Growing the Future: Rest in Peace Sammy Boy

Today we buried our friend Sam underneath a redbud tree. Andrew planted a bleeding heart atop him as well because Sam was such a bleeding heart. Such a softy and a mooch. So ready to climb in your lap and have you pet him till he bit you and then insist that you pet him some more. That was Sam.

Last Sunday he died. We are so saddened by this loss. He was such a handsome guy who's greatest wish was to simply sit in your lap and touch your nose with his. Sam was a stray off the streets of Southside Williamsburg complete with missing finger, disfigured paw, notched ear, irritable bowels and fragile paw pads. He came into our lives in the summer of 2007 when Andrew came to live with me in Brooklyn. Days and nights would find him at the door waiting for us to sit at the benches in the garden in front of the apartment. He loved to be around people and despite his furtive nature would let us pet him. We managed to lure him indoors with catnip just as the weather started to take a turn. He and our other cat Max had watched each other through the store front glass for months and he had already met Bean. We knew that we were moving soon too and wanted to make sure that he came with us to our new place.

We called him outdoor kitty but upon joining the family gave him the name Samuel "Sammy" Clemens. He was also known as "Chubs", "Sammy Boy", "Saminator","Fatty","Indoor Kitty" but mostly just plain ol' Sam.

We brought he and Max upstate for the first time this last summer as we got ready for Juniper's birth.

He really loved being outside and was such an excellent mouser leaving his kill by our side door. Andrew and I loved seeing him outside roaming around and hanging out in cozy kitty spots. When we would walk through the yard checking on our garden Sam would bound along side with his tail huge and fluffy, so obviously full of fresh air and country living. Seeing him so happy made me so happy knowing where he had come from and how hard his life had been.

He got into a fight with what we think was another cat. It was pitch black out so we couldn't tell. He laid low for a few days and then seemed to get better and then got worse. We were going to take him to the vet the next day but he died before we could. He came into my room where I was trying to nurse June who was fussy and gassy. I heard him walk in, as he was never very light on his feet, and he laid down. His breath was labored and I tried to give him some water with a dropper like I had the night before. I took him into the bathroom and when I gave him some water he let out two screams that only can be described as horrific. I have never heard a cat make such a sound. Andrew came into the bathroom and Sam screamed twice more and then took his last breath. I started sobbing and sobbing so stunned and saddened at his sudden death.
We put him in the freezer so that we could bury him at our home upstate.