ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 19, 1995 TAG: 9512190081
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HILLSVILLE
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS and PAUL DELLINGER
A Canadian is offering a $2,000 reward for Sammy, a black-and-white cat who slipped out of her car Dec. 12 in Carroll County along Interstate 77 near the Hillsville-Galax exit.
"If you call out `Fancy Feast' or `Sammy,' he comes running," Donna Palermo said.
Sammy is 6 years old, weighs about 18 pounds, has declawed front paws and one broken front tooth, and was wearing a blue nylon harness when he slipped from the car. Palermo and her boyfriend, Michael Palermo, had stopped to switch driving duties.
They were traveling between Toronto and Michael Palermo's home in Pinehurst, N.C., and did not realize Sammy was gone until their next stop at Sutton, N.C. Donna Palermo estimated that he got out about 175 miles from Pinehurst.
The cat has a black body, with white on his rear legs, front paws and around his left eye. Palermo says he is large and friendly.
Anyone with information can call Michael Palermo's residence in Pinehurst at (910) 295-8887. Donna Palermo will be home in Toronto the day after Christmas, and can be reached at (416) 241-5925.
Donna Palermo, a registered nurse, was given Sammy by a dying patient. Her last request to Palermo was, "Take care of Sammy," Palermo said.
"I treasure this cat. I've had him for a year and a half," she said. "I'm praying - that's all I can do."
LENGTH: Short : 36 linesby CNB