outside in the yard in our previous house but I was a little nervous about 10 acres of woods.   All three of the cats did great!  Jim built a chicken coop and we got a dozen chickens.  Shelby made friends with them quickly.   Felix would go down and lay in the coop with them.  Life was good for all!

Then, in 2018 I was diagnosed with  breast cancer.  When I had my lumpectomy, Jim opened the pull out sofa in the living room so I could be comfortable and have a bed to myself.  I could watch tv or work on the computer and have everything right there.  He was doing everything he could to keep me comfortable.  When I climbed into bed that first day, Shelby climbed right up there with me.  The three days that I was in that bed recovering, she did not leave.  I don’t think she even got up to go to the litter box.  She just laid there with me.  At one point, I thought she was sick.  I couldn’t bear the thought of that.  But as I got better, she did too.  I realized she was not sick, she was there to take care of me. I’ve done a little research on this and found that cats are very sensitive and have very close bonds with their humans.   Of course, I already knew that part.  But I didn’t know they also have an acute sense of smell and can sniff out chemical changes in the body.  They can also recognize changes in body language and facial expression. So my little girl was just taking care of me.  

In 2019, we moved to Nashville.  At this point, we had lost Tiger to sickness so it was just me, Jim, Shelby and Felix.  We moved into a subdivision but again, Shelby and Felix both adjusted quickly.  Felix learned the neighborhood.  Shelby would stick close to home.  During COVID, we would go to the corner of our yard and have happy hours with two of our neighbors that had connecting yards.   Each of the neighbors had dogs that would come out with them.  And we had Shelby.  They had fenced yards so the dogs couldn’t get out but boy would they bark.  Shelby would walk over to the fence to see the smaller ones and try to make friends but they wanted nothing to do with her. We would sit in the chairs and lay a blanket on the ground for Shelby.  She was just as much a part of the happy hour as we were.  The neighbors all knew and loved her.  I was always so proud of her.  

At home, Jim and I loved to watch her in different moods.  She knew how to say “Hello” and would walk around the house talking.  She had done this since she was a kitten. She was a talker for sure.  She also used what we called, “her big feet”.  She weighed about 10 pounds but when she was mad about something, she would stomp around the house, sounding like a horse.  We weren’t sure how she did it but somehow she made those little feet be known. She also had a habit of telling on herself if she did something wrong.  When she would knock something over in another room, she would come running into the room we were in and yell at us.  Every time.  Then we would have to go see what she had done.  We both loved that little girl so much. 

She started slowing down though.  In 2021 we found out she had cancer.  She had to go on chemo and I also had to learn how to give her B12 shots.  She reacted great and kept going.   She was definitely showing her age though.  At this point, she was 15.   We knew her time was coming. The normal life expectancy for a Maine Coon is 10 - 13 years.  We talked about when we would know it was time.  Her eyes still showed lots of life and sassiness so we knew she still had quality of life.   Until one day she didn’t.   March 16th of 2022 her light went out.  That night we talked about calling the doctor the next day.   I called them and talked to them.  I did the online worksheet that guides you and helps you make the decision.  Jim and I talked about it.   I made the appointment for us to take her after work.  When we got home, we  looked at her and held her.  The light in her eyes was gone.  We knew it was time.  We were both holding her when she died.  She knew she was loved. 

That’s not where the love story ends though.  It’s been two years.  My heart still aches for her.  So bad.  We were best friends for 16 years.  I still cry.  But I also laugh.  I have so many funny stories with her.  And so many pictures.  She will always be my girl.  My best friend.   I love you Shelby and know that you are still with me.