Category: Our “Employees”

You know how the internet fell in love with Grumpy Cat, who—plot twist—wasn’t actually grumpy at all? Well, meet Shadoe, who seems to have been born not just with a permanent scowl etched into his handsome gray face, but with the attitude to match. Unlike his famous internet predecessor, our boy has earned every bit of his curmudgeonly reputation.

The Cat We Didn’t Choose (But Who Chose Us Anyway)

Shadoe wasn’t exactly a planned addition to our family. He came to us as a tiny kitten when someone who’d been living with us decided to move on, leaving behind this little gray bundle of opinions. We’re talking very little—small enough that we weren’t entirely sure what we’d gotten ourselves into, but old enough that he’d already figured out exactly how he felt about most things. Spoiler alert: he had strong feelings about everything.

Now, at nearly 12 years old this November, Shadoe has grown into his grumpiness like a fine wine ages in the cellar. He’s part Maine Coon, which explains his substantial size and the fact that despite losing all his teeth, he’s perfectly capable of swallowing kibble whole like some sort of dignified, furry vacuum cleaner. The short hair threw us off the Maine Coon trail initially, but the attitude? Pure Maine Coon royalty.

From Captain Thunderpaws to OMG-Can-You-Please-Clean-Yourself-Quieter

If you’ve ever lived with a cat, you know they’re supposed to be stealthy. Silent hunters, graceful shadows, masters of appearing and disappearing without a sound. Someone forgot to give Shadoe this memo.

From his kitten days when we nicknamed him Captain Thunderpaws, to his current status as the loudest self-grooming cat in possibly all of Arizona, stealth has never been Shadoe’s strong suit. We’re talking about a cat who somehow makes walking across carpet sound like a small elephant practicing tap dance. And the grooming? You can hear him from another room, going about his daily ablutions with all the subtlety of a washing machine on the fritz.

We joke that he’s about as stealthy as those viral videos of jars full of bouncy balls being opened—lots of noise, chaos, and you know exactly where he is at all times.

The Great Outdoor Adventure (That Almost Wasn’t)

For years, Shadoe was perfectly content being an indoor cat. He’d look out the windows with mild interest, but the idea of actually setting paw outside? Not happening. He was Arizona born and raised, but apparently, the great outdoors held no appeal for our discriminating feline.

Then we moved to Tucson, and something changed. Maybe it was the new environment, maybe it was a midlife crisis, but suddenly Shadoe discovered he had opinions about the outdoors too. Strong ones. He wanted to feel “freedom in his hair” (what little of it he has), which meant I got to experience the joy of chasing a determined, not-particularly-fast cat around the yard while he explored his newfound independence.

When we moved to Workshop Central and welcomed Smudge into our pack, Shadoe finally got his ticket to true freedom: the doggy door. Now he comes and goes as he pleases, though “going” rarely means farther than the porch. He’s not antisocial exactly, but he’s discovered that peace and quiet for contemplating shadows and freaking out humans is his preferred lifestyle.

The Seasonal Gentleman

These days, Shadoe has settled into the routine of a distinguished older gentleman. Summers in Arizona mean he spends most of his time inside, enjoying the climate-controlled comfort like the sensible senior citizen he’s become. When winter rolls around, he ventures out a bit more, but he’s always back inside by nighttime. Even grumpy old cats appreciate a good night’s sleep in comfort.

He’s claimed his spots throughout our home and workshop—always positioned for optimal shadow-staring and human-startling. There’s something deeply unsettling about catching those bright eyes watching you from a dark corner, and Shadoe has perfected the art of appearing just when you least expect it.

All Cat, All the Time

While Shadoe shares our space with Fuega and Smudge, he maintains his independence with the dignity of a cat who knows exactly who he is and what he’s about. He’s not unfriendly, but he’s selective about his social interactions. Think of him as the workshop supervisor who prefers to manage from a distance—always watching, always aware, but content to let others handle the day-to-day chaos while he focuses on the important work of shadow supervision.

He may have lost his teeth, but he’s never lost his personality. He may sound like a small storm system when he walks across the floor, but he’s our small storm system. And despite his permanent expression of mild disapproval with the world, we wouldn’t trade our grumpy old man for anything.

The Shadoe Legacy

The truth is, while we didn’t choose Shadoe, he’s chosen to stay with us through nearly 12 years of life changes, moves, new pets, and all the beautiful chaos that comes with sharing your life with a cat who has opinions about everything. He’ll be here, ruling from his shadowy kingdom, until he decides it’s time to stomp into whatever comes next and claim his throne there too.

Until then, we’re honored to serve as staff to His Majesty King Shadoe, First of His Name, Sovereign of Shadows, and Chief Supervisor of All Things That Go Bump in the Night.

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As always, we’re here if you have questions or just want to chat about wood, dogs, cats, or the beautiful chaos that happens when all three worlds collide in our workshop! Whether you found us through the woodworking or stayed for the pet tales, we’re grateful you’re part of the Sarkanys Rising family.