I am sad to report that Sammy died last night. He was having trouble breathing in the evening, but when we checked about midnight he seemed more comfortable. This morning he was gone, I suspect heart, which is what the vet had predicted. The vet had given him about 6 weeks, and we had him for 6 more months, so that was something. Sammy used up his nine lives- he was found near an empty house in a box with other kittens, and he was the only one who survived. He broke a leg when he was a few months old and had a pin put in it. He died on the operating table getting his teeth cleaned, but they brought him back after working on him for some time. When his heart threw a clot 6 months ago the vet said that was it, but three days later he was still alive, so the vet said bring him in on Friday and we'd do what needed to be done, and on Thursday night he perked up. A couple weeks ago, Sam was struggling to breathe, but he pulled through it. This time he didn't.

...

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Today Sammy greeted me in the morning, well, actually asked for treats, but this is still progress. He has been walking around instead of just lying in his cave, so I am thinking he may have pulled through again.

Sammy was found at a house that was being shown for sale. He was one of a box of kittens that had been abandoned there, and he was the only one who lived.

Sammy's owner left Sammy and another cat without food. When my son learned of this, he went and took both cats. There was no food in the house, and the cats were starving. He brought the cats to our house, where they immediately went to the food dishes and started eating. Sammy still guards the food dish, and he gets nervous when the dish is empty.

Shortly after we adopted Sammy, he fell and broke one of his hind legs. He had surgery to insert a rod. He did well during his recuperation, which involved putting him in a crate most of the time to keep him as inactive as possible.

During a routine tooth cleaning a year ago, Sammy's heart stopped under anesthesia. The vet said they spent a great deal of time trying to get him to come back, which he did finally, but blind. I was trying to figure out about dealing with a blind cat, but...

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This picture was taken two years ago.



On Thursday, July 29, 2010, our orange cat, Sammy lost the use of his right leg. We heard a thump in the kitchen, and we now assume he had jumped down from a favorite perch on a kitchen chair, and he tried to pull himself along the floor. I carried him into the living room, and once again the pulling thing with his good legs showed us that there was something seriously wrong. I called the vet and explained that it was an emergency, and could we bring him in at the 2 PM appointment that we had for our other cat, Chewie. They said no, but we could bring them both at 3:30. A few minutes later I called back and said we'll bring Sammy at 2 and then Chewie at 3:30, which we ended up doing even though it meant extra driving.

The vet ran several tests and concluded that Sammy's heart had "thrown a clot" that lodged in his shoulder and blocked...

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12/20/2008 10:09 AM

Dear Mom,

I was sitting here thinking of Christmas gifts and the best that I had ever given or been given.

I think the best that I was ever given was the hope chest that you gave me the Christmas after my engagement. I was totally amazed and pleased. I remember that I cried. It was a gift not only of a nice wooden storage chest, but it symbolized the future of my life and all that it might hold. Thinking of the gift still brings tears to my eyes.

The second best gift that I ever received was also from you. Remember the doll whose mouth moved when she said “Mama?” She was the prettiest doll I had ever seen and I wanted her so much. I think I must have been about 8 at the time. But I knew she was expensive and that it was unlikely that I’d get her. But there she was on Christmas morning! I still have her. In the hope chest as it turns out.

These are the material gifts that stand out in my mind. Both from you and Dad. But upon thinking of the gifts that were the “...

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