Shelly has loved cats as far back as she can remember.  Her parents tell tales of a “nasty” (Shelly prefers misunderstood) cat, Midnight, who came with the home where she grew up.  It never occurred to Shelly that the cat wouldn’t love her and as it turned out she was the only person who could get near Midnight. So it began.

Many years, kitties and even a few dogs later Shelly had built a successful career in the IT industry but felt like something was missing. After two of her cats were diagnosed with chronic renal failure she discovered how valuable a good petsitter is.  Her petsitter provided not only peace of mind but also ensured her cats were happy, safe and healthy.

In 2001, Shelly began helping her petsitter on a part-time basis. In 2003, when offered a voluntarily layoff, she jumped at the chance to leave the corporate world behind. She decided to devote herself to the two things that make her happiest: helping people and being with kitties. In October 2003 she walked away from it all to build her own petsitting business, focusing solely on cats and ‘Tales of the Kitty’ was born. And yes, Armistead Maupin approved the name.

When she’s not hanging with the kitties she likes to travel, take photos, ride her bike, and is trying to learn to spin poi.

Nicole Berlureau moved to San Francisco in August 2002 and almost immediately needed to find someone to help her with her little furry man, Cappy - enter Shelly.  After three years of a successful petsitter/client relationship, Nicole mentioned that she would be interested in petsitting and in June 2005 she began on a part-time basis.  As the saying goes “Change is a good thing” and as change would have it, Nicole was laid off from her corporate job in the Financial District.  Fortunately for Shelly, and all the kitties, Nicole came on board as her Business Partner and full-time petsitter in December 2008.

Finny has been with Tales of the Kitty since 2005.  His primary responsibility as CFO is paperweight. Additionally he acts as the official groomer, not only to cats but to humans as well. When he’s not sleeping he likes to chatter at birds outside the windows and to rush the door in order to explore the outer hallway.

Tyler is the Chief Toy Tester for Tales of the Kitty. He joined the organization in July of 2005 when Shelly rescued him from Animal Care and Control. She knew she wanted a “spirited” kitty and when she met Tyler she knew she’d found the right one. The other kittens were meowing and batting gently at her fingers. Tyler meowed, dug his claws into her finger and bit her; it was love at first bite. It was love at first sight for Finny, he was grooming Tyler within minutes of meeting him and they have been inseparable ever since.

Cappy is the "Primary Paperweight" for Tales of the Kitty.