Dear Supporters of Sammy,

I like to believe that Sammy is all sweetness and light. When I arrive in the Community Room each week, I like nothing better than to pet her. I like nothing better than to hear her purr. And I like nothing better than to see her nuzzling and socializing with other cats.

So it came as a big surprise the other day when I was visiting because for the first time I saw the dark side of Sammy. What? Sammy has a dark side? Let me explain.

Usually, I find Sammy in the window box gazing out at the birds and squirrels. Or she’s sometimes on one of the chairs that surround the center table if she wants some alone time. A few times I’ve found her cozily snoozing on a comforter, which covers a rather large cage, which sits in between two windows. On those occasions, she’s surrounded by her ardent admirers—Hunts, Tux and Puzzle—fan club extraordinaire. And, I guess, I assumed any cat could join that club.

I was wrong.

The other day when I was with Sammy, petting her, a sweet cat wandered over. Now I suspect all she wanted was some attention, too. Often in the Community Room, as soon as I enter, I feel like I’m the Pied Piper because cats suddenly appear out of nowhere and wander over to me, looking for attention. Pet me, they meow. And this was the case with this very sweet multi-colored brown and gray and white cat.

Well, as the “competition” for my attention moved closer, Sammy took notice. Her purring stopped as she laser-beamed her glance on the intruder. And then Sammy’s little mouth issued a low growl. “Competition” stopped and regrouped. The growling stopped. But when “competition” started to move forward again—towards me, not Sammy—the hissing began.

I did what I could, telling Sammy that hissing was beneath her, that there was enough love to go around, but Sammy clearly didn’t see things that way. Luckily, “competition” got the hint and jumped off the comforter-covered cage before the disagreement went any further.

Immediately the hissing stopped and the purring began. “Competition” was not part of Sammy’s fan club. A minute or two later one of the black-and-white cats hopped over on the cage, and everything was fine. He knew the secret password, I guess.

Don’t ask me to explain Sammy’s behavior. I can’t. Maybe she was having a bad morning! In any event, I have to believe that in a week or two, I’ll see the two of them cuddled somewhere on a blanket, no doubt in the window.

Sammy and I want to thank you for your continued generosity to Tabby’s Place. We’re super excited about the new addition—Quinn’s Corner—that’s scheduled to be built and dedicated to housing for cats with FeLV (feline leukemia).

We hope that you have many opportunities to enjoy the warm summer weather that we’re experiencing.

Your correspondent,
Kate