Hi ff,
Very sorry to hear that.
In fact the clue you referred to was 'Big, old, cross shielded cat', not 'shaded cat'
You would have no chance of getting the answer with 'shaded'!
A 'lion rampant' was a device (picture) painted on to the shields of some knights of old.
However, if I am making the clues too way out or wacky, I do need to know, so thank you for the feedback - it is most useful.
I shall try to make them a little less devious, although you won't see any changes for a week or two, because I do them quite a long time in advance.
I don't wish to drive you away from Pitcherwits, ff!
Kind regards,
CJR