What is wrong with my cat?

I adopted my cat from the Oregon Humane Society in 2000. I didn't want a cat who would bite and scratch up my furniture. So I definitely didn't want a kitten. I would never get a grown cat declawed, but since I couldn't really feel guilty about getting an adult cat that was already declawed, I figured that was probably the way to go.

Taffeta was sitting in a cage with a red bandanna tied around her neck. Her cage had a sign indicating that she was 6 years old, had her front claws removed, and she didn't get along with other animals

I'm not sure what part of her life is stressful, but the plastic-ruler/stress-tester indicates that Taffeta is feeling stressed.

Vicious rumors persist of her being sexually molested by her previous owner. Her previous owner gave her up, but nobody at the Humane Society ever explained why. The idea that she is the feline victim of a sex offender in Multnomah County might make for a good story, but it is complete fantasy, no matter how many times the Edwards women say it's true.

This fur ball is approximately the size of Taffeta's head.

Anyway, Taffeta has been shedding a lot lately. The other day I brushed her for about 5 minutes, and I collected the biggest fur ball I've ever seen. The title of this post has to do with the fact that she left me brush her for so long without hissing at me and then running away, not with the way that she has been dropping fur like crazy.