In Memory of Pepper 12/17/2009 – 2/9/2026
In October of 2022, though we didn’t know it at the time, our world was about to change. Every single cat that comes into our care is special, but some of them simply have personalities that are larger than life. Pepper certainly lived up to her namesake in that respect as a calico, but if we’re being honest…cayenne probably would’ve worked too!
Pepper lived for many of her many years within a local Veterinary Dermatologist’s office. She seemed to have stumped even them, because despite being treated for her allergies, she still lived her life in the ever-dreaded cone and a onesie tight enough to qualify as sausage casing.
…Did I mention that Pepper was a little chunky when she first arrived? She may have bribed me at one point to remove that from any future writings. So, rather, she was a skinny legend!
Pepper, sporting miliary dermatitis and eosinophilic plaques, made her way to Shadow Cats after the practice owner decided to retire and move away. After touring the Sanctuary, they decided it was the absolute perfect place for Pepper to live out her golden years. She spent some time as the designated office cat and enjoyed ruling over her own private domain, making demands of the humans, and scaring the locals.
She also, upon arrival, refused to drink out of anything but a tall glass, and would only eat off of a human-sized plate. The excuse was that she couldn’t eat out of normal bowls with her cone on, but we knew the real reason. She was basically a person! She eventually (begrudgingly) joined regular society in what was known as Harmony at the time, now Cookie’s Cove! It was there that she had to learn the indignity of the hydrolyzed diet, refusing to eat her very expensive Z/D unless you pretended to give it to another cat, so she thought she was stealing a treat from someone. It sure never was boring with Pepper around!
Eventually, through much trial and error and despite the intensity of results for her allergy testing (we joked that the results should’ve just said, ‘Allergic to life’), we actually found a solution. We found a medication that worked for her, and though she relapsed here and there in condition, for the last year or so of Pepper’s long life…she got to run around naked! No cone, no onesie, just the sun on her fur.
We witnessed an incredible transformation in her. The grumpy cat we once knew completely transformed. Pepper was a complete and total love bug. We can only guess that, even with treatment, until we found her perfect cocktail of medications, her skin must’ve been hypersensitive. When she was finally free of that, she was the biggest lap cat in the sanctuary. She’d beeline for you, and if your lap was taken by another cat, she’d snuggle up next to you in some seemingly uncomfortable looking positions looking completely and utterly content. She’d purr loudly, nuzzle into you like you were her favorite person on the planet, and just warm the cockles of your heart. We were amazed by the change we saw in Pepper.
Blown away, even, and not just by the stink bombs she’d drop in your lap. We loved her, but oh my goodness, could she clear a room! And she may have been a bigger trip hazard than any banana peel ever could be, but how sweet was it that she wanted nothing more than to be near you.
All of these things came together and melded, creating the beautiful, wonderful Pepper we knew and loved. We’ve had so many laughs with Pepper, so many moments of pride, and many tears shed when it came to be that old gal’s time.
We’d suspected cancer brewing for some time and later had the diagnosis confirmed, but she rallied in that way only Pepper could and frequently terrified us trying to bridge the gap from counter to cabinet. She truly lived her life to its very fullest until the last moment.
She became weak one day. The Pepper spunk we knew and loved was replaced with tired eyes. We knew she was telling us it was time. So, in the arms of one who loved her deeply, and tearfully, Pepper slipped into the night with ease, her last breath leaving her and ascending to another plane entirely. Her time with us was finished, but the pawprint she’d leave behind on our hearts would last a lifetime.
Pepper stands at life’s crossing, now. In front of her unfurls a lush field of wildflowers, of fluttering butterfly wings, and so many familiar paws galloping through them. Pepper has no allergies, no need for medication, and is returned again to the young body that was so often snuggled into tight onesies and limited by cones. Pepper can run freely, now, can touch all of the plants and wildlife she wishes…and perhaps trip a few of them, too. Just for old times’ sake.
Thank you to Pepper’s wonderful sponsors, Carol and Dale J. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who always had a brush for Pepper despite her many protests, and later in life, a lap…the only thing she truly wanted. Thank you to our amazing staff, who guided her through every hour of her golden years, until the very last. Thank you to anyone who ever looked at Pepper in her cute little color-coordinated outfits and thought, “What a stylish cat!”
We love you, Pepper. We always will.
Pepper had 1 Sponsor
Carol and Dale Jackson