Shadow

About Shadow

PROFILE UPDATED MAY 2026 Shadow, born 1st January 2018, came to us in January 2025 after his owners took him into their vets and asked for him to be put to sleep rather than be treated for his skin problems. The vets then asked us if we would take him on. When he arrived his skin was really sore and infected; he had one leg which was red raw all the way up it with additional open ulcerated sores on all his pads and between his toes. It took almost a year to get Shadow's skin healed and stable. So many treatments, lotions and potions as well as medications, full flushes under sedation, etc were tried and it kept recurring to the point that he was so depressed (wearing a cone and on calming medication) that he was almost put to sleep. One more medication was tried, along with removing his cone, and he had a blood test to find out his allergens. These are fleas, dust and food storage mites, dogs and mice! A unique immunistaion has been created for him and he now has injections every 4 weeks, as well as a liquid medication called Cyclavance which he now has every other day on his food. He turned a corner very quickly once these were started and he is now stable and sore free. The skin specialist vet at Bollington vets thinks he should continue on both medications long term as we cannot risk his skin deteriorating again. These 2 medications will be funded by Windyway Trust. The injections can be done by his adopters at home to minimise any stress in travelling to the vets - once you have been shown by the vet and are happy to do this. His food, supplements and regular cat ownership expenses (including those mentioned below) will need to be taken on by his adopters. He must be kept up to date with good quality flea treatment and can't live with dogs. A house with fewer soft furnishings which can be kept dust free would also be best. He's also not a fan of other cats so would really be better as the only pet in the household, just to minimise any additional stress. He used to be very touchy about being handled (understandably as we were always bathing sores etc) and can still have a short fuse but is much more affectionate on his own terms now and also seems to like children (cat savvy and respectful). Shadow also has a sensitive stomach and we have found that the following food suits him well: Hill's i/d Gastrointestinal biome dry, and Applaws chicken tinned (he only needs a little of the tinned each day for his meds). He also has fortiflora sachets - 1 a day - to help keep his gut biome healthy as his other meds can affect this. These can all be bought online and it's worth shopping round for the best prices. He likes and enjoys human attention but will tell you when he's had enough. So he would be more suited to an adult only home. He will need to be an indoor cat. Shadow is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and up to date with flea and worm treatment. He is good at using a litter tray but we find it better to line it with puppy pads rather than cat litter - when he had really sore feet this was the best way to stop them becoming further contaminated and we have stuck with it ever since then for him.

As written by Windyway Animal Rescue.