Pictures of Jim's Cats

Shadow: 01Aug95 – Jun05

I currently have two cats, Spooky and Tux. I'll include pics of both in a moment, but first, a couple of favorites of Shadow, who died in June of 2005, shortly before turning 10 years old (he was the runt of the litter, and was troubled with health problems throughout his life, but I did what I could to make his life a very happy one, and he certainly did the same for me...I miss my Shadow...).

Before the pics, a bit of info about Shadow.... Shadow was always a very loving kitten/cat, and was also very protective of me. One morning, I woke up and Shadow wasn't sleeping beside me...as I got out of bed and moved into the living room, I saw him staring intently (and quite motionlessly) at the front door, which I apparently hadn't closed well the night before. When I went to close the door, Shadow did not react to me walking by him, but instead continued staring at the door until I closed it, at which point he walked over and, in his own way, said "good morning, daddy."

Shadow was also a rather large cat, weighing in at between 15 and 17 pounds (all muscle). When he stretched out on the couch, the main portion of his body (not including his head or his tail) was over half the length of the couch. When he stood between the couch and the coffee table, his back stood taller than both.

Shadow's favorite playtime activity? Fetching (he loved those little fuzzy balls you can get pretty much anywhere for about a dollar (or less).... His other favorite was doing pull-ups. He'd lay flat on his back on the bottom perch of the cat tree and grab the top perch with his front paws. Keeping his back and hind legs perectly parallel to the ground, he'd pull himself up to the top perch and then lower himself back down again. He'd repeat this over and over. Needless to say, his front legs looked (relatively speaking, of course) like tree-trunks.

I only really have two photos of Shadow that I've digitized, and one of them is not very clear, but....

Shadow

Shadow yawning in what looks like a growl...I burned quite a few rolls of film for that one, single image...and it's worth it.

Shadow

Shadow returning after fetching one of his fuzzy balls (best cat toy you can buy, if you ask Shadow, Spooky, or Tux).

Spooky: Jan00 (estimated) – 4th February 2011

I got Spooky after Shadow's former playmate, Jack, went completely psycho and had to be put outside (vet agreed⁸only other option was 24x7 medications)...Jack disappeared shortly after that. Shadow and I both missed having another cat around, so I picked Spooky up from a shelter. The vet there, and their normal vet, both agreed that Spooky was a full two years old, and would not grow anymore. I, on the other hand, said six months, and that he'd double in size over the next six. He more than doubled in length and height, but sadly, also grew rather a lot in width. Unlike Jack, when Spooky fought with Shadow, it really was just playing...Spooky and Shadow got along great.

Spooky died (euthanized) from cancer (which had completely eaten up his stomach, moved into his esophagus, and also destroyed his spleen). On 04Feb2011, at approximately 4:30PM, he started coughing up blood. That was the first indication that I had that he was sick. After his vet determined the severity of the cancer's spread, and the fact that there was nothing left for her to retract, she and I both agreed (reluctantly) that letting him wake up from the anesthesia would be extremely cruel. He was euthanized by the vet just before 6:00PM.

As seen below, Spooky loved to lay flat on his back with his tail curled up over his abdomen. As for fetching, Spooky's reaction to someone throwing a ball for him was more along the lines of, "Hey, what'd you do that for?"

Spooky

Spooky in his favorite resting/napping position.

Spooky

A more recent pic of Spooky, laying in a more traditional manner in a closet door.

Tux: 01Jun06 (estimated) – present

Tux is the third in the huge cat category, taking after Shadow to a large (pun intended) degree. His estimated birthday, per the vet, is 01Jun06. Tux is completely insane, like one might expect from a highly energetic kitten (even if he isn't technically a kitten anymore, he hasn't figured that out yet). He will attack anything that moves, along with anything that doesn't.... He drives Spooky nuts sometimes, but it's obvious that the two are friends from the way they curl up together to sleep...their fights are just play-fighting and little spats over who is to be the dominant cat (well, second-most...I am the top cat in the house, and they know it).

It may not really show well in the photos, but Tux gets his name from a little white spot on his neck, right about where the white shirt collar would be with a black tuxedo...so tuxedo became "Tux" (get it?).

Tux

Tux at about six weeks old—when I first got him. My head is bald and burned from radiation therapy for my cancer.

Tux

A more recent pic of Tux, at six months old...still very much a kitten (he's grown a lot more since then).

Tux

An even more recent pic of Tux, at about 10 months old...playing in his toy box. It's mainly here because it made a cute animated GIF.

More pics of Tux, along with a couple of photos of Tiggerbelle (Tux's new friend...I hope...they're still not on good terms yet) coming soon.


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