August 2008   Shadow
Shadow is our 10-year-old tuxedo cat, brother to littermate Echo who also lives with us. I’ve often wondered which of these 2 cats would have ended up with us if we’d only picked one, which was the original plan. Actually, Plan A was for me to bring home the one gray tiger tabby kitten in the litter. I have a soft spot for gray tigers—my first cat Silver was one, and my then elderly cat Pascha was one too. But that was not to be. As beautiful as the tiger kitten was, it kept jumping off my lap and running away. Unbeknownst to me, however, these two black and white kittens were climbing all over me. My friend, who I had dragged along for fun, asked me if I saw what was happening. When I sounded confused, she proceeded to clue me in, ending with the pronouncement: “I’m just saying that sometimes cats pick their owners, Donna, not the other way around!”

So the die was cast. Lee brought the kids over to help me pick which of the 2 tuxedo cats to adopt, and not being able to choose, we took both. That was Valentines Day 1998, and the following December this photo went out to friends and family in our Christmas cards.

Within a few months of acquiring the kittens, their individuality emerged. We started calling Shadow the “healing energy cat” due to his uncanny ability to run over to anyone in distress, and calm them with his presence. Shadow gained a lot of weight early on, and stayed heavy (25 pounds at his peak). When we were told that another littermate had feline diabetes, we put Shadow on a diet that eventually shed one third of his weight. We are currently feeding him grain-free cat food and taking other holistic measures to heal him from within. Time will tell if this will be enough to stave off the disease. In the meantime, we’re showering him with love and attention, and sending him back all the healing energy we can.

A playful portrait of Shadow is featured in Gallery 6.

Click here to read about a previous Dog of the Month winner.