The day my Shadow came into my life was odd, my uncle had passed and we had to tend to his belongings in his house. This included one black cat named Shadow. I found him cowering in the closet of my uncle's bedroom, I crated him home and told him all would be fine and well. I never knew how old he actually was but I spent the most magical 4 years with him. He always managed to come sleep under the covers with me, he made this funny chewing noise when he ate, loved catnip and would purr as loud as a chainsaw when you petted him. I went away for the weekend and when I came home, my father had a somber look on his face. "I think Shadow is sick" he said, "you're being silly" I said. Shadow was hiding under the bed and wouldn't come out. It's not like him to forgo kisses. I took him to the vet and after a few tests, it came back that my little furry friend had liver cancer. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A cat, having liver cancer? I thought those things happened to people who drank too much and smoked, not innocent little black cats. All he wanted was to be loved and have his favorite food.

I decided that I would try a treatment of steroids to help the growth. I realize now how selfish I was in trying to keep him alive for my own well being. I love him too much to let him go. Slowly over time he started to lose weight, I had to force feed him. He became so frail but never stopped loving me with his kisses and his rubs. He became amused with sitting on a boogie board in our pool, that's all he wanted to do towards the end. So I would sit him on the board, rain or shine, holding an umbrella over his head or covering him up in a blanket. He loved watching the bubbles float by and tried to catch them.

The day he died was not like any normal day, I went to work and for some reason decided I would walk to and from ( which I never do). My mom called me and said that I should get home right away, there was something wrong with Shadow. I phoned my boyfriend who was down the street and we drove as quick as we could home. I've always heard people say that time can stand still but never thought it to be true until that day. When I ran through the front door to the yard it seemed as thought I was running in slow motion, time was standing still and I couldn't get to him any faster. Once I reached my beautiful cat, he lifted his head and meowed at me once, I held him and told him how sorry I was for his suffering and that I loved him with all my heart. My parents had made arrangements with the vet, I only had 45 minutes with him and they went by too quickly. We lay in the sun on a blanket, and I held him and cried and never wanted to let go, but he was ready, he was tired. My parents took him as I was a mess and didn't want his death to be my last memory. I was so distraught, I felt as though some one had stabbed me in the chest and ripped my heart out. I never forget him and have his urn close to me. It is one of my most prized possessions and I talk to him whenever I'm having a tough time. Although it has been 7 years since his passing, I always have a soft spot in my heart for black cats. They remind me of him. And I wont ever forget me and my shadow strolling down the avenue together.