My beloved cat Sammy passed away on 2/23/09 at approximately 2:15 AM. I adopted Sammy from a family who got him for their daughter knowing that they'd never keep him. They knew she wouldn't want to take care of an animal and he was just a fad for her. She wanted a girl cat and called him Sandy and since he was a boy, didn't want anything to do with him. When I took him, it was one of the best things I could have done. I did have another cat and they took very well to each other though Sammy was definitely the dominant cat even though he was younger and 1/2 the size.

Sammy suffered from a heart murmur and another condition that caused his body to attack itself every few months and the only way to get rid of the painful rash was steroid injections. He was always a trooper and took his baths without a fight, rode in the car without a leash, hopped up on the table at the vets office and laid there waiting for the vet without needing to be held down or anything.

After a while, the steroid injections caused him to go into heart failure so I had to stop giving them to him but miraculously the condition needing them also seemed to go away finally. However, the heart condition continued to get worse. Sammy was expected to live not past the age of 4 and lived to be 8 and I credit that not only to the love and care I gave him but to the loving spirit he had.

For the past couple of years he was on 7 pills a day and even though he 'ran away' when he heard the bottles, when I told him to get on the bed, he would jump up and let me give them to him.

Sammy brought so much joy to my life. He would meet me at the door every day, sit on my lap constantly at the computer, lay on my chest if I was reading. He had his pillow that he would sleep on right next to me and if he wanted lights out or quiet, or just simple attention, he'd stick his paw out and pat me to let me know. There wasn't a meal I couldn't eat where he wouldn't manage to steal something if I didn't watch closely, he'd learn to open the pizza box on his own and if I said laundry he'd run to the door to go out to the other room to 'help'. In many ways, he had a human personality vs. cat and he made sure you knew what he wanted in whatever way he could let you know.

I remember one time when he lived in the same house with a Great Pyrenees/Labrador mix. When he would want her spot on the couch, he would nip at her tail or ears until she would get up and move so he could have the warm spot on the couch. There were some days where I'd come home and look for him and he was playing in the toilet bowl having a ball in the water. I think I was his pet more than he was mine. He would groom me, grab my bra or socks and play with them or run off with them, walk around carrying the phone or the remote (or anything else small and light enough) in his mouth to where I ended up owning 3 cable remotes so I'd (almost) always be able to find one. If I forgot to set the alarm for work, he'd wake me up. If he was tired and wanted sleep and it was late he'd bury his head in my arm so I'd know to turn the stupid light off already. When my boyfriend would sleep over Sammy would get between us in the middle of the night and push us apart because he was the only one allowed to sleep next to his beloved mistress.

Sammy was only about 7 pounds with white fur and orange calico markings on him and eyes that perfectly matched the orange in his fur. The poor cat for years had no fur on his belly due to his medical issue and he'd no sooner grow it back on his chest and tail from the yearly shaving for his heart problems than they'd shave it away again but it didn't matter what the vet did to him, he loved everyone he came into contact with including the vet.

Some people couldn't understand why I put so much money and effort into keeping a cat alive, but to those who could they were my blessing at the end. The ones that told me he was your child, of course you would do everything in your power and within reason despite the cost to keep him alive. Since I don't have any children of my own yet, Sammy very much was my child and he knew it. He knew he could pretty much get away with murder and he'd hear SAMMY at the top of my lungs but in 5 minutes all would be forgiven and he'd get what he wanted anyhow.

Over the past year, Sammy had passed about 5 blood clots, each one of them paralyzed a portion of his body and made it where he could barely breathe but he fought back every single time and within 24-48 hours of the clot, was running around and acting as if nothing was wrong. My baby was such a fighter. I don't know if it was my love for him, his love for me or a combination of the two but despite all odds he cheated death many times. Unfortunately this past Sunday night he was unable to do that again.

I knew he wasn't feeling well but thought it was just the normal cat stuff since he through up a couple of times, which any cat owner knows can be normal. When we went to bed, he took his meds but didn't want to sleep next to me as normal. He kept jumping off of his pillow. He did this about 3 times and I just took it as a sign that he wasn't ready for bed and would come to bed when he was ready, which he has done many times in the past. However, around 2:00 AM, something made me wake up and I realized he wasn't on his pillow next ot me or under the covers with me as usual. I turned the light on and went looking for him and he was laying on the floor unable to move. I picked him up and put him on the bed with me but I knew it was too late to do anything for him. His right front side was paralyzed and he was panting with every breath. Eventually the panting turned into a choking and he was having little seizures and my baby left me for a world without pain.

I know he loved me and that he knows he was loved and that he didn't die alone. I was hoping he wouldn't suffer when he did die but unfortunately I couldn't prevent that. I keep telling myself I did the best I could to give him as long of a life as possible that was as healthy as possible with lots and lots of love and he did have that. If he'd stayed with the original family that got him or went to another family, he might not have had the life that he did with me.

I learned a lot from my little cat and I'll never ever forget him. I hope some day to get another animal that has a similar personality. There will never be another Sammy but I know there will be another animal out there with similar characteristics that will steal my heart.

He was only with me for a short time in not only the normal life span of animals but in the life span of humans but he touched my heart deeper than I thought possible along with the hearts of anyone who ever came in contact with him.

There's so much more I could say but I think I've stated my point. I had an amazing cat who I loved more than words can express and who I will miss dearly. I'll never forget him. Each day it will get easier to go home and not see him but I will never forget him. There will always be a very special place in my heart for him and now his pain and suffering is forever gone. If I'm lucky, in some way his spirit will come back and visit me sometimes and let me know that he's ok and if not then some day, I will once again see my beloved cat and play with him and never have to be parted from him again.

I hope to never stop being a pet owner, no matter how short the time they get to spend with us, the amount of love and the bond with them makes everything worth it.

So to my Sammy. I love you. You were my best friend and I will never forget you. I will miss you but you will always be in my heart and your picture will always remain for me to remember you with (as if I could forget). Goodbye my friend, may you have peace and have fun chasing those mice and toys without getting tired.