For some people he may just had been just a cat, just a four legged animal. For my husband his cat meant more to him than just a cat. I adopted Sammy on September 7, 2000 at our local animal shelter. Sammy was seven weeks old. I adopted Sammy as a gift to my husband for his birthday.
Cute as button. Now when I visited the local animal shelter the shelter had a variety of kittens but Sammy stood out among all the kittens that I looked at. He was in a crated being housed with his mother, and siblings. I asked my husband, would he prefer to adopt a female or a male. He chosen a male. We went through the procedures that was required to adopt the kitten. The shelter gave us a certificated to have Sammy neutered. Before having Sammy neutered he had to be at least six months old I believe, so we had to wait for six months. When the six months rolled around we called to make the appointment at our Veterinarians to have the procedure done.
Sammy had to stay over night and we could pick him up the following next day. We noticed as he grew older he started getting bigger and fatter. As months and years passed by and Sammy was another year older he started gaining weight rapidly. Every time he would get weighed at the Vet visit he weighed over thirty pounds so the Vet advice to place Sammy on a diet. He suggested the cat food to purchase that was low in fat and half the calories but when we would place the food down in front of Sammy he just put his nose up in the air so we searched in the stores for another brand that would be low in fat, food that help Sammy loose the wight. After consideration searching for a cat food that Sammy would like we finally found one. Purina One Cat Food. We kept Sammy on that food from kitten up to he crossed over the rainbow bridge.
Sammy brought joy into my husband’s life. He was a great companion. My husband would give him his baths whenever my husband felt Sammy needed to be groom and brush him and would sit down and play with him. He has bought Sammy so many cat toys and treats. I can remember whenever I would pick up the water and food bowl for the night the following morning when I would open my bedroom door Sammy be sitting in front of the bedroom door waiting for me to walk out and he would me-ow me until I would put down fresh water and filled his cat bowl up with cat food and me-ow me for a cat treat. Sammy also would sit beside my husband’s chair and me-ow him until he check his sugar. Sammy knew whenever my husband’s sugar was to high or to low.
My husband grew up in an orphanage home so he did not make very many friends. He has been betrayed by the few friends he had. Even his own son disappointed my husband and left him down so my husband kept a distance and would build a wall around his heart from allowing people get to close to him. He has a fear of making friends. I am the only one being his wife that husband trusts and would open up too. Until we adopted Sammy, I felt my husband started living again, coming alive so to speak and snapping out of his depression. He cared for Sammy like it was his own child. Of course Sammy may have been just a cat as some would think but if anybody is a cat lover or a dog lover or even any other kind animal lover they know the love and life lessons that humans can learn from animals.
Sammy was more than a cat, Caring, adoptable, trustworthy friend. A good therapy for my husband. I have always looked at my husband as a strong man that handle any stress or situation but when Sammy crossed over to the rainbow bridge of all the forty two years that my husband and I were married, I have never seen him break down in tears so this was the first. It made me think more of my husband and have more compassion that he shown his human side of him. It is okay if a man breaks down. When his mother and our granddaughter passed away my husband have tried to be strong for his siblings and our granddaughter’s mother so he did not show any emotions in front of nobody. When Sammy taken his final breath my husband wrapped his arms around me and broke down in tears. I felt so lost for words, helpless because at the time I was shocked so I didn’t know what to say so I just comfort my husband in my arms and left him cry it all out. By no means is my husband a weak man because he broke down. It shows he is human and has feelings too.
April 9, 2016, my husband walked over and kneel-ed down beside Sammy’s bed to place a bowl a Spring water and wet cat food and he prayed over Sammy that he would recover but since Sammy was obese, he had a fatty liver and according to the Vet he was in kidney failure. Now the Vet gave us a choice to either have him put down or allow him to die at home. The Vet came to our home to put Sammy down. Sammy me-owed twice which I believe he was telling my husband goodbye and thanking my husband for letting him go. Sammy passed over the rainbow bridge on April 9, 2016 at 4:30 pm Thursday. As hard it was to make the decision to put Sammy down we had to do what was best for our four legged furry baby. Sammy would of turn seventeen years old in September 7, 2016.
So whenever someone shares with you their story and breaks down as they are sharing their story of a family member that happens to be talking about their cat or dog, or other type of animals, don’t be sarcastic, or rude or even disrespectful to their feelings, or blurt out “It is just a “CAT!” or just a “DOG!” you may see it that way but to the pet owner they see their four legged cat or dog as a family member, best friend, companion, therapy, and as their baby, their child son or daughter. So have compassion and genuine concern and understanding and listen and comfort them by giving then a little bit of your time and support.