Samantha - Our Quirky Cat

One of our cats, Samantha, passed away in her sleep last night.  She was warm and comfortable at the end, and we knew that we did all that we could do.

In the last month, Samantha started losing weight quickly.  She was never overweight, and this alarmed me.  We tried to get her to eat different things, and for a while, it looked like she would recover.  Then she stopped eating.  We gave her turkey meat and she ate it.  The she stopped.  We gave her tuna, which she ate a little of.  Then she stopped.  We tried to give her salmon last night and she wouldn’t eat it. 

I combed her last night and could feel her bones through her skin.  She had lost all her fluid and a lot of muscle mass.  I knew it wouldn’t be long.  I brought her water.  She was poking her nose into the water dish, and it surprised her when her nose hit the water.  We started to give her electrolytes by eye dropper last night.  She got enough strength to wander around the house and change rooms a few times.  When she crawled under the piano leg and we decided to make her comfortable for the night, and to protect her from herself and her confusion, because she didn’t know us.  We brought out the cat carrier and put some cushioning in it to make her comfortable.  This morning, she was cold.

Samantha was a hard cat to love.  When she was at the Humane Society, we were told that she was adopted and then brought back.  Gee, I wonder why.  Any time anyone tried to pick her up, she would hiss and run away.  I tried anyway.  She would purr when stroked, so I did.  I decided to bring her home from the Humane Society as a Christmas gift for my son, Jason.  When Christmas morning came, I said “Merry Christmas, Jason!” and the carrier (box) that she was in was hissing.  That was her.  She hissed at people, dogs, other cats.  Everything.

She started to get close to me when I got sick years ago.  I had to sleep alone with a noisy oxygen machine, and she used to sleep with me then.  She would put her head in my outstretched hand and her body against my arm.  And she would purr.  Loudly.  Boy, would she purr.  I guess she decided she liked me.  But still, she wouldn’t let me pick her up.  If it was HER idea to sit on my lap, she did.  But she didn’t like me picking her up. 

Samantha was a constant companion, even when we didn’t like her.  She had lost her hearing a while back, and otherwise was healthy.  She had great posture, unlike any of the other cats we had.  We thought she was going to outlive the others because she was so healthy.  Her descent was fast.  I guess it was better than a slow descent.  I’m glad she’s not suffering, but I will miss her quirkiness.  She will be buried today, next to Gidget, Shelby and Sophie in our backyard.  I know she’ll be waiting for me on the other side, but she’s having fun playing with her housemates right now.  There’s time enough to wait for me later on. 

Rest in peace, Samantha.  We love you.  1998-2015