A year ago today, a small black kitten showed up in front of our garage in the early, dark hours of the morning. Already a seven cat home, we were not looking to expand our feline family. But it was meant to be and this little guy who we named Shadow is now celebrating his first Gotcha Day with us. We could have never predicted the crazy world we live in now back then, but we could predict Shadow would fill our hearts with love and joy.

Happy first Gotcha Day Shadow – you’ve turned into a gorgeous and gregarious handsome panther cat and here’s to hoping for many, many more years together!

My first photo with Shadow in November 2019. He’s gotten so big since then!

October is National Black Cat Awareness Month* and last Saturday (aka Caturday) to promote the cause, I shared a photo on several Facebook pages dedicated to black cats of my black cat rescue, Shadow, with the brief caption, “Celebrate! The Beautiful Black Cat.” The picture was simple – a closeup of him with an uncluttered, softened background, with my equally simple call to action in the text of the post: “October is Black Cat Awareness Month, so let’s celebrate this Caturday by sharing the awesomeness of black cats with pictures of your beauties today! This lovely model is our rescue, Shadow, who showed up at our doorstep about a year ago.” Read more