In April of 2006 I lost my 18 year old cat, Patches, to cancer. The day she went across the Rainbow Bridge , the vet had a cat for adoption named Shadow. Shadow was over a year old, but still young so I promised her I would get her a playmate. We contacted our vet to let them know that we were looking for a second cat.  

A month went by and an animal shelter rescue group contacted me. They said that they had just rescued a male cat and wondered if we would be interested in adopting him. We went to meet him and they brought out a cat named Delta Sonic. He was very scared and his fur was dirty and matted. We found out that he was originally adopted through the SPCA, and the couple that adopted him broke up. The cat went with the girlfriend, but got out somehow. He made his way from one part of town to other, without any front claws to defend himself. When I looked at him his front paws seemed turned out and his jaw didn't seem right, like someone had abused him.  

Delta Sonic lived under a nice lady’s front porch for a year where he was fed by the lady that lived there. He got the name Delta Sonic because in the winter months the workers from a Delta Sonic car wash would let him stay in their shop to keep warm.  

I thought he deserved a second chance for someone like me to love him just as I loved my former cat Patches. I didn’t want to keep the name Delta Sonic so I changed his name to Sam. He is black and white and has what looks like a mustache under his noise. The first night he hid upstairs in the bedroom and was doing a lot of growling and hissing. I decided to sleep upstairs so that I could bond with him. The second night he remarkably came around. He jumped right in the bed with me and started purring and drooling (he drools when he is happy).  

Sam is 6 years old and 14 pounds. He is a big cat and likes to eat constantly, since he still isn’t sure where his next meal is coming from. He has no desire to go outside, probably reminds him of where he was a year ago.  

He loves to sit in the window or on the bed. Both Sam and Shadow like to race around the house. Sometimes you think that Sam is taking advantage of Shadow because he is bigger. But by the end of the night they are sleeping together and cleaning each other just like they are old friends. He will have a happy life in my household and is loved very much by me.