Shadow: update!

You may remember the distressing story of my neighbor's cat, Shadow. Shadow's elderly owner had to go into assisted living and had no family to take Shadow. Well, after a little time boarding at the vet -- and a black-cat confusion which shall go undiscussed -- Shadow has found a home.

Here's what her new mom wrote:

"[When we picked her up at the vet] Though she was very shy and reticent, she showed spunk by trying to jump on to the vet's counter (and failing miserably), plus she seemed very friendly and comfortable with Dr. Wake. We took her home to Andersonville in good faith.

Unfortunately, the first few days at home were pretty rough. She spent most of the time hiding -- you would not BELIEVE the crazy spots she found -- and wasn't eating, drinking, or using the litter box. Even as she was showing her face a bit more, she was not crazy about human contact and ran at the slightest provocation.

And then, Monday night, some sort of switch was flipped and Shadow went from acting like a war refugee to being, well, a giant attention whore. (In the best possible way, of course.) She still spends quite a bit of time hiding, but loves to come out for lots of petting and playtime. She particularly loves having the top of her head rubbed and her back/butt scratched. Her appetite also returned with a vengeance so we have no health worries whatsoever. She is slowly starting to explore our apartment, and even meandered into a living room full of 5 strangers last night. She has the cutest little squeaky meow you've ever heard, and we are already spoiling her rotten with treats and affection. Happy endings all around!"