So, in any case, Sammy!

I don’t know why Kathy (my wife) and I are so inordinately pleased by Ozma having a cat-friend. Part of it is her enthusiasm. Say "Sammy!" and Oz is ready to go, looking at us and on point.

Part of it is Sammy's enthusiasm. How many cats come when called, and from a block away, just to greet your dog?

Part of it is the mechanics of it all. Being a dog, Oz can't meow. (I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.) However, she knows meowing, and so if I meow when we're in Sammy's neighborhood, she looks around for Sammy. On the other hand, if we're in Sammytown and Sammy isn't, sometimes she'll stop on her W and look up at me, saying, essentially, "Hey, this is when you meow," a look that might also be translated as "Um, dude?" or "Hello, Mcfly!"

Most of it, though, is the sheer pleasure of their interaction. When Ozma and Sammy are together, both of them are clearly so happy that it spills over. Oz will push towards Sammy quivering, smell a nose or tail, depending on which way Sammy's twirling, and then turn back towards me, jumping and licking as if to say, "This is so cool!"

Recently they had a quintessentially them interaction. This being Washington, it was another lightly misty day, with the weather shifting from light rain to mist to simple 110% humidity and back. This meant that Sammy was willing to dart out from the garage to say hello, but wasn't that eager to stay in the rain. Since Sammy's humans leave the garage door open about a foot so Sammy can come and go as he pleases, after greeting us Sammy ducked back inside.

However, Sammy loves us, so he stuck his nose out. Oz loves Sammy, so she stuck her nose in.

They met under the garage door… and then Sammy started walking back and forth inside, pacing in his "I'm a cat, pay attention to me walk." All we could see when he was walking was the paws, but then he'd stop and stick his nose under the door to check on us. Oz would do the same, and the two of them walked back and forth the width of the garage, alternating who was sticking a nose under the door to say hello. And I followed with the leash in the rain. And everyone was happy.