Stairway to Heaven, Part Two

So I got this nasty GI virus (see "A Diet That Really Works!") and when I felt better, I scrubbed the bathroom down with bleach bathroom cleaner to get rid of all the germs. I thought I had rinsed everything properly, but maybe not, because just a day later, Shelby got a case of the runs. This happens to her every once in awhile, and when I described it to the vet, he said that if it goes away in a day or two, it's something she's gotten into in the house. It's not like I leave toxic plants in her reach or have rat poison around. Thing is, Shelby's tastes run on the strange side. She loves to lick photographs and ink, either from a pen or a computer printer. I'm guessing she also likes bathroom cleaner.

In any case, the way I found out she had the runs was by coming home one afternoon to show a friend my place for the first time. We walked into a smell that would knock you back to 2006. Shelby was up in the loft, waiting for me to take her down. She was all the way on the head side of the bed, the very opposite of where she usually is. Why?

Because she had peed and made a puddle of diarrhea at the foot of the bed. Needless to say, I was very embarassed and concerned. My friend was so gracious; she left after a few minutes to let me clean up the mess. The pee had gone through the comforter cover, through the quilt and sheets, and onto the mattress pad. It didn't make it on the mattress, thank god. Poor Shelby had a messy backside, and I had to deal with all of this. Got it cleaned up pretty quickly.

Then I put in an emergency email looking for someone who could make me a set of steps for the loft so that Shelby could go up and down freely. I had to put tape on the ladder so she wouldn't go up there until I got the steps made. My friend Geoff got right on it. We designed a set of steps, I showed Shelby how to use them, and in a couple of days, she was going up and down like she was an act in the circus. My bed is clean, Shelby is getting exercise, and she also has access to the top of my closet, where there are other treats Shelby loves to devour: dust bunnies.