2010 to May 2019
Shadow showed up as a tiny kitten in 2010 and was a true feral. He spent most of his time roaming free. We believe he came to us after accidentally becoming separated from his litter mates and became lost. He was the youngest of our colony members. Although he generally stayed close to his food source, he seemed to have a bit of a handicap in that he would not take shelter from storms and cold weather.
When he was free-roaming, he would hide under brush or in caves of the creek bank, but during storms he would become disoriented and just stay put no matter where he was. Even if it were pouring down rain the only shelter he would seek would be sitting beneath a tree and, of course, he would be soaking wet. In winter he wouldn’t use the portable shelters we had provided around the property. Instead, he would sleep on top of leaves in the woods with no protection from the elements. We found him sleeping on snow covered leaves on more than one occasion.
Shadow could not be handled. He was unapproachable and would bite most people that tried to handle him. Although during the first few years as one of our colony members, I ever so slightly gentled him to my touch while he had his meals, he was generally “un-catchable.” He was so fearful of the human touch that he would deliver a bite meant to kill. He once gave a nasty bite to a veterinarian when I finally trapped him for neutering and vaccinations.
Since he had never bitten me, when I brought him home from surgery I returned him to the 8×10 building for recuperation and containment for his protection for some time. When he seemed to have been substantially gentled, he was allowed to come and go from the shelter as he wished. After the time he spent inside the safety of the shelter, he began spending fewer nights outside.
He grew very ill with a urinary blockage one time and immediately sought the safety of his shelter, allowing me to crate him for a vet visit with ease. He had issues overcoming the unblock procedure and due to this, we housed him in the shelter for about 3 weeks where we administered antibiotics and subcutaneous fluids daily. Once he had made a full recovery, we again allowed him to have some freedom a few hours a day, but he developed yet another blockage and we had to repeat his care. He recovered and was allowed daily outdoor exercise again, but he was always put up in the shelter at night for protection from his natural predators.
He fell ill once again a couple of years after the urinary issues with a non-specific diagnosis of fever and lethargy. Antibiotics helped him back to his feet quickly. After that, Shadow was happy, healthy, and always anxious for his dinner in the safety of his shelter.
Fast forward to November 2018 and Shadow had fallen ill and began to lose weight rapidly. It was very cold and rainy outside. Fearing antifreeze poisoning after he had taken up the habit of seeking shelter from rain in the engine of my car, I took him to the vet and came home with a diagnosis of the dry form of feline infectious periontonitis (FIP). He had an off and on fever, was lethargic, and had a lack of appetite.
Since he had lost so much weight and had fever, there was no way he would survive the winter outside, so it was decided that we would confine him to a room in our home to reduce his stress level in efforts to help him heal. I continued to work with him constantly to try to help him gain weight. I fed him several small meals a day for a while but then he commenced to vomiting every other day. I cut him back to 2 regular size meals a day and that seemed to help.
Finally, he appeared to be gaining weight for a couple of weeks but then he had another back slide to fever, lethargy, and general malaise. I increased the freqency of his vitamins and supplements until he no longer had fever. Still, from November to December he only gained a half pound and it stopped there. His regimen of vitamins included B12, Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Vitamin D to keep his appetite up and to keep him from eating his cat litter.
He became stable finally in January and though he stopped gaining weight, he had finally stopped vomiting. By February he had developed mouth ulcers and belching, but seemed stable otherwise with the addition of probiotics. However, I suspected he had developed end stage kidney disease due to his breath and body odor. I continued to no avail my efforts to add weight so that we could have a bad tooth pulled as instructed by his vet.
Unfortunately, he took a turn for the worse. In May 2019, he developed the swollen abdomen of the fatal wet form of FIP. I knew immediately that his days were numbered. Sadly, within 3 days of this new development, I awoke to check on him and he had passed in his sleep.
Poor Shadow both loved and feared the great outdoors; playing in the creek; catching lizards; calling back to me when I called his name; but he was so terrified of everything. He also loved and feared being indoors. When he was let out of his little room to explore his new indoor home, everything scared him and he would return immediately to his safe haven where there was nothing but peace for him enjoy. That little room was surely the only peace and comfort he knew in his little life.
Sadly, FIP is a grave disease and takes too many pets too soon. I will cherish the one-on-one time I spent with Shadow where we developed a strong bond. In the confinement of his peaceful space, he warmed up to me and became a very loving cat who loved being held and cuddled. He would climb up my legs to be picked up so he could rest on my shoulders while I tended the chores of his little world. If I bent to pick up his food and water bowls, he would jump on my back and wrap around my neck. He will definitely be missed, but I am thankful he is no longer sick.