Sam the Cat Receives Funding From STARelief

At STARelief, our Aid-A-Pet Grant Program was set up to help pets just like Sam, a five-year-old male cat that required perineal urethrostomy surgery to survive. We invite you to read Sam’s touching story and how we were able to help a loving family in East Hartford.

Name: Sam

Sam was a gift from a Mom Maryann to her two children when she divorced. Even though Sam’s beginnings were difficult, this little fellow hung in there and became the family pet in a loving home. But he did indeed have hurdles to overcome.

In 2007, Sam, along with 12 other kittens was found by a couple who lived in Windsor Locks. Cries from nearby woods could be heard by the couple and from following those cries, they found 12 small kittens. With gentle care, the kittens were fed by eyedroppers and unfortunately this lifesaving couple couldn’t keep all 12 of the kittens.

That’s where Maryann stepped in and took two of them—Sam and a sister they named Pearl. Smiles were abound at Maryann’s home, especially from daughter Kara who had recently lost her cat Patches. At just five weeks, Sam and Pearl settled into their new home, comfortable and secure yet still their future wasn’t bright.

Sam and Pearl’s young life without their Mom meant some special caretaking from Maryann and her kids. At such a young age, they couldn’t apply flea medicine to protect them so they gently bathed them each and every day. The kids even took Sam and Pearl into the shower with them to ensure no fleas would invade their tiny bodies until they grew big enough to receive needed flea medication. Even at this young age, Sam and Pearl were a joy to Maryann and her family—once being lost for hours until the family found them in a lazy Susan snuggled up together napping—this alone reveals just how small these two kitten siblings were!

Because they were so young when found, Sam and Pearl’s owner Maryann was told by vets since the kittens hadn’t received proper care from their Mommy cat, their chances at living a long life were grim. Still, Maryann and her kids remained confident these two kittens had beat the odds—they were alive and growing. Sadly, in the summer of 2012, Sam’s sister Pearl passed away—the vet’s predictions had come true. Pearl was truly missed by Sam and his “adopted” family and then things got worse for poor Sam, the lone survivor that grew into an adult cat.

Outcome: It is common for male cats to develop blockages in their urethra causing painful or no urination and this is just what Sam faced in late 2012. Sam, void of his sister yet still in the loving arms of Maryann and her children had only one chance at survival—perineal urethrostomy surgery at a cost of $1,700!

When antibiotics and warm compresses didn’t work, Maryann contacted STARrelief and asked about the Aid-A-Pet Program available to those in our community who are in financial distress and can’t afford pet surgery.

With the help of our generous donors, Sam was able to receive the needed surgery and vet care and is now home purring in the arms of Maryann and her children—especially daughter Kara.

At STARelief, we love pet stories with happy endings and although Sam’s entrance into this place we call Earth was rough, we are thankful for families like Maryann and her children who are willing to take in stray animals despite the tough times they may face.

Now, fat and happy as the Cheshire Cat, Sam now has a happy and loving home that we think is PURR-FECT!