Sam’s Story – Purina Cat Chow Contest – The Real Stories Project

I have had many fabulous cats in my life over the years; some for just a few years and several for 15-20 years. Cats have added so much to my life, but when our cat Pooh died last year, I thought it’d be the last time we had one. I was wrong.

When my son and his girlfriend moved in with us they brought Sam along. Sam is their longhaired black and white cat with as much personality as he has hair. He definitely has his own mind and insists that we conform to his needs.

Sam is spoiled – his human caregivers admit it freely.  He’s their baby and we encourage it by spoiling him as well. He has several favorite spots to hang out and watch the world go by and he’s generally curious about what’s going on, but he can be found snoozing most of the day.

Sam gave us a scare a few months ago. I went in to play with him but he was nowhere to be found. My husband and I searched the two rooms he was confined to at the time, every nook and cranny, several times to no avail. Thinking he must have pulled a Houdini and somehow gotten out of the room, we searched the house. Still no Sam.

Getting a little desperate, I finally called my son to tell him Sam was missing – it happened to be his first day at his new job, talk about bad timing. After checking the yard and giving into the realization that Sam was missing, I made signs with Sam’s picture and info, and we set about getting ready to plaster the neighborhood with them.

My son came home and walked into his room to change clothes to help us look for Sam and wouldn’t you know it, there Sam was. He was in the room the whole time and to this day we don’t know where he was hiding.

We kept those lost cat signs and sadly we needed them today. Sam’s no longer confined to his room and he freely roams the house. We know he goes outside (we have to leave the door open for our dog with bladder cancer) but he we’ve never seen him leave the fenced yard. That was until last night. Evidently he was outside when I shut the door and now 24-hrs later he’s still missing.

I feel terrible and I can’t believe how much I miss him and his presence in the house. I can’t help but wonder where he is and I’m hopeful he’s having a fabulous adventure and will return soon. I can’t believe how one cat can wrap himself around my heart.

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Purina Cat Chow Contest – The Real Stores Project

Do you have a special cat?

Purina^® Cat Chow^®  wants to hear about it. They’re doing a nationwide search to celebrate cats and the special relationship with their humans. Share your story and you can be one of 5 grand prize winners who’ll each receive $5,000 cash plus a 1-year supply of Purina^® Cat Chow (for one cat). But even cooler, your story could be retold in a Purina Cat Chow video! Plus five runners-up will win $1,000 in cash each and one year supply of Purina^® Cat Chow^® brand cat food for one cat and 40 more stories will receive an honorable mention plus a $100 gift card! There is over $30,000 in prizes available!

Entering is Easy!

Just share 600 words or less about your first cat, why you’re a cat person, how you found each other, etc. There are writing prompts to get you started and then just upload a video or picture (optional) and you’re entered! I added my Sam’s story – you can find it there under Forever a Cat Family.

You get a chance to decide the winner!

Judges will narrow the field of entries down to ten finalists and then you’ll get a chance to vote for your favorite from August 28 to September 18, 2012. Voting takes place at YourCatStory.com and winners will be announced sometime after October 1, 2012

You have until July 31 to submit your story at http://www.yourcatstory.com

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Special thanks to Louise from MomStart.com for sharing the chance to tell you about this great program! Visit Louise’s site for great information on Disney, movies, parenting, food, and more.

Purina® Cat Chow® partnered with bloggers such as me to help educate us all about their Real Stories Project. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to say. Purina Cat Chow believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Purina Cat Chow’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.