To those who know her, November is my cat Samantha's Birthday.  She is 15 years old and still going strong!  Samantha was born in 1996 in Wayne, New Jersey and ended up in the Friends of Wayne County Animal Shelter.  It was love at first sight, and I brought her home the same day. 
Samantha has survived living outside in the wild in Vermont when she got lost at the age of 1.  She escaped from the house in early October and after a few sad weeks, we realized she most likely was gone forever.  Six weeks later; however, at the first snowfall of the season, she showed up at a neighbor's house, hungry and cold.  I was very thankful and considered it a miracle that she had survived.  I guess there is some truth to the saying cats have 9 lives!