Shadow came into our lives in September 1996. He was just a ball of fur with four legs and two eyes. He fit in the palm of my hands. He squeaked and didn’t meow. Yet he was soft and cuddly as can be. He loved to hide in small spaces, corners, and under the bed sheets. He was something else. I knew he was special from that first day we got him. There was something extraordinary about him. We spent many days and nights thinking of a name for him. We could never agree on a name. Each one of us had a name we wanted. One night we were debating on names, Shadow saw a shadow of him and jumped on it, then he saw his shadow on the wall….boom, he jumped, fell, and got back up again to keep doing it. That was that…..From then on, his name was Shadow. Showing his true independent nature, he picked his own name.
Shadow was curious and feisty. He was a small cat with a big bite. He was curious as ever but curiosity didn’t kill this cat. It drove him. He was more determined than ever to be on top and let everyone know who is boss. Shadow was boss. He ran the neighborhood. It didn’t matter how big or small his rivals were. They knew Shadow was king. Our house has huge yard and most of the backyard is undeveloped. There is much variety of wildlife in the backyard. We have rabbits, deer, wild cats, coyotes, and raccoons. None of those harmed Shadow. During his younger and middle-life days, Shadow would love be outside. Especially when it was warm, he didn’t like the rain or cold. Yet he was still a true Seattleite. At nighttime, we would call Shadow to come in. He would most of the time. Several times, he stayed out. Yet the next morning, he would come inside for a bit and then go back out. As a dark cat (charcoal color), he was difficult to spot in the dark. The best way to track him down was taking a flashlight and look for the reflection
of his yellow eyes.
Shadow was an instigator and he would love a good fight. A few times, he got into fights with the wild cats. He was territorial. He didn’t like other cats, dogs, etc in his domain (especially if they came in uninvited). One day, a wild cat happened to wander near our property line. Shadow chased him down in our neighbor’s driveway and proceeded to teach that cat a lesson. Boy, did he do some damage. That cat fled without most of his hair. Shadow took a few licks too. He had a huge abscess wound. As a result, it was a major surgery time for Shadow. He had a tube placed through his chest (where the wound was) for about 2 weeks. Never did he complain or whine. He took it like a man. Shadow hated medicine. He would fight us when we had to give to him but he took it eventually and soon was back to his healthy self.
Describing Shadow’s physique the best word is “tweener”. He was not big or fat but he wasn’t thin either. He was muscular. He had the bloodlines of a panther or tiger. Watch out when he was on the prowl. Many mice, moles, and birds fell to his hunting instincts. Shadow was very athletic. His favorite game was soccer. He didn’t care if it was a ball, pen, or pencil. He was going to dribble it with his paws, kick it, and chase it down. Climbing was another favorite hobby. Dinner tables, fences, house roofs, etc. Nothing was off-limits. He was extremely careful not to get hurt in any of these adventures. What’s even more remarkable is that he taught himself to do these things. Not only that, this amazing cat was multilingual. He understood English, Marathi (derivative of Hindi), and gibberish.
As robust and sturdy Shadow was, he was full of love. He loved to show affection. This was not reserved to his immediate family but to others too. Because of this, he was quite charming and well loved by all. When we had houseguests, the first thing they wanted was to see Shadow. Shadow didn’t disappoint. He made his honorary appearance, greeted everyone and then made his way to more solitary areas of the house. One of his favorite ways to show love was to rub himself on ones leg or lap. He particularly loved to rub his head on calf area. He enjoyed a rubbing around his head and under his chin. It soon became a nightly ritual with him. He needed his rub before bed. Another was when he would grasp your hand or leg with his mouth. He would just hold it there softly. Shadow was very reserved when it came to meowing. He never meowed unless he really wanted something. However, we taught to him to “speak”. When you said speak, he would give a complimentary meow. Other things he learned from us were “shake hand” and give “high-five”. All things, of course, would take place if Shadow was in the mood.
When it came to food, Shadow was very finicky. He hated dry cat food but still ate it. He loved certain types of canned food. He also loved human food – like chicken, pork, pancakes, and milk. All of these things were given in moderation. He was in paradise consuming these things. He was extremely fond of water and would drink it any chance he got. He particularly liked rainwater (he hated rain but loved rainwater). At our house, there is a fountain in the front. He would love to stand, rest on the lower rung of the fountain and drink the water.
Shadow had high IQ when it came to street sense and smarts. He would look both ways before crossing the street. He made sure the coast was clear before he did anything. He was cautious when approaching things that were bigger than he was. A few times our family went overseas for vacation. He would stay home and the neighbors would feed him. He would sleep in the garage and we left the garage window slightly open so he could wander out, if he wanted too. When we came back, he was the same as we let him. It is just another piece of evidence that this cat could take care of himself. Independent he was indeed.
Shadow did not enjoy travel. He hated to ride in the car, especially when the trip was to the doctor’s office. About the only time he meowed on a consistent basis was in the car. We tried to take him to my condominium. He didn’t like that either. He was used to a large spacious place like my parent’s house and though quite cozy, the size of my condominium was unappealing to him. I only lived 20 minutes away so seeing Shadow on a daily basis was not a problem. Therefore, his home was my parents. He was quite content there and a content Shadow is a wondrous cat.
Most cats hate water. They don’t like to swim. However, this cat loved to bathe. We would give him baths periodically. Usually, two to three times a year. He enjoyed it. He took it graciously. This cat was anal about cleanliness (something he learned from his family). Therefore, anything that helps him stay clean was well received. He loved to lick, lick, and lick. Next on his list was winking. If you talk to him, he would wink at you.
We had number of pet names for Shadow. I believe each family member had his or her special name for him. Mine was “Ding Dong”, Mom’s was “Mana”, and then there was Shadowee, Shadow baby, bunny, and stinky poo. I would have to say his favorite was ding-dong. When anyone said ding-dong, he would look up ready to listen. Without a doubt, Shadow preferred his given name the best. Of course, it was paw picked by him.
Shadow had a few areas around the house indoors and outside that he was extremely fond of. You always would be able to find him in these places. One was the couch in the family room, another was on the vent in living room, he loved to lay on the futon in the basement and he slept on the hot tub cover. He took that over and made it his permanent bed. He loved to bundle himself in blankets when he slept. He rolled himself under the covers. When he was refreshed and ready to start his day, he would come out slowly. It was quite amusing and awing to watch him in this process.
The sweet irony is as much as we cared for Shadow, he did the same for us. He was there to cheer us up when we were having a rough day. He was there when good times were among us. He was a true angel. I remember one time I was having a particularly bad day. Shadow had a keen ability to sense that something was troubling me. He would come and just sit next to me, rubbing his head against my body. Petting Shadow just made me feel so much better. That was his way
of cheering us up.
It’s still a surprise that Shadow’s health deteriorated so quickly. He is physically not with us but there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think about him. He left a huge imprint in our lives and in our hearts. So many things around the house remind us of him. His favorite spots in the house. We find ourselves looking for him in those areas he used to dwell. There are many times when we have seen a cat that has a similar appearance to Shadow. We always have warm memories of him. Shadow was one of a kind.
You’re always in our hearts.
Shadow Thanedar,
September 1996 – December 2012
With Love,
| Shadow |
| Nik Thanedar |