In Memory of Percy 3/20/2023 – 6/29/2025
Our shadow cats find their way to us through so many different avenues and outlets, but there is usually a strong common denominator. Some looked in the eyes of a cat in need and thought, “This cat deserves more in life.”
Percy, or Percival Von Mewton, if we’re going by government name, was saved this way.
Percy came to us in March of 2025 after we received a plea for help from his kindhearted rescuer. She normally considered herself a dog person, but Percy was just special. She saved him from being attacked by dogs and quickly found Percy to be charming, sweet, and deserving of a chance.
As so often happens, when taken in to be evaluated, euthanasia was suggested. Percy was significantly emaciated and feline leukemia positive. But his rescuer looked in those beautiful green eyes, pleading for just a chance, and decided to find another outcome for him.
That’s when he headed to Shadow Cats!
Percy was still quite skinny when he joined us, but he was bright-eyed, chirpy, and so sweet. We were all taken in by his cute, chubby muzzle, those sweet eyes, and his persevering attitude. Percy had overcome so much adversity over the course of his short life, but we knew that life at Shadow Cats meant something could finally change for him.
Percy spent most of his time when he first joined Cookie’s Place ignoring the other cats in favor of the food bowl. Our former street cat was at serious risk of growing sideways…and we, of course, let him. He’d gone long enough starving; he deserved to have his fill! We tried to balance out the extra calories with a conservative workout regime…mostly consisting of chasing the string wand toys. Those were his absolute favorite, though Percy was happy enough to play with anything.
Percy was definitely more of a people’s cat than a cat’s cat, we found. He’d chirp when he saw you, fixing you with that soft, sweet gaze that beckoned a hand for scritches. He also loved a good lap, and we were always happy to give one to him! But despite our Percy trying so hard to persevere, his feline leukemia began meddling.
Percy struggled with cyclical, intermittent fevers. It was hard for him to be his usual bright, chirpy self, and he began to become stressed by the presence of other cats. We decided it was in his best interest to give him some proper decompression time in ISO, and then in our breakroom with us when his fevers persisted. We performed diagnostics and took him in for evaluations, but nothing was found on exam at the time. The mystery of Percy’s strange, cyclical fevers wasn’t solved. Our Veterinarian had a growing suspicion that leukemia had developed when it tends to and sprouted cancer within him, and we agreed. We treated him with a plethora of medications in different classifications, hoping that something would provide Percy the chance to overcome once again.
We knew that all we could do was give him the absolute best for as long as we could. There was no greater joy than walking into the break room in the morning to be greeted by Percy coming out of his little overnight den. He’d chirp a “Good morning!” and expect to be fed promptly. We may or may not have given him lots of extra meals during this time…but he deserved every little treat he got, and we’d do it all again.
We spent our lunch breaks together, and we were delighted by how adorably snuggly he was. He was happy to just sit and “be” together. He was especially happy if you happened to have chicken! Or waffle fries. He’d climb up your torso, reaching as you held your lunch overhead. Could you blame us for succumbing to that precious gaze and giving him a bite or two…or three? We may or may not have lost count! It was just impossible to resist that adorable, high-pitched, soft little meow.
He sprawled out in the cat tree, he snuggled in soft beds, he enjoyed the sunbeams of the small catio. Until one day, Percy wasn’t his usual self. He wasn’t chirping, he wasn’t looking for a lap. He seemed uncomfortable, with labored breathing. Our hearts grew heavy as we realized the reality of the situation. We immediately rushed him to the vet, where they performed an ultrasound and found a cancerous mass on his spleen.
We knew we had to give him one last gift, the hardest one to give.
Held in loving arms and being petted from every direction, we showered Percy with forehead kisses. He relaxed in our arms and purred so loudly you could feel the vibration against your skin. Percy was at peace; he knew love, a full belly, the safety of a home…how good life could be. Percy left this world softly, with ease, a petal on the wind carried to the highest of heights. We wept, our hearts broken, wishing the thing we always do…that we could have had more time.
But the time Percy did have with us mattered. In that time, in this space, together…he mattered. He knew the comforts of a life he may never have experienced otherwise, away from the harshness of the streets, where someone looked into those sweet eyes and decided he deserved so much more than he’d gotten.
Now, he stands at the first steps of the rainbow bridge. Across the way, faces familiar and faces new stand to greet him. So many Cookie’s Place kittens before him wait to guide him into the endless green, the forever sunbeams, the flowing streams, and fluttering butterflies of eternity. There, he can run. There, he can know freedom. He can know an existence free of pain, free of fevers, free of cancer, free of leukemia, of burdens and predators. We just know that with a little feline smirk, with that chubby muzzle, our sweet Percival Von Mewton is beelining for the food bowl.
Thank you to Percy’s amazing sponsors, Diane G, Connie C, Samantha H, Whitney M, and Andrea Z. Thank you to the volunteers who helped this sweet boy get his energy out with generous playtime. Thank you to our staff for sticking with Percy through thick and thin, for giving him the love, attention, and medical care he so desperately needed. Thank you to Vista Vet and CTVSH for providing top-notch medical care. Thank you to anyone who looked at this sleek little panther and couldn’t help but be amazed by how stunningly gorgeous he was.
We love you, Percy. We always will.
Percy had 5 Sponsors
“In memory of Velvet and Dulcie Marie”
-Diane Ewart Grabowski
Connie Cheatham
Samantha Haselwood
Whitney Magnuson
Andrea Zabcik