Shadow

I’m sad to report that Shadow passed away yesterday morning at home. He declined Sunday morning and was lethargic most of the day, hubby and I struggled to keep him comfortable, hydrated, and fed as much as possible as we decided what to do. By Sunday night he improved a little and was eating and drinking from dropper feeders. But seemed to be in worse shape Monday morning and passed shortly after.

I wrestled with taking him to the vet on Monday when he declined because I was worried he was suffering. But I truly felt the experience at the vet would be very stressful and cause as much or more suffering than allowing him to pass at home because he was such a shy cat who did not like leaving his home.

It’s so sad and strange here without Shadow and has been a tough month with Shadow and Skipper passing. Shadow has been with us for over 14 years, he was the first pet hubby and I adopted together while living in an apartment in Florida.

And he made us laugh a lot and his fun antics including stuffing himself into tiny boxes, slipping and falling into the bathtub with me which could have been way worse, and knocking over drink glasses and random items off the table just for fun.

He’s always been a shy kitty, so shy that friends and family rarely saw him when they visited. But he adored us and was always very sweet and loving with people he knew and trusted.

Shadow was hubby’s Xbox lap buddy and always patiently waited for his lap time when we got home from work. He also had an obsession for cereal and anything else we’d eat from a bowl.

Even though he was shy, he’s been through a lot of adventures with us including multiple moves and a cross-country road trip when we moved to California. He didn’t appreciate staying at a new hotel every night or the long days in a car, but settled nicely into his new home.

I always wondered what he went through before we adopted him and if that’s why he was so leery of strangers and letting new people in. He was always loyal and loving to his family.

He taught me a lot about compassion, kindness, and patience. And that it’s okay to run from a situation you can’t trust. Probably one of the most important lessons he taught me was sometimes it takes a little more time and patience to build a relationship. But it’s worth it.

Again, sigh, we were very fortunate to have him in our lives and will miss him dearly.

It’s been a tough month here that we’re still dealing with. I appreciate all the well wishes for Shadow and will be motivated to get busy in the kitchen again soon.