They are proud, loyal, defensive, and slightly arrogant; often seem to be misunderstood and portrayed by the other clans as battle-hungry, aggressive, ambitious, and greedy for more territory. It was often said when the Clans were in the forest, that the cold north wind of the mountains chilled the ShadowClan warriors' hearts. Their main prey is reptiles and amphibians, such as lizards and frogs. A secret food source is the carrionplace, though they are careful not to eat crow-food. They also hunt rats from this area when prey is scarce. ShadowClan cats hunt best at night and are better than others at sneaking through undergrowth. In battle, ShadowClan cats use shadows as an advantage to fighting.

ShadowClan was founded by Shadowstar. She is a night-black she-cat with green eyes. The first medicine cat was Pebble Heart.