Ugly Cat, Sam

When my son was growing up, we always had one or two dogs.  He loved his dogs and was never fond of cats.  One day when he was married he took in a stray kitten.  He fell in love with this skinny kitty.  They called him, Sam.  My son taught Sam to take walks with them.  He didn't use a leash but that cat would never leave his side.  He also taught him to fetch.  He would throw a ball and the cat would go get  it and bring it right back to him.

Well one fateful day, he called me and said, "Sam is missing."

I told him cats do that, and he'll be home.  Yet, my son was adament.  That cat would never leave me. The weather that week was snow and ice and one of the biggest snow storms to hit Oklahoma in decades.  This only added to my son's worry. I was worried more for my son than the cat.  Eight days went by and no sign of Sam.  We had given up and my son had to face facts.  He was truly grieving for his cat.  Then, on the eigth day his secretary came to him and said, "I think I know where your cat is." My son didn't believe her.  She said that she could hear his cry in my son's pickup.  He pulled the pickup apart and found him wedged in the wheel wheel.  It took quite the effort but the cat was saved: minus most of his face and rump.  Whenever the truck turned right, the wheel would rub his face and left turns took his rump out.  The cat was a bloody mess, litterally,  Most of his face was gone and his rump was festered.  Kent ran him to the vet who wanted to put him to sleep, but Kent wouldn't hear of it.  The vet was amazed that as long as my son was by that cat the cat would put up with the vet's caring for him. 

My daughter-in-law with her new baby didn't want the sick oozing kitty in the house so my son kept him the garage.  He stayed with him most nights until bedtime.  This cat lived for his visits.  When I went to visit the kitty, Sam, I was horrified.  His face and mouth were distorted but I found him purring away and growing himself. 

My son told me kiddingly, "I don't have mirrors in here, so he doesn't know how ugly his is.

Sam is fine today except that is one ugly cat, Sam.