Hey ... is that cat winking at me?

It's pretty safe to say Sammy has already used up at least a few of his nine lives. But there have also been times that he's qualified for the title of "luckiest cat in town."

Sammy, who is 12 years young, was abandoned some years ago by his owners. A compassionate neighbor noticed this super-friendly (and hungry) fellow wandering around and began feeding him on a regular basis. She would even let him in the house when the weather turned foul. Everything seemed to be going well, but over time, the woman noticed Sammy's eye was severely swollen and rapidly getting worse. She couldn't stand the thought of him suffering, but not having much money, the well-meaning woman took Sammy to a vet to be euthanized. As luck would have it, a local animal rescuer just happened to be at the vet office when Sammy came in, and to make a long story short ... our lucky boy ended up at PAWS.

Sammy was diagnosed with severe glaucoma, and it became clear that his right eye would need to be removed. This resilient feline came through the operation with flying colors. But his road to recovery was interrupted by repeated gastrointestinal upset and frequent vomiting. The folks at PAWS had him examined by a vet, and numerous tests determined that Sammy had an esophageal stricture (a narrowing of the esophagus that makes swallowing difficult). A procedure was performed to correct this, and we're happy to report that he's doing well.

If you're wondering how life's trials and travails have affected Sammy, just take a look at his photo (taken as he purred and snuggled up in the lap of yours truly!). It almost looks as if he's winking at the camera, which I think is a pretty good summation of this kitty's wonderful disposition. It's amazing, but this cat who has been through so much is still the embodiment of sweetness and love. I have no doubt that Sammy is going to be an incredible friend and companion to the person (or people) lucky enough to adopt him. :)