Sam had rabbit-soft fur in a beautiful shade of light tan and white.  He was so laid-back and had the best personality.  He was an indoor-outdoor cat, but always came in to spend the night inside.  Sam and I lived alone for 10 years and then my husband moved in with the two of us and all three of us loved and took care of each other for the next 7 years.  He talked to us a lot and we talked to him, too.  He was a big part of our lives.  



A vet diagnosed Sam with cancer 5 years ago, but we gave him steroids and he got better.  He stayed on a low dose of steroids to help his chronic anemia.  Then, he was diagnosed as hyper-thyroid about 3 years ago.  He was so good about taking his steroid and thyroid pills every day, even though they sometimes made him sick.  Eventually, his kidneys failed.  



Sam was kind enough to let us be there with him when he died at home.  He is buried in the garden by our sunroom so that he can still be near to us and the home and yard that he loved.  



We miss Sam sitting on our laps and sleeping on our pillows.  He would stretch out his legs so his paw would touch one of us and maintain contact.  We also miss our "group hugs" in the mornings and evenings.  Sam was the coolest cat and we are grateful that we had him so long.  He will always be a part of us.