In Memoriam Sam

 In this fateful morning, they didn’t find Easter Eggs in the family garden but the lifeless body of Sam.  Sam had broken limbs; the events of that day will remain unknown.  Sam was the cherished cat belonging to the G family.  I am a friend of this family and Sam’s passing makes me very sad.

                                                                                                SAM

Sam was always the first family member to greet me at the G home.  Upon my arrival, I would drop my bag on the kitchen table, he would jump on the table, with difficulties as he was very corpulent, and at a cuddle distance he would request strokes and rubs.  This was our routine.  I suspect that snuggle-loving Sam was the reincarnation of a sociable eunuch, with round chest and tommy.  When my human friends appear, Sam stays around.  

He had become the senior cat, the patriarch of the G family’s feline tribe.  Many cats live in the G home, I lost count of them, but Sam will always be special to me, he stood out not just for his impressive girth, but for his charisma.  He made me feel welcome.  Cuddling him became a heaven-sent therapy.  

The G family had adopted Sam as an adult.   According to my understanding, he previously belonged to acquaintances who were no longer able to take care of him.  Sam had British Shorthair genes like the Cheshire cat of Lewis Carroll’s The Adventures of Alice in the Wonderland.  I am unaware of Sam’s true pedigree; however, his face was not very round, and he didn’t show the wide-set ears with rounded tips, typical of the pure breed.  Sam’s face was still sweet, hopefully not resembling the grinning Cheshire cat.  I suspect that his mother socialized below her rank. 

British Shorthair cats are calm, easy-going, friendly but prone to put on weight.  Sam’s energy level increased slightly when he jumps to his kibble bowl.  He was permanently on a low-calorie diet but never managed to lose an ounce of flab.

I am a “single cat lady”, a cat lover without a cat.  I may get flamed because I am the “adopt, don’t shop” kind, and a cat from a British Shorthair farm will not replace Sam.  He is unique: he should have been cloned!