	by Penny Peerce

	I found Shadow Cats Sanctuary (SCR) in a round-about way. I was at Central Texas Cat Hospital (CTCH) for the first time, with my elderly cat, Casey. I was new to Texas but more than one of my new friends had mentioned that there was an all-cat vet in Round Rock, and I had come to check out the practice. I probably hadn’t been there more that 60 seconds when this blond lady approached me about becoming a trapper for some place called “Shadow Cats”. First, I didn’t know what she meant by “trapper”, and second - I wondered why Dr. Roy Smith allowed people to solicit his clients in his place of business.
Penny and Caesar
As it turned out, my blank look clued the blond lady (who turned out to be Dr. Roy’s wife, Sheila Smith, president of Shadow Cats Sanctuary) in to the fact that I wasn’t the person she had planned to meet there that day. Of course, that didn’t stop Sheila from giving me her card and suggesting I check out SCR on the Internet. I politely took the card and didn’t think to check out Shadow Cats for about a month. When I think about it now, I know there was an angel on my shoulder - guiding me to CTCH and then to Shadow Cats. I didn’t know it then, but both CTCH and SCR would become major blessings in my life. Funny how things work out.

Inevitably, I became a volunteer at the Sanctuary and I spend a minimum of 2 days a week there. You get to know a lot of cats that way - and you fall in love with a lot of cats that way. From the beginning I told myself that I would not be seduced by all those big eyes and the crazy purring. Oh my gosh, I was so naive.

There is a TV show from the 1950s that had a famous line: “There are 8 million stories in the naked city”. At Shadow Cats we don’t have 8 million cats (Sheila’s recurring nightmare), but every cat we have has a personal story. With the understanding that each animal is truly unique, I think the Sanctuary cats fall into 4 general categories:

The first category of cats I call the “Lovers”. They will jump on your lap (chest, head, shoulders) the minute your derriere hits the chair - or sometimes they don’t even wait for you to sit down. There is no shyness there. They love every human that ventures into the sanctuary. The only thing that will give these Lover cats an inclination to move away from you is the possibility of food. My favorite, all time Lover was Luke. Luke has passed on, but while he was at Shadow Cats he was well-known as the best hugger around. He would climb up your chest and put his front feet around your neck and really hug you. Luke was happiest when he was giving love to anyone who would let him. I think all of us who knew Luke miss him terribly. But there are other lovers. Personally, I get a kick out of hugging Melvin and Doc and Lana and..., well, any cat that will let me.

The second category I call the “Acrobats”. There are only a few of these cats but they tend to be notorious. If you bend over in an unguarded way - to pick up a toy or scoop out a litter box - out of nowhere they come flying onto your back, balancing there as only cats can do (Venus and Benji come to mind). Then they settle in to appreciate their elevated status, above the other cats. The problem is that to accommodate them for any length of time, you have to allow all your blood to flow to your head. I’m all for giving the kitties a thrill, but I’d rather not risk a stroke. I’ve found that the best way to get a cat to do a “back dismount” is to find a soft place for them to fall, promise lots of treats and then stand up straight.

The only cat in the sanctuary that I know of, who is both a true Lover and true Acrobat, is our beloved Diamond of “Cookies Place” fame. Diamond was rescued from a cruel situation in the desert of Pahrump, Nevada. Without a rescue there was certain, painful death ahead for her. I think that Diamond’s past has taught her the value of love - and she intends to get as much as she can in her time left on earth. Diamond literally demands love and she soaks in every second of it. Diamond’s approach to life has done well for her. She is an open book to love, and one of the healthiest cat with FeLV in the Sanctuary. We should all take note.

The third category of cats are the “Observers”. Anyone who really knows felines understand that they rarely miss a thing. These cats may be tentative, especially with new people, but they watch everything that happens. They will watch the Lovers and the Acrobats to see how the humans respond to them. If all goes well they may move closer. When they get braver they will do a ‘Hit and Run” move. This entails moving in quickly for a sniff of toes or a brush of your leg, and then a quick retreat to safety. If you do it in a respectful and gentle way, Observers will let you approach and pet them, or give them treats. On a brave day they will let you brush them. Of course, its always a wonderful thing when an Observer becomes a Lover. That can happen and that’s a day to celebrate.

The fourth category is the “Scaredy Cat" (SC). These cats have a right to be scared. Scaredy Cats may have been subjected to some form of abuse. Some may have started in somebody’s home and then were dumped outside and deserted. They would end up living out in the abandoned lots and fields of a community that either ignored them or abused them. Some of the Shadow Cat cats have buckshot still in their bodies. These resilient little creatures can’t tell us what happened to them, but the buckshot speaks volumes. The Sanctuary also has SCs that were used in all types of experiments or a SC may have come from a hoarding situation. How do they know who to trust? It can take a while for a SC to realize that he or she is among friends. That process can be short or long or in between. At Shadow Cats we give SCs all the time they need to heal - their bodies and/or their hearts and souls. There is no rush. They are safe and will have their needs met. Eventually the day will come when they peek out from their hiding place in Uptown or Outback and realize, “Hey, this place is OK.” And that’s the beginning.

When I think of Scaredy Cats and Observers I think of Whispers. Sheila rescued her and her kittens from the streets of Waco. The kittens eventually found homes but Whispers was too feral to adopt out - so she will live at SCR. Whispers stayed in one of the SCR condos for months. She felt safe in her carrier, but eventually started sitting on top of it. If you got too close you could see the fear in her big yellow eyes. There was a time when I thought Whispers would never trust us enough to live amongst the other cats at SCR. Gradually Whispers was able to observe that we were nice to her and all the other cats that she could see from her “safe space.” She transformed from SC to Observer and now lives with her fellow cats in Uptown. She still prefers cats to people, but she has come such a long way from fighting for her life on the streets of Waco.

Well, I guess to be fair, I must mention another category. I call them the “Royals”. No matter what their situation, they maintain their regal demeanor. Dare you ask a Royal to come sit with you, she will turn and walk away - or possibly just stare at some space to left of your head, as if you do not exist, and then use that moment to inspect her own paw. Its not that Royals don’t want love. Its just they want it subject to their terms and timing. Royals do not suffer fools and they think the kitty baby talk (“Hi Boo Boo puddy kitty sweetie Yum Yum”) is ridiculous. Inside they are laughing at you, because they get the irony of the fact that you not only provide free food and shelter to them, you also scoop their poop. They Loooooovvvveeee that!

	Of course the main Royal at SCR is Jewel - and what an appropriate name for a Royal. Jewel carries herself like an aristocrat, or should I say “aristocat”! Jewel is smaller than she used to be and tends to be sickly at times. She sleeps a lot. But, even in her less than glamorous state, she carries herself as a princess. To pet Jewel you usually need to be the one to make the move. She is amenable to petting but may not acknowledge it - (OK, sometimes you can hear purring). It always feels wonderful when Jewel approaches you and jumps on your lap. Its a very rare occurrence, but it makes you feel good - anointed even! Royals feel no need to make anyone feel special - but when Jewel approaches me - I do!

I’ve had the pleasure of living with cats all of my life. I’ve always loved them. So, its not like I didn’t already know how a cat can tug at your heart. Oh, I love the other animals too - the dogs, rabbits, horses, gerbils, elephants, dolphins - well, just the whole cornucopia of creatures we are privileged to share our earth with. But, for some mysterious reason I was drawn to cats at a very young age. I think they are special and interesting and amazing. I know Shadow Cats understands this, and that is why Shadow Cats seems like home to me.