SHADOW WAS BORN AT APPROX. 6:00 PM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31st, 1992 IN A CARDBOARD BOX IN THE MASTER BEDROOM OF BRIAN’S AND DANNY’S APARTMENT IN AYLMER  - BRENT'S BEST FRIENDS AT THAT TIME.  THEY WERE BROTHERS. 



SHADOW'S BIRTH MOTHER WAS A 4 YEAR OLD TWO-TONED WHITE/GRAY COLORED MEDIUM SHORT HAIRED DOMESTIC CAT NAMED PRINCESS - ALSO BELONGING TO BRIAN AND DANNY. THIS WAS PRINCESS'S 2nd LITTER AND OF THIS ONE, SHADOW WAS THE LAST BORN OUT OF 4 KITTENS.  ONE WAS ALL WHITE (SISTER), ONE WAS WHITE/GRAY (SISTER), ONE WAS WHITE/BLACK (BROTHER) AND SHADOW WAS ALL BLACK.  HE WAS THE SMALLEST AND SCRUFFIEST AND WAS, INDEED, THE RUNT OF THE LITTER.  



SHADOW’S ACTUAL FATHER WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A LOCAL MAINE-COON BREED WHICH HAD ROAMED NEAR THE HOUSE WHERE PRINCESS FIRST LIVED — JUST A FEW MONTHS PRIOR TO SHADOW’S BIRTH. 



EVEN THOUGH HE WAS THE WEAKEST OF THE FOUR, HE WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST ONE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CLIMB OUT OF HIS BIRHTING BOX.



OF THOSE FOUR KITTENS, BRENT COULD CHOOSE ANY OF THEM TO BECOME HIS PET, BUT IMMEDIATELY DECIDED ON SHADOW SINCE HE HAD ACTUALLY CHOSEN BRENT BY ALWAYS CLIMBING UP HIS PANT LEG WHILE HE’D BE SITTING AT THEIR DINING ROOM TABLE. 



SHADOW WAS SO-NAMED BECAUSE HE WOULD LITERALLY FOLLOW BRENT EVERYWHERE AND WOULD MIMIC BRENT'S HEAD MOVEMENTS ON CUE WHEN STARING AT EACH OTHER - IN OTHER WORDS... BRENT'S ACTUAL SHADOW. 



SHADOW BECAME BRENT'S PET AT 12:00 NOON ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21st, 1992 AT PRECISELY 3 WEEKS OF AGE WHEN HE WAS BROUGHT INTO HIS NEW HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THAT SAME APARTMENT BUILDING IN AYLMER, QUEBEC.



A DAY LATER ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd HE WAS GIVEN HIS NAME.  A NICK-NAME SOON FOLLOWED - SHADOW ADOW WADOW - FIRST COINED BY BRENT'S 3-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER CYNDI.



SHADOW'S MOTHER HAD STOPPED NURSING HIM EARLY AND SO SHADOW NEEDED TO BE FED BY BOTTLE FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS WHEN BRENT FIRST BROUGHT HIM HOME.



SHADOW WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO HIS LIFE-LONG VET, DR SUZANE MICHAUD IN THE SPRING OF 1993 WHEN HE RECEIVED HIS FIRST SERIES VACCINATION SHOTS.



HIS FAVORITE TOYS WERE VARIOUS TYPES OF STRING, DRINKING STRAWS, CRUMPLED BALLS OF PAPER, TOILET PAPER SPOOLS, GIFT BOWS.  BUT ONE OF HIS FAVORITE PLAY THINGS WAS A WHITE MEASURING TAPE GIVEN HIM BY NANCY IN THE FALL OF 1995.



NANCY ENTERED HIS LIFE IN JUNE OF 1995 WHEN HE WAS JUST 2 1/2 YEARS OLD.  A WHILE LATER NANCY WOULD GIVE HIM HIS 2nd NICK-NAME - SHADOW-BEAR - WHICH IS NOW THE SUFFIX NAME OF THIS WEB PAGE. 



DURING THE DAY ON WEEKENDS, SHADOW LOVED TO PLAY WITH CYNDI FOR HOURS ON END, BUT AT NIGHT HE LOVED TO CURL UP AT THE FOOT OF ANGELA'S BUNK.  WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER HE LOVED TO PLAY FETCH WITH ANYTHING SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT IN HIS MOUTH.



FOR HIS BIRTHDAYS AND CHRISTMASES HE WAS ALWAYS GIVEN FRESH SHRIMP AND IT WAS SOMETHING HE TRULY WENT CRAZY FOR.



HIS FAVORITE COLORS, IT SEEMED, WERE YELLOWS, GOLDS, REDS AND BLUES, BUT HE ESPECIALLY LOVED HIS BLACK BLANKIE FOR SLEEPING ON.  HE ALSO LOVED NANCY'S CHAPSTICK.  HE ESPECIALLY LOVED COLD WATER AND COOL OUTSIDE AIR.  BUT ONE OF HIS MOST BELOVED THINGS TO DO WAS TO SIT OR LIE DOWN BETWEEN BOTH BRENT AND NANCY ON THE COUCH OR IN THE BED.



HIS ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR WAS CHRISTMAS. HE’D GET SO VERY EXCITED TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE WRAPPING AND DECORATING. 



IN THE WINTER OF 2008/2009 SHADOW HAD BECOME QUITE ILL AND DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE ABLE TO HANG ON FOR MUCH LONGER.  HE FOUGHT THROUGH IT AND BECAME RELATIVELY HEALTHY AGAIN, BUT THIS SIGNALLED THE BEGINNING OF A DOWNWARD SLOPE FOR HIM IN BOTH HIS OVERALL HEALTH AND EVEN HIS PERSONALITY.  FROM THAT POINT ONWARD HE HAD BECOME ILL MUCH MORE OFTEN, FIGHTING BACK EACH TIME UNTIL FINALLY HE WAS AT HIS END BY THE SPRING OF 2012.



ANGELA AND CYNDI CAME TO VIST SHADOW ON SATURDAY MAY 19th, 2012 TO SAY THEIR LAST GOODBYE'S TO HIM.  ON THURSDAY, MAY 24 AT 12:00 NOON SHADOW WAS BLESSED WITH HOLY WATER WITH A PRAYER TO GOD, ST FRANCIS, BRENT'S FATHER AND NANCY'S FATHER TO TAKE HIM PEACFULLY INTO THE AFTERLIFE AND TO CARE FOR HIM THERE.



AT 5:49 PM ON FRIDAY, MAY 25th, 2012 SHADOW PASSED AWAY WITH BRENT AND NANCY BY HIS SIDE AT THE VET'S OFFICE WITH DR MICHAUD.  ON THURSDAY, MAY 31st, 2012 SHADOW WAS CREMATED.  SHADOW WAS BROUGHT HOME AT 5:00 PM ON TUESDAY, JUNE 5th, 2012.  AT 12:00 NOON ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6th, 2012 SHADOW'S URN WITH HIS ASHES WAS AGAIN ANNOINTED AND BLESSED WITH HOLY WATER WITH ANOTHER PRAYER AS BEFORE.