Katie and Shelley have been inseparable ever since. Cynthia and Wayne divorced, but there was never any question that Shelley would be wherever Katie was. Wayne died of leukemia in 1999, and Shelley was by Katie's side to comfort her throughout his illness.

In December 1999 the veterinarian informed the family that Shelley is FIV positive. Feline immunodeficiency virus is similar to HIV in humans. The virus attacks the immune system. She was pretty healthy for a 10-year-old cat, but she couldn't go outside to hunt any more because she might spread the virus to other cats. Other than losing much of her sense of smell, she seemed fairly unaffected.

Shelley's staff expanded to include three new humans in 1998: Sam and his children Rowan and Genevieve. When two new cats, Andre and Thomas, died from feline leukemia in early 2000, less than a year after joining the family, Shelley seemed to understand that everyone needed extra cuddling, but gave even more attention to Katie. A young dog, Zöe, joined the household in February 2000, but Shelley drew the line at comforting the lickie thing when she mourned her playmates.

When the family moved to a new house in 2000, Shelley was quite happy. The house had a lovely high deck from which she could survey the world. She wasn't as happy when four more cats came into the family at various times. Mica and Moonstone were adopted as kittens, then Alanna and Boone just waltzed in to the family's lives. Shelley didn't mourn when the four and Zöe found other homes over the next year.