RIP Shadow :(

We've lost our cat Matriarch, Shadow. She went missing for a few days, and I found her under the stairs to the deck. Which I must say, is a very tight, tricky spot to try to manuver a shovel into. And, it's been over 90 degreees for a couple of days. Needless to say, it wasn't very dignified, or respectful trying to get her out of there -- all in one piece, LITERALLY! But it got done and she is buried. We started a new place, the apple tree was getting a little full. So, she is just a few feet away from the chicken's run. Thought she'd enjoy keeping an eye on the girls and being out near the bunnies and such.

We rescued Shadow from beside Hwy. 9 on the day we took Marci to school for her Kindergarten evaluation. She was the only one left from a batch someone dumped. Tim grudgingly liked Shadow - she would kill stuff and drag it back to the cave, he likes a cat that earns its keep and stays out from under his feet. Not a lot to ask, and she's the only one of them to do it. Although, she's also the only one who could climb a tree and jump onto the roof of the house. In nice weather that would garner her a free pass into the house. Since we have no screens on the second story windows, she just padded around up there till she came to an open window and then PRESTO! She was in like flynn! Tim hated her doing that, so he'd saw off a branch, or in most cases a whole freaking limb from the tree. She'd just climb a little higher and jump a little farther - and here she was again, in the house. Sometimes I'd make it easy on her. I could always hear when she'd land on the balcony, so sometimes at night (if Tim was at work) I'd get up and open the door to let her in. She was a good snuggler! Although, she was more than a little suprised to discover that darn dog on my bed recently! She thought that was Her spot!

Shadow with Rascal, Georgie & Mittens as tiny kittens, summer of '06. In the top pix, they were just a day old, awwww she's such a good momma.

So, we'll miss her. And now the herd is down to 4. But no worries, the cat Gods seem to know when we drop below their pre-determined quota. Something will show up, it always does!