Shadow came to his Pine Ridge Apartment home on March 31, 1997. I picked him up through the PetSmart adoption program as a rescued stray. He was almost full-grown at the time. He was a wild ball of energy that first year, but eventually became more calm and mindful of house rules.
He enjoyed looking out the window, especially watching those patio chipmunks. Shadow had periods of being a lap cat, but more often he was content just to sit next to me on the couch. And you could always count on him to jump on the bed when I was trying to replace the sheets. This was one of our many regular routines. Other familiar mannerisms include his running down the hallway to greet me when I got home, or licking his mouth with tongue as I opened a fresh can of wet food and gave him the first smell.
His favorite sleeping spot seemed to rotate every few weeks. It might have been a chair, the foot of the bed, behind the TV, the carpeted floor up against the register (popular in winter), or the living room floor in the mornings, when he enjoyed sunning himself.
Shadow had many cat-sitters over the years - my thanks to all of them for their kindness to Shadow so that I could go visit family or head overseas for checker competitions.
Shadow in his old age succumbed to renal failure. One day we shall meet again.
