21/10/2022
Sammy's Story
Sammy, a beautiful, black, longhaired cat, was the first cat rescued by Best In Show Cat Rescue. His outgoing, loving personality has stolen the hearts of many and has enabled him to achieve world renowned success in the show ring. He is now the ambassador of the Best In Show Cat Rescue. This is his story...
When the pandemic shocked the world in 2020, everyone was suddenly forced to only participate in entertainment activities that did not put them indoors within six feet of another person. Being no exception, I decided to take my bike out one evening for a ride around the neighborhood. I had done this several times before, but every ride was uneventful until the night I almost ran into a cat that was sitting in a driveway. Being unafraid of me, I assumed that this was someone's outdoor cat but I was concerned that he did not appear to be very well cared for. Noticing a neighbor across the street, I approached her to ask about the cat. She explained that the cat was just one of many in the area and that they had been there for years. She did not appear to be at all concerned with the situation and seemed to think that I was overreacting, trying to assure me that the cats were fine and that there was nothing to worry about. Upon speaking with other neighbors in the area, I was met with the same indifference regarding the situation. Ignoring their reactions, I knew that these cats needed help.
I quickly biked home and immediately began researching my options. It soon became apparent that help was unavailable -- especially for feral cats. I knew that if I wanted the situation to change, I had to change it myself. Frantically searching online for resources to help me, I learned of Michigan Humane's Feral Cat Colony Caretaker program. Upon becoming certified through this program, I felt that I had a good understanding of the basics of TNR. After conducting more research and developing my own strategy to trap and care for these homeless kitties, I finally felt relieved knowing that there was something I could do to help them. I was ready to start purchasing supplies!
Within a couple of weeks, I had all of my supplies and I was ready to put my newfound knowledge to use. Ironically, not long after I met the homeless kitty on my bike ride, my two cats (indoor only, of course) alerted me to a black, longhair kitty outside of our home. I started leaving a plate of chicken outside every evening for him. Without fail, my cats would spot the black kitty around dusk every night, coming to our house to eat the chicken. They began to anticipate his arrival and would run from window to window to look for him, as soon as the sun would start to go down. After the black kitty would finish eating, he would stare up at my two cats through the window -- all seemingly engaged in engrossing conversation. Sensing that my cats wanted me to help this kitty, I knew that he would be my first TNR subject.
Trapping the black kitty was easy but socializing him took some effort. I think that he previously had a home indoors but after being forced to survive on his own outside, he had started becoming feral. I could quickly see how appreciative he was to be inside though, so I knew that his days on the street were over. I had him neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped, and decided that his name would be Sammy.
Undoubtedly, Sammy’s life would not have lasted much longer had I not caught him when I did. He became very ill not long after being caught, suffering from a rare type of worm that is not easily detected. Thankfully, he made a full recovery. Soon afterward, however, his eyes became completely clouded over from infection. I was afraid that Sammy would lose his eyesight but after diligent treatment, the infection cleared.
Although Sammy turned out to be a wonderful house cat, I was not planning to add another member to my family. My plans were to focus on helping more homeless kitties in my area. But after numerous attempts to rehome Sammy, I finally gave up when I decided to enter him in an upcoming cat show. The only cat show that I had ever competed in did not go well because the cat that I took did not enjoy it at all. Sammy seemed different though, so I thought I would give it a try with him.
Sammy quickly learned to love showing... the traveling, the crowds, the attention, the treats. From the beginning, he was a natural - turning on his show cat persona whenever he was in the ring. In his first show season, his achievements far exceeded my expectations by placing among the top 25 household pets IN THE WORLD.
I could not be prouder of him and what he stands for. He proves that every feline life is valuable and worth saving. But every cat lover knows that it does not take a ribbon or a title to prove a cat's worth. The endless love and joy they give us makes them all winners. So please do not look the other way when you see homeless cats on the street. They may just be waiting for your love to turn them into your next winner.
