ode to sami

Ode to Sami (written by Sami's grandmother)

Sami came into our lives via my daughter. She picked her out of a litter in Hanover and raised her here at the house. Sami took baths and loved them. She listened to my daughter.She loved petting, but if it got too much, she rebelled. She would strike out with a swipe of her claws and scratch you! She liked a push and a pull on her legs. We had fun with her.

Sami did not like her move to Boston with my daugther when she attended college. Sami gained weight, had a little belly and kept trying to get out the window of a second story
building. We all decided she had to come back to rural New Hampshire. She liked being outside and hunting. We installed a bell on her to keep her ratios down. We had no bird feeders to assist her in her catch. My son loved her. She often slept with him. He declared that she was his cat!

Sami beat cancer! When my husband had his spinal stenosis, I was caring for him and leaned down to stroke Sami. I felt a lump on her leg. I took her to the vet and he said that she
had the lump where he vaccinated her for rabies. Thus she got cancer from the shot. He performed surgery on the leg and charged the vaccine company. The assistant in the office called later and urged us to take off Sami’s full leg to prevent cancer from spreading. Both my daughter and husband vetoed that. I was not sure of anything. So we said no, let us look at the leg in a year. When the leg was looked at later, she was just fine. So we had been right. She recovered pretty well. I remember holding her with her wide collar to prevent her
from pulling out her stitches, and hugging her to make her better. It worked so well. That was the only time she seemed vulnerable and needed a hug and encouragement.

Sami ran the house. What I mean by that is her hours and needs were paramount. In the morning, she got us up to get a meal. Even with her dry food out, she cried for her
canned wet food. Then about 3 p.m., she cried for more and perhaps in the evening. If canned food was not in stock, she sent me to the store for more by crying. She slept most
of the day, but asked to go out about 3 p.m. to start her afternoon and evening games. Those games often included playing with a chipmunk or chasing a mouse or bird. When cold weather set in, she stayed in at night. She kind of hibernated. When warm weather arrived, she liked being out as much as possible. She was known to sleep on the chaise basking in the sun. Sometimes I would sit with her and share the chair! She liked sitting in different gardens as hiding spots waiting for prey. She loved the yard and made the most of it.

The evening we lost Sami was mild. The next night she would have started her hibernation and stayed in at night. For 13 years, her luck and skill kept her alive, but that night, it appears her time was up and a cruel hunting animal took her life.

still gone

I am still missing. My grandparents have accepted that I am gone. The other cat disappearances in the neighborhood lead us to believe that I was caught by another creature. I appeared to my grandmother the night after I was first lost. I was with a few other cats. I told her that I must go now. Mom thinks this was a message to them that I was no longer living.

My grandparents may get a kitten now to stay inside only. I taught them love like no other cat has ever done. They want to rescue a black cat since they are considered less adoptable. I think that's a good thing to do.

Thanks for all the love and messages to me. So appreciated.

love Sami

Missing and assumed dead

I am so sorry to tell you that Sami has been missing since Saturday and is now assumed she maybe dead. Two neighbors heard loud animal noises the last night was was seen. There have been coyotes and foxes in the neighborhood and another neighbor's cat was killed recently. Sami lives with my parents so there is no way I can search being so far away. This is all very hard on all of us given my Zuki has only recently died. And my parents feel all alone. I am mad and sad because I could not control how she lived and protect her better. Her death must have been very tragic given the screams heard and being killed that way.

hey everyone! I'm better

Hi every kitty,

I am so sorry I haven't updated my diary. In this case, no mews is good mews. I am doing well. Mom has talked to Gramma and Granpa who I live with and they said that I have no more lumps. But I will have to keep getting check-ups to make sure the cancer doesn't grow back.

I have been keeping myself busy in the garden now that it is spring. I have been chasing mice and birds. I haven't caught anything yet but I will let you know if I do!

Mom is coming to visit me in July. It is sad having her so far away but I am saving up my purrs for when she returns.

Thanks to all the kitties who purred for me. It means a lot!

head butts,
Sami

ok, no leg removal for now

Hi everycat,

My mom and grandparents were soooo worried. We had two different recommendations from the vet. One wanted to take my leg off right away and one wanted to wait. So, mom did some research and talked to lots of people on this site and on the web. Then she called the vet with lots of good questions. This time, he said we should wait 6-8 weeks to see if the tumor grows back. There is no harm in waiting he said. So, he will check it in 2 weeks when I get the stiches out and then again in a month.

Phew! What a relief. I can't wait to get this collar off and get back outside. Too bad there is a snostorm today. I guess it wouldn't be much fun outside right now anyhow. But I hate using the litter box inside here. Yuck.

Thanks to everyone who gave me warm wishes, rosettes, and stars. I also love all the purrs.

Meows,
Sami

bad news

Hi catsters,

Vet just called and for sure I have cancer in my leg. My mom and grandparents are trying to decide what to do about my leg. One vet wants to remove it, the other wants to wait to see if the tumor returns. Either way, it's not good news.

As for me, I can't figure out why I have this silly thing around my neck that makes me look like a clown. And I keep meowing at the door but nobody lets me out! What's wrong with them? Don't they know I need to hunt? There are so many mice in the yard dancing and teasing me knowing I can't get them! It's torture to this cat!

Off to sulk,
Sami