First of all, I'm sorry to hear about all the ratty illnesses! Prolapsed anythings are scary. I'm glad you're so dedicated to their care!

The running theme in the later books seems to be that LKH thinks vampires are all awesomeness with a few drawbacks, and shapeshifters are all drawbacks with a few bits of awesomeness. Therefore, in her mind, clearly one should be ruling the other. Which, hey, her universe I guess. But I find it much less fun to read about them when she describes shapeshifters in ways that make them sound complex and powerful, and then neuters them in the next paragraph. :/