Sammy, AKA Samazon, passed to the Rainbow Bridge at 1:35AM on June 24, 2011. I wasn't with her at the end, I was in a hospitable bed and could not talk the doctors into letting me go to her. The following is my epitaph to my Heart Cat:

My sweet gentle giant
     my tiny baby girl
Never let it stop her
     that she was too big for her world
She was too long for her tunnel
     too "fluffy" for her bed
But my lap had always room there
     to lay her precious head
Funny little clown cat
     she liked to suck her toe
It gave her the comfort
     that as kitten she didn't know
I couldn't be there for her then
     I hadn't met her yet
But when she needed me the most
     died, alone at the vet
Would I take away the hurt
     Put upon myself the fear
A thousand times and then some
     for one second of her here

Sammy came to us as a rescue like all my furbabies. But since then she had been turned into the most adored, pampered, spoiled little cat you can imagine (but then she should have been, she was such a sweetie). She was a big baby - she still sucked her toe until the day she died - but she was also a big love bug and liked to lick my face whenever I would "kiss her all over" her head!

The folks at rec.pets.cats.anecdotes are quite familiar with Sammy's hooli-kitten antics, but if you're not, you might want to read about her kittenish depredations on the Story Page.

Sammy must have been one of the most photographed kitties in the world! At just 11 months old she had more pictures of her taken than all her sisters combined (but then again, she was born after the invention of the digital camera). Click on the links below to follow her development from a 6-week-old kitten who could fit in the palm of my hand to a honking great big 20 pound 5-year-old whose paw, when extended could fit in the palm of my hand.

Pictures:

Baby Pictures   |   Toddler Pictures   |   More Toddler Pictures   |   More Toddler Pictures   |   Getting to be a teenager   |   The great shoebox fight  |   Playing "Put the sheets on the bed"   |   Playing with the grandbabies   |   Tuckered out after playing with the grandbabies!   |   Lounging on Mommy's bed with Bandit   |   Mommy's Little Bookends   |   Sucking her toe   |   Caught in the act!   |   Still sucking her toe!   |   Hanging out on Mommy's Desk   |   Stalking her prey from amidst the pillows   |   Visiting Sandy Paws   |   Going shopping at PetsMart   |   Sammy's forever boyfriend Pericles (RB)   |   I have no toys!   |   I saw a squirrel!   |   I'm too big for my bed!   |   So I'll just sleep on the couch   |   The big squeeze   |   Need captions   |   Sammy-in-the-box!   |   !   |   My bed keeps getting smaller!   |   Hanging Out   |   Nap Time   |   I Don't Wanna Take a Nap!   |   Too Big For My Cat Tree!   |   A Box!  |   Are They Pictures of ME?  |   Still Sucking Toe  |  Hanging Out In Mommy's Office  |  Too Big for My *BIG* Bed!  |   I've Lost 0.25 Pounds!   |   Too Big for Mommy's Lap!   |   While Mommy Wasn't Looking, I Grew Up!   |   Eating Wears Me Out!   |   My Sunbeam!   |   I Like Sucking My Toe   |   My Favorite Spot!   |   Meowy Kissamouse!   |   Having a wash on Mommy's desk!   |   A beautiful sunny day!   |   Too big for my tunnel!   |   Still Too Big!   |   Hanging with the Gang !   |   Just Hangin' Still

Movies:

I'm a movie star!   |   Toe suck - the movie   |   Going round in circles!  |   Doing a little cleaning