Farewell, My Friend

This is Sam. From the moment I met this little guy, we had an instant "bond". So, he was given to me for my 12th birthday. Sam was always "my cat". He followed me around the house, giving off that incredibly loud "meow!". He curled up by my legs when I slept and he was quick to jump on my bed and nip at my fingers as soon as my alarm went off in the morning. He would go down into the field behind my mom's house and we would laugh because his "camoflauge" wasn't very good as we could still see this big black blob 50 yards away. He didn't even like the fact that he had to share me with Jason as he always tried to sleep in between us. When I left my mom's house for good to start my own life, I was sad that I couldn't take him with me but I knew that taking him away from his home wasn't a good idea. But Sam was always there to greet me with his incessant banter whenever I came back for a visit. Sam was awesome.

So it is with a heavy heart that I must say "goodbye" to him. He was 19 years old. Sam was hit by my mom's car when she was backing into her driveway. It was dark and she didn't see him. The trauma to his heart and lungs was too much for his old age so she and Rick did the humane thing and had him put down. My mom is heartbroken as am I. It was nothing more than a terrible accident and there's really nothing more to say about it.

Sam will be laid to rest in the field behind my mom's house--his favorite spot. It sounds silly but I wish I could be there. I think people that have never owned a pet really don't understand that the animals really do become part of your family. And right now I feel that loss.

So farewell, Sammy-Sam. If all humans had a friend like you, we'd all be in a much better place.