Deepfork's Samson

1988-2004

Meet Deepfork's Samson, my 16-year-old cat. Since I had web pages for each of my dogs, I thought it only fair to make a page for my cat, Samson.

I got Samson as a gift from the animal shelter in Independence, Kansas, after writing several newspaper articles that helped keep the shelter open during a difficult time. Samson was one of the wards at the shelter, and he was about one year old when he came to live with me.

Samson's life was one of ease. His main job was to keep my home insect free, and he did an admirable job throughout his life as my personal Orkin cat. He was a well-traveled cat, having lived in Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and several places in Kansas. Samson was pretty much a one-person cat. He bonded to me quickly upon his arrival, and other humans never interested him. Many people found him to be cantankerous, but he was always loving to me. It is true though that Samson was most happy when he had something to complain about.

Even in his old age, he still found time to argue with my youngest dog, Jericho, who liked to herd the cat. An indoor cat, he spent the summer days looking out the bay window in the front of my house and the winter months sleeping in the corner of the den over the spot where the heating vents leave the furnace to warm the rest of the home. His world rotated around his food bowl and his availablity to his comfortable sleeping spots.

Samson died in the fall of 2004 from a fast-appearing and faster growing lymphoma. He is greatly missed by his canine brothers and sister and by me. Our home is a little sadder without the gray guy sitting silently on the back of the sofa, watching with aloof interest the antics of his doggy siblings.

And now, the insects are finding free and easy living in my house.