Remembering how Dianne spoiled her "baby boy"... Shabby Shy... our beloved cat!

Shabby Shy takes a nap on the deck as I am grilling... but then
he suddenly woke up when it was time to eat!

Shabby Shy (our cat) loves it when I grill out.  For him, it means:  "a treat is coming my way!"

After I had grilled some turkey and pork this week, I sat outside on the beautiful day and had dinner... with Shabby by my side of course.

As I picked off little pieces of turkey to feed Shabby, I remembered how Dianne had spoiled him this way.  My official "rule" was always:  "no food for Shabby unless it is in his dish!"

But, Dianne enjoyed throwing little scraps of food (especially cheese, Shabby's favorite) and watching him run to gobble them down.  Then, after she had thrown him 3 or 4 pieces, she would pretend to throw out another... and always got a laugh when Shabby would try to chase and find the morsel that didn't exist.  Of course, then she would give him the "real thing"... and the ritual would start over again.

Shabby is officially Dianne's cat.  She prayed him into our life.  The female tiger cat that we had for 18 years became very ill... and just walked out into our woods one day... never to come back.  That was in 2003.  

Dianne and I cried for several days over the loss of our long-time friend and companion... and then, Dianne decided we needed to get a kitten.  I told her:  "If you want another cat, you have to pray, and if one shows up on our deck... we'll take her in."

Two weeks later, Shabby (just a few days old), his mother, and his brother (also a kitten) showed up on our deck.  I think Dianne had been expecting a petite and fluffy white female kitten.  Instead, God gave us Shabby Shy... a Maine Coon boy!  Shabby's mother and brother were so feral that we could never get them to stay in our house... but Shabby was so shy that he hid in our basement for weeks and we had to leave food for him that he ate when we were not around.

Dianne finally coaxed him upstairs.  She did this over a period of about 10 days... one step at a time.  First day, she sat on the bottom step and persuaded Shabby to come and take food from her hand.  Next day... second step.  Next day, third step.  Finally, he made it to the top of the stairs!  I remember how excited she was to tell me when I came home from work that day.

Dianne was never allowed to have pets as a child.  She had a special love for her Shabby Shy... her baby boy. 

Yes, Shabby Shy is still missing his mommy.