Image courtesy of PCCrafter Hugclub
I was never a big cat person, but when a stray showed up at Grandma's house and stayed, it was all over with for me.
Sammy was a black and white shorthair, and adorable as all get-out. He was from a litter of kittens born in the woodpile in my parents' backyard. Growing up, my parents lived next door to my grandparents, so we were always back and forth. He was a wild stray, but he stuck around and kept Grandma company.
Sammy would follow Grandma around everywhere she went outside, from the garden, to the chicken coop, to the clothesline behind the garage. It was nice for my Mom, because all she had to do was look out the back window, and she knew where Grandma was, because she could see Sammy in the same area.
Years later, Sammy was found under Grandma's front porch. He had died of old age. Grandma moved to a home run by people from her church a couple of hours away, because she could no longer live alone. I had gotten married, and had 4 children.
Two children wanted a dog, one wanted a cat, and the youngest wanted a lamb, but that's another story. My husband didn't want any pets that weren't in a cage or tank, so I started taking the kids to the Humane Society. This way, they could interact with animals without having to deal with accidents, etc.
One day we went, and there was a black and white cat also named Sammy. We talked about it, and we were considering adopting him, when my Grandmother passed away. Because of all the sentimentality involved with this cat, I was unable to go to the Humane Society for awhile. When I finally felt I could go back, Sammy wasn't there. I asked if he had been adopted, and they said no. Evidently, since he was 12 years old, and had ringworm or something like that, they didn't think anyone would adopt him. So, they put him down.
Then SHE showed up. Sassy was also black and white, only a long-haired cat. Beautiful, just like the Sammies, and mean as she could be. She was two years old, and her owner had had a stroke. That's why she was there. I talked to hubby about it, and he wasn't going to say yes or no, just do whatever I wanted about it. Well, that was a yes to me! I went back,got the ball rolling, and the day after Mother's Day, she was ours! I hadn't told the kids I had done this, so after school that day, we picked her up. Boy, were they surprised!
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