Meowllo and welcome to another Service Cat Monday. We can’t talk ‘bout Service Cats or trainin’ without ‘memberin’ and refurrencin’ mommy’s original Service Cat, Shad. Shads’ life was cut short cuz of disease at 5 years old, and mommy blames herself cuz of da choices she made and da life Shad had to live. But in her short life, she knew true luv. Mommy adored her and did da bestest she could by her with da knowledge she had then. A lot has changed since then and peeps know a lot more today than back then. Unfurtunately feline medicine is still lacking, so purrlease support studies on feline health issues by donating or sharing da infurmation so others can. Okay, me took a little detour there, but feline health is a real passion fur us. Anyways, after our last Service Cats posty we got an email dat asked just what kind of tough life things mommy and Shad had been through together. So we asked ifin anypawdy else was innerested in learnin’ da backstory dat made Shad teach herself to help mommy, and several of you said yes. So mommy’s gonna take you back to another time, another life, one where she was young, stupid and “livin’ it up”. Purrlease ‘member, everypawdy makes mistakes, and don’t feel poorly towards our mommy. Ifin you’ve missed any of da postys in this series, click on da links at da end of this post.
Thank you baby. It really was a different time and I was a totally different person back then. I got Shad when she was 6 weeks old and a little ball of fluff. Our first year together was pretty normal and uneventful. By her second year, things would start to change, and not for the better. I apologize, but due to the life we lived, there are very few photos of Shad, and the ones we have aren’t very good.
Being the old fashioned Southern Belle I am, we picked up and moved to Georgia following a man. Said man was no good for nothin’, but I thought I was in love. And certainly passed my “married by” due date. I know a lot of you don’t understand that, but the older crowd will get it. Anyways, there we were in Georgia, and the man we were there for took a job in Florida. Needing to pay bills and eat, I took a bartending job in a local bar. I worked a few hours 3 to 4 times a week. The rest of my hours were spent playing with and spending time with Shad. I didn’t know anyone and we only saw the man when he came back to Georgia one weekend a month. By the second month, the “love” had worn off and I knew we’d made a mistake; but now we had no money to move.

When the man showed up and I tried to break up with him, he wasn’t at all happy. I knew he was pretty much an alcoholic, but what I didn’t know is that he had started taking drugs too. His response to my break up was to try to kill me. When the attack started I screamed for Shad to run and hide. I just wanted her to be okay and then I tried to get to the door to yell for neighbors. The man kept blocking the door and finally pushed a hutch over on me. I saw a quick flash of fur and then heard him screaming. Shad had jumped on his back and was biting his neck. I was able to get to the door and get the neighbors attention to call the police. By this time Shad had let go of the man and gone back into hiding.
Unfortunately the police didn’t arrest the man, but instead dropped him off at a motel in town. It was the weekend, and being a bartender, naturally I had to work that night. Before leaving I packed up Shad inside our small kitty carrier and took her with me. She laid in the carrier on the end of the bar while I worked. When we returned home a couple of hours later the man had broken in and stole my clothes, cut up my bed, put a hammer in the microwave and obviously had tried to find Shad. Thankfully she wasn’t there. But I knew we had to leave, I couldn’t take her to work with me every night. My boss had been understanding that night, but wasn’t likely to repeat it. A lady that had been a regular at the bar I worked at let us come and stay with her briefly till I could get some clothes and fix the tires that had been slashed on our car. We were together but in a room about the size of our car. I didn’t know it yet, but that was preparation for the months to come.
We left there and went to stay with my mothers’ second husbands’ aunt. She had an exotic zoo of sorts and needed some help with all the animals, and Shad and I needed a place to stay. Atlanta, here we come. We stayed there a few months confined to a small bedroom together once again. Shad wasn’t allowed to roam the house because of the other animals that belonged to the “aunty”. During this time Shad and I grew even closer. We were all each other had. And strangely enough, we were getting used to living in small spaces. And then the day came when we had to leave there.
Shad on our bed in Georgia
with a pot bellied pig I raised.
And yes, the pig shared our room.
We packed up our car and headed out. I had always wanted to be a singer, so off to Nashville we went. We had enough money for a couple of nights in a motel and I had hopes of finding a bartending job or singing gig immediately so that I could continue to make money to support us. Well, almost everybody in Nashville wants to be a star, so without the right connections, money, or just that “right place, right time”, you become another of many. I put in applications everywhere. We didn’t have much money so when Shad ran out of food, we started eating at White Castle. Back then you could get 2 burgers for a dollar. I would give Shad the meat and and I ate the buns. For anybody who doesn’t know about White Castle, there burgers are the size of biscuits. And for those familiar with them, yes, I scraped off all the onions.
Anyways, there was a dive bar next to the motel we stayed in our first night there. The owner didn’t think he had enough business to actually hire a bartender, but he would let me work for tips alone and let Shad stay in the office while I worked. By now we either made enough money for a night in a motel or we slept and lived in our car. Sometimes I would sit in with a house band or enter a karaoke contest and make a little extra money, but not often. Most of the customers at the dive bar were transient workers and staying in motels themselves. There was a nice couple who would come in everyday and the wife talked the bar owner into letting her use the bars kitchen to prepare home cooked meals for all these men away from families and home.
Thankfully she invited Shad and I to eat as well. So for breakfast Shad would have White Castle burgers and for dinner she got some of whatever meat the nice lady made; they had a small dog back in their motel room and understood my attachment to Shad. Those men also ended up being really nice to us and on weekends when they went home, they would give us a key to their rooms so we could have a bed to sleep in from Friday night to Sunday morning. Their company paid for the rooms by the month, so the guys could leave their things when they did get to go home. Finally, I got a job at Opryland during days and at a nice motel bar at night. We just knew things were going to start looking up. Snow was everywhere and I knew Shad was growing tired of White Castle; so I was really glad that soon we could move back into a motel and then maybe an apartment and we could buy decent cat food again.
And then I got news that my mother had some health issues and needed help. I quit my jobs and headed back to Texas to help her out. Once there I got a job and did what I could. By now, Shad and I had been so close for so long that she suffered from severe separation anxiety and would sit at the door and cry for me the whole time I was gone. My mother, whose health had gotten better, told me that Shad and I could live with her if I went back to college and got a degree; so that’s what I did. I quit my job and registered for college. It would also allow me more time to spend with Shad, who by this time had developed some additional quirks. If you think cats don’t understand, you’re wrong. Obviously being poor and living in our car had made an impression on Shad. She became a thief. Anytime there was money left on a table or dresser, Shad would take it and hide it. Anyways, before the first semester started my mother left the state with her job and left me with an apartment, bills and no job. Thankfully I was able to get a job fairly quickly, that worked around my school schedule. Once again, Shad and I were completely alone and relying on each other to make it. We were pretty much inseparable by this point. I kind of believed Shad was the only one I could rely on.
And then, the accident happened. My life had now changed forever. I was no longer able to work, so I was back to spending most of my time with Shad. Other than the 12 hours a week of school and doctors’ appointments, Shad and I were never apart. She had saved me from an abusive and deadly man. She had loved me, given me strength and a reason to live when we were so poor we had nothing but a car and litterbox. And soon she would save me all over again. Her love and devotion kept me going and gave me a reason to get up in the mornings. I loved and adored her like no other. I had never known love like that before. She never tried to escape the car, or motel rooms. She seemed to always be content and happy to just be where ever I was. We moved one more time during her life so I could finish up at a university. By now, Shad was a full blown ADA recognized Service Cat. You can read those stories here or by clicking Meet Shad on our menu. But to me, she was still just my baby.
She got sick and died all in the span of a week. I felt totally lost and abandoned. Ashamed and guilty. My constant companion of 5 years was suddenly no longer there. She had spent her life loving and taking care of me with no thought to herself or her kitty fears and I had totally let her down. Shad taught me more about love and compassion than I could ever convey, but I try. I know some of you may be thinking I should have given her up instead of making her live in a car and eat burgers. That thought never crossed my mind. She was my baby, and just because life throws you a curve ball doesn’t mean you dump your “children” off on someone else. When I was 18 and then 19 I had done that temporarily. My mother gave my baby away. Something I found out after the fact. And again, thinking she realized what my kitty meant to me, and that it was only temporary, but alas, he was let outside in the hopes he would run off. He died in a storm on her back porch. I wasn’t told he was even outside until he was dead. Trust me, I learned my lesson. Being a “mother” is forever, and it’s your responsibility, not someone else’s. So by the time I grew up and ventured into pet ownership again and got Shad, the thought of leaving her with anyone, or giving her away was out of the question.
You don’t have to go through these things to develop a strong bond with your kitty. We have given you the tips needed in our Training Foundation posts (links below). We don’t know who all will read this post, so I want to say, Please remember before you adopt/buy a pet, it’s for LIFE!!! It’s Forever!!! No matter what, they are your responsibility. There isn’t a shelter for 2 legged children and most people seem to understand that they can’t just get rid of their kids when times are tough or they’re inconvenient. Why can’t they get it with their furry family members? Anyways, I do hope this helps you to understand how the bond developed between Shad and I that would cause her to even think about helping me the way she did. Cats are very emotional and loving animals. They are far smarter than we think they are. They are indeed able to reason more than just human equals full food bowl. Please leave your training questions in the comments section below. And thank you all for loving my girls. I am in no way perfect, and God knows I’ve made mistakes, all I ask is that you not hold any contempt for me against my girls.
Well, fank you mommy fur tellin’ peeps ‘bout Shad. We know you luvved her very much and she luvved you too. We kitties are very smart. And who can say no to a furry purrer? Anyways, right now we don’t have any questions fur next weeks posty, so feel furee to ask one. Mommy hasn’t started Raena on wheelchair trainin’ yet cuz she’s still a little spastic and mommy wants to make sure she’s all healed up from her spay. Raena is an extra sensitive kitty so mommy says trainin’ will be a little different fur her, but dat’s not new. Da same methods we’ve posted will be used. Gotta go get ready fur a stroll now, Tomorrow’s me’s birthday.
Do you (your pets) sleep in the bed with you?
Have you ever gone to work with your human?/Have you ever taken your pet to work with you?
Would you go (take your pet) to work with you(?)r human?
Dear Dezi, Raena and Mom, We are just catching up on our emails from earlier this week, and wante to let you know how much we loved the long one about Shad. An exceptional kitty and mom, just trying to keep their heads above water in life’s turbulent waters. What a pair, and a wonderful love poem to that fabulous kitty!! Thank you for sharing this story! Pat/Maggie/Felix
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fank you and mommy says fank you too. Shad was amazin’ and mommy and her luvved each other so very much. As long as mommy has Service Cats, Shad will always be a pawrt of our lives. Fank you fur readin’ her story.
Luv ya’
Dezi, Raena and mommy A
LikeLike
Shad was a very special cat and we can totally understand her devotion to you. Animals are very definitely smarter than most people think. We are very glad to hear that she was with you in those trying times. I sometimes wonder if Izzy would be able to handle it if I had to live out of my car. But I think he would stick by me since he is pretty much glued to my side when I get home from work! None of us really know what will happen tomorrow though!
i have the utmost appreciation and respect for the way you have handled these situations. I’m sure that your kitty would not have had it any other way except to be devoted to you. We are our pets/companions world.
We really appreciate you letting us hear this about you and Shad and your life and struggles together. We love you and your girls and totally understand you.
Each of us has struggles to overcome and things we need to deal with in our lives but it is how we handle ourselves that make or break us. You are a survivor! And so are your companion animals. I say companions because they are more than “pets”. They really are more than pets to a lot of us. They are our babies, our children, our kids, etc,
We love ya!
Juliea and Izzy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Shad was remarkable. I think back now on those times and am in awe of how well she handled it all. I so took her for granted. I never expected that she would try to escape or run off, and just assumed she needed me as much as I needed her. Whether in a strange motel room surrounded by strangers scents or laying in the back seat next to the litterbox, she always had a purr for me. When we finally got an apartment again, she was never in a room by herself. She was still stuck to me like glue. I have no doubt Izzy would do the same. They know you’re trying. Thank you so much for being our friends.
Love
Dezi, Raena and mommy A
LikeLike
What a powerful post and story. As I was reading your story I never once thought that you should give Shad up. I admire you that much more for staying strong and surviving. Thank you for sharing such a personal story to help people understand. Hugs to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I can’t imagine my life or what it would have been like without Shad. She was so amazing, and will always be a part of who we are.
Love
Dezi, Raena and mommy A
LikeLiked by 1 person
dezi & raena….no one holdz any kinda contemptz ore anything towerdz yur mom; her did her best bye shad with what her could N how her could; N thiz iz all that matterz.
knot how they lived ore wear they lived ore what any ones thinkz or thought bak then….
that yur mom DID due her best iz what de good Lord His self sees….N in de end, it bee HIS opinion onlee that countz.
shad noes her waz… and all wayz will be loved…. and two her, that waz mor important then wetherz ore knot her getted burgerz frum a fast food place; or steak ona golden platter ~~~~~~~ promise ♥♥♥♥♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fank ya’ll, and mommy really purreciates it too.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
LikeLike
OMC! We had no idea. Could we reach through cyber space and hug you we would…so here is a huge virtual hug ((((( HUG)))))
We are honored to have met you here and to get to know you and your little furmily better.
We send our love and hope to be reading your blog for a long long time. It blesses us too, you know.
Shad was furry Special wasn’t she, kind of like your angel, she rescued you in more ways than we even can imagine.
Our furs do not sleep with us, on account of allergies, but they do snuggl with us when we relax in our chairs so that they have lots of lap time.
Petcretary has taken dog-guy to her work pace once…to visit a resident who has wanted to meet him.
Our angels Suki and Toki met the unfurbros school-mates a couple of times. Toki enjoyed all the extra attention, and he went exploring too;he was an outgoing love evfurryone kind of kitty. Suki just chilled in the lap of whomevfur was petting her.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fank you. We are honored to know ya’ll and have ya’ll as our furiends. Mommy says Shad was indeed very special. But she also says, we all are in our own ways.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Raena
LikeLike