Shanti Shiatsu

The Mighty Lioness

The studio has a cat that hides in the shadows. It is a rare moment for clients to see her for she often hides in another part of the building when clients arrive but it is important for those that are highly sensitive to cat hair to be aware of this. Melissa does not allow the cat in the treatment room. Lady Shadow is her name. She is a long haired black cat that gets a hair cut every 6 months.

How Lady Shadow came into Melissa's life:

Many years ago Melissa had a white cat that she and her partner loved very dearly. The cat passed away just a few weeks before Melissa finished shiatsu training. And she was sad. Melissa thought she would not get another cat for many years. But a few months later she started to feel the urge to scan the SPCA website, and that is when she saw the picture of a long hair black cat; a cat named Shadow. When Melissa and her partner looked at the picture they both felt drawn to her instantly. They then decided to go meet her. When they got there the volunteer warned them that the cat they had requested to see never came out of the box in her cage, and never said hello to people. Melissa thanked the lady but asked to have the cat's door opened anyway.

As soon as the door was open Shadow stretched out her body yawned and walked right up to Melissa. She purred as Melissa pet her. As Melissa and her partner met Shadow they were surrounded many other cats, some in cages some free to walk about. Right next door to shadow was a white male cat that reminded her of their old cat. Melissa asked her partner "Maybe we should get that white cat?"

As soon as she had said those words Shadow swiped at Melissa's hand and retreated back into her box. She gave Melissa a look that said, "Well make up your mind then, don't waste my time". Melissa laughed for she could see that this black cat had a spark in her. The next day she became Lady Shadow and was brought into their home.

And she still likes to be in the shadows, hiding behind chairs and under beds, coming out to demand attention when the house is quiet. She hid behind their bed as Melissa's first baby was being born in their bedroom.