Full Name: Shakey
Given Birthday: July 4, 1994
Current Age: 13
Nicknames: Shakey-Jake, Li'l' Shakin' Baby/Lady
Quirks: Pillow ramming, legs drop out from under her when we grab her tail
History:
Shakey is yet another member of the Bru Clan. She is the daughter of Rainy (See: Rainy & Mimic)
She might belong to my roomie, Mark but she's my daughter as well! :-) Mimic had given birth to
Misty two weeks before Rainy had her litter. I'd already fallen in a big way for Misty but was amazed
at how similar the two kittens were! They were equally adorable but Misty had won my heart, first.
Mark, however had also fallen for the kittens but Shakey had touched Mark in the same way that
Misty had touched me! :-). He named her for the way she shakes her head, blowing out air as she
does! :-)
For a while, Mark was working two jobs. Though he spent time with his kitties when he was home,
the main portion of Gabby & Shakey's time was spent in the company of his tenants of the time. Mark
suspects that one of the guys became overzealous in punishing Shakey for some small infraction. She
became very timid, seemingly overnight. She also became afraid of the toys she loved most such as
chase toys on sticks. Needless to say, Mark no longer associates with those boys.
Eventually, though, Shakey did overcome most of her new shyness. She still was wary of strangers
and hiding out was her cure. Though you can't tell in these pictures, Shakey has some of the most
beautiful bright green eyes I've ever seen! They're almost luminescent and often have a hint of
turquoise in them. She's very loving in spite of her shyness and has been known to head-butt 'til it
hurts! :-)
When I moved in, poor little Shakey didn't know what to make of the crew that I brought with me!
She wouldn't come out at all, in spite of our best efforts! Frankly, I can't say that I blame her and I
felt awful for upsetting her world so badly! :-( At the time, I didn't have a whole lot of choice but
that didn't ease my feelings of guilt at all!
At first, Shakey had confined herself to the dining room, where the majority of my belongings had
been left. It was the only room large and empty enough to hold most of an entire household of goods.
It provided a host of hiding places for the timid little lady and it was a daily hunt to make sure she
ate and drank! :-(
Unfortunately, her "twin" cousin, Misty decided that Shakey would be the ideal candidate for
"terrorism!" (See: Dif-"fur"-nitions) We had to make sure that Misty was confined or at least in
another room when we fed Shakey. Eventually, I was able to clear enough of my belongings away
to where we were able to capture Shakey and in doing so, found that she was dehydrated.
Mark and I decided that when Shakey came home from the vet, she and Gabby would be confined
to my bedroom for a while in the hopes that Shakey would adopt it as her new home. At first, it was
my cats who were confined for a week or so as it was originally Shakey and Gabby's home. However,
in light of Shakey's reaction and the fact that Gabby was also showing signs of stress, we thought it
was time that those two girls were given a break! It worked beautifully!
Shakey did indeed adopt the bedroom and when the Herd was reintroduced, still came out to take
food, water and make use of the litterboxes. By this time, Misty had calmed down quite a bit. Under
our watchful eyes, she began ignoring Shakey. Believe me, we were grateful! :-)
I knew I'd have to do some "fancy dancing" with Shakey, as she'd hide under the bed every time I
entered the room. In time, she'd come back almost as soon as she ran and eventually stopped running
from me altogether! :-) As she relaxed, the loving increased tenfold! It was a beautiful sight to see!
Every time she showed some new sign of love or confidence, I'd go tell Mark about it! Mark would
do the same. We were like parents with a new baby and in a way, we were! It was like seeing Shakey
reborn and we never failed to praise her profusely when she showed improvement! :-)
Since that time, we've seen major improvements in Shakey! One night, she came out to the end
table by a loveseat where I was sitting and stayed for a very long time! :-) Needless to say, she got
lots of praise and encouragement from Mark and me! I petted her until she was ready for a break.
It was wonderful! She no longer hides under the bed out of fear but just for some quiet time!
Mark tells me that Shakey has developed and entirely new quirk along with her newly reacquired
confidence. When one of us is on the bed to give Shakey loving, she runs at one of the pillows and rams
it all of the way to the headboard! :-) It's cute and there's a picture below for you to see! Any time that
Mark grabs her tail, she flops for loving! At night when I retired, Shakey was among the many who
came to get good-night loving. She head butts me to let me know that she's there if I don't see her right
away. There was one night that she decided to butt the pillow that I was using and it did hurt! She
rammed me right in the nose! Ouch! For a little kitty, she's as strong as an ox!
Shakey's definitely a member of the 'Bru Clan!' :-) Like Shades her aunt, she's not a terrorist but a
precious, sweet little lady who just wants to be loved! Nowdays, Shakey avoids trouble, if possible but
is no longer afraid to defend herself! When someone wants to play, Shakey usually obliges. If she's not
in the mood, though, she has no problem whalloping the aggressor into submission! :-) Mark and I are
pleased as punch with Shakey's improvements! As far as I'm concerned, Shakey will always be a
member of the herd as long as she and Mark want her to be! :-)
Pillow Ramming! :-) Aunt Hazy is a great cuddle!
Shy kitties need love, too! :-)
