Tears and Rain-Farewell to Sam

In early February I fostered a cat who had been living wild in the village for a while. A lovely American lady had adopted him for a short time but he terrorised her cats, and rather than have him euthanized she brought him back to Céreste and let him go again, where he found his way to me. I rang her to tell him I could foster him until I had to go back to Ireland at the end of March, and set about the process of getting him and my dogs used to each other. He's a very sociable cat, so every time I met him out on our walks I would pet him and let the dogs sniff him, no problems there, so I bought some cat food and tempted him into the house. Where he took refuge on one of the chairs which I had covered with another chair to keep the dogs from hopping up on it. A convenient safe place for him !

Sam Hiding

He went off investigating.

and the dogs and Sam quickly became friends

He quickly had us all dancing to his tune, the way cats do. I had hoped he would use the kitchen window as his cat door, but although he would go out that way, the jump back in was too high for him, so he would go out that way, and a few minutes later work his way back round to the front door !
There were many times when I got up at night to go down and break up a fight on my doorstep, and let him in !
As he got more used to us he would follow me and Roxy on our walks, even crossing the main road. He would tarry, investigating this or that, and then suddenly there would be a whoosh, and there was Sam running between Roxy's legs.
All this time the lovely American lady, Leah was trying to find him a permanent home, and last week she succeeded. But first he had to have vaccinations, a blood test, a microchip and get his passport. Leah was to collect him Saturday morning to take him to the vet. She dropped a cage off beforehand so I could get him used to it, and I fed him in the cage from then on, but he was very suspicious.

Saturday morning early I put food in the cage and tried to close the door, but quick as a flash he was off, and dived behind the kitchen unit. I'd forgotten to close off his favourite bolt hole, and there was no way he was coming out. So plans had to be changed, and it was agreed he would go to the vet Monday morning and then straight on the train to Paris to his new home.

Sunday dawned dark and threatening, the first rain for months was forecast for that afternoon.

So off I set with Roxy for our morning walk, and of course Sam came with us.

I kept him indoors for most of Sunday, and Monday morning , with all bolt holes blocked off, I put him in the cage. Leah collected him at 9:30, and I said my tearful farewells to him in her car.

He was a gentleman, all through the vet's, the car journey to Aix, and the long train journey to Paris. The last I heard he was hiding behind the furniture in his new home, but I know that in a couple of days he will have settled in and started to organise his new family to his ways.

Au Revoir Sam, it was great to be your friend for a few weeks.