About the "Boss"
The "Boss" wanted me to let you know (in case you were wondering) that the Krazy Kat logo is a photo of her. She runs the studio with an iron "paw" and expects me to be on my human toes at all times.
Her true name is Shadowfax (after the steed Gandolf rode in The Lord of the Rings by Tolkein), but to us, she is just "Baby". She has quite a history. Before she started our studio, Krazy Kat Graphics, Baby was homeless. She was took in by the city "pound" (or "shelter" if you want to use the "nice" term) as a very young kitten. The first time she was adopted, she was brought back a few days later after her new family found they couldn't keep her. The second time she was adopted, she was brought back because her and her room-mate were too rambunctious when playing together, running up curtains, and making the home go topsy-turvy. Then, the third time, the same "family" went back because they felt bad about giving up on her so quickly.
What they found, when they went back, made the headlines in her hometown of Burlington, Iowa. The shelter, though ran by well-meaning folks and the city jointly, had become a haven of germs and disease due to lack of space, and poor training of the staff. The adoptive family, being apalled by the state especially the cats were in, turned the shelter into the state authorities. (There were six and seven cats to a cage, and many cats had ringworm or distemper.)
The shelter was shut down to the public by the authorities until it was determined safe to open to the public again.
Meanwhile, Shadowfax (a.k.a. Baby) had been rescued by the family who had called the state authorities, and was being called "the cat who shut down the shelter". She was nursed back to health, given all her shots, and then put up for adoption again. This time however, the adoption was to take place through the Animal Protection League of Southeast Iowa, a no-kill rescue/informative group in Iowa, and which I am a board-member of. That is where I found her, in one of our "Up for Adoption" lists. I had actually called one of our foster-homes about a Siamese cat, but that certain pet was already spoke for, so I decided to give this little black cat with a "past" a home.
The day I brought her "home" in June of 2006 was the most wonderful day I'd had in a long time! Having had an apartment for over five years where I couldn't have pets, I was more than ready (after getting a new apartment and a great new landlord) of bringing home this little bundle of joy.
She was very thin, and very shy at first. I was her fourth home in a year! (She had turned one year old in May of 2006.) She will never have another home as long as I am alive, and she IS THE BOSS!
She is now nice and healthy. She has a shiny coat, bright eyes and has gained several pounds! (She wants me to make sure to let you know she is NOT fat though.) She plays "fetch" like a dog, likes to curl up on me, sleep with me, and pretty much runs the place. She is a great and powerful huntress, like a panther. She is a miracle, and my friend.
