Remembering Sam

When I moved into my first house, the first thing that I did literally after getting somewhat settled, was head to the Humane Society to adopt a kitten. I'd had a cat as a very young child; I was so young in fact that I barely remember my kitten Muffy. Anyway, I adopted Sam, an 8 week old kitten who was quite possibly the cutest kitten ever. He was a brown and white tabby with the cutest markings and the sweetest face. The first thing that I did when I got home with him was call Mom and Dad. My dad was a huge cat lover so he of course needed to meet Sam as soon as possible. He and Mom drove down to visit three days later and promptly fell in love with Sam. That night Sam pestered Dad, wanting to play instead of sleep. Sam was a rowdy little kitten who would leap onto people's shoulders and attack them. Later, when Dad was in his last few months of life, Sam would sit on the back of his chair as a way to try to comfort Dad. Two years after I lost my dad I lost my Sammy to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or an enlarged heart. It was a sudden death; I came home from work one day to find my darling kitty dead at the top of the stairs. We assume that he had been running to meet me at the door, as usual, and that his heart just stopped beating. I was beyond devastated to lose my dear kitty so soon after losing my beloved father. I remember calling my mom in hysterics. She dropped everything and came to my house to comfort me. She was an unbelievable mom who would do anything for her children. Two months later I visited a friend whose cat had had kittens. I adopted my beautiful Lily exactly five years after adopting my Sam and she has been my best friend ever since. Olivia joined us five years later as Mom's cat. She too is a wonderful friend.