Sammy carefully surveys her area, placing one paw before the next, scratching at the air, all the while sniffing out new scents. Curious but cautious, the kitty playfully finds a fellow foster feline, who sends her on her way after a quick swat.

The lanky, shiny all-black kitten is quickly getting used to her new reality after losing much of her sight and hearing following a reaction to anesthesia during preparations for a routine surgery. The kitten stopped breathing, but quickly revived with a shot of Adrenaline.

"It's rare, but it can happen in humans and animals," said Bobbi Heller, executive director of Felines & Friends, the nonprofit group that specializes in "second chance" animals. "She was oxygen-starved and technically died."

The cat stopped breathing for less than a minute, but that was still plenty of time to do damage. And, as is often the case, the shot to revive her heart sparked a seizure. It's not known if the sensory loss is because of the lack of oxygen or from the effects of the seizure or both, Heller said.

Sometimes animals recover their senses in the first few days after such a reaction, but Sammy's loss appears to be permanent. The cat does react to light and notices loud noises, but that's about it.

A family had adopted the cat, but decided to relinquish her because of other pets in the home. Two rambunctious dogs and a couple of other cats posed a safety risk for the blind feline.

"It was a heartbreaking decision for them, and they loved her, but they were worried she would get injured," Heller said, adding that the family dogs were used to playing with Sammy, but the humans were afraid she would be hurt.

Now homeless, Heller is fostering the 14-week-old kitty at her office. She's hoping to find the perfect family for Sammy, one that doesn't have small children or energetic animals that might trip on the cat the group has nicknamed Helen Keller. Aside from a few common-sense practices, the Sammy needs no special care.

It's not the first time the group's taken a blind animal under its care. Several years ago, the nonprofit found a home for a blind cat named Jonathan. He's adapted fine to his environment, which includes a blind dog and other sighted animals. In fact, Heller said, Jonathan often finds toys before the other animals.

But it is the first time Heller's handled an animal that's come so close to death and pulled out of it. Some have questioned why a decision wasn't made to euthanize Sammy, but aside from the sensory loses, the she is in perfect health.

"If she were suffering, or continued to have seizures, or was in pain and couldn't eat, then we might have considered it," she said. "But she's simply disabled, and there's no reason to put her to sleep. There are people all over America who don't see or hear and they've adapted fine. And I think there's a home for her out there for a kitty with a story."

While all animals are monitored carefully before, during and after surgery, there are rare instances in which animals react unexpectedly to anesthesia. Heller said one animal recently had trouble with the anesthesia for dental work. It took the cat three days to recover.

"There's no way of knowing how an animal will react, but I don't want people to worry," she said. "The reality is, thousands of surgeries are performed every day without any incident. It's a fluke, and a little bit of a miracle that she came back."

Sammy would probably do fine with a calm dog, appreciates the company of other felines, and loves to be held and touched. An older cat might be a good mentor for Sammy, Heller said, one who can help teach her to play. She enjoys playing with scented toys.

Sammy quickly adjusted to her new environment and would likely do the same at a new home. She easily found her food and litter box, but those things shouldn't be moved once she's developed a routine, Heller said. It's also not a good idea to move furniture.

"She's really been honing her other senses," Heller said. "After the first few days, she stopped bumping into walls."

Her presence also has been helpful with another foster cat that's looking for a permanent home. PettiPaws, a somewhat dominate feline, doesn't much like other cats. But Sammy doesn't realize that, Heller said.

"PettiPaws will hiss at her, but she can't hear and doesn't know," Heller said. "So she'll walk straight up to PettiPaws and PettiPaws doesn't know what to make of her."

Those interested in learning more about Sammy or PettiPaws may contact Felines & Friends at 316-2281(CAT1) or visit the website at www.petfinder.com/shelters/NM38.html or e-mail askfelinesandfriends@yahoo.com.

Hitting the ice for felines

It's been more than a decade since Sylvester the Cat hit the ice, but last week the wily feline dusted off her skates to help raise funds for Felines & Friends.

Sylvester, better known as Bobbi Heller, executive director of the nonprofit, was a part of the skate-a-thon at the Frances Dorsey Memorial Skate sponsored by the Genoveva Chavez Community Center with the Santa Fe Skating Center. The event paid homage to Frances Dorsey Burke, a beloved skating instructor and former figure skater who died in July.

Sylvester's 55 laps around the rink generated $669 for the group, bringing the fundraising total to almost $1,500. That money will help dozens of homeless and ill cats, Heller said, including Sammy.

Burke's former students with the Santa Fe Skating Club organized the event, skating to Burke's choreographed numbers, remembering her with poems and stories and showing a video of Burke's accomplishments. Burke was also an animal lover who left behind a household of pets.

All of the animals, including 15 cats and five dogs, have found homes, said Burke's longtime friend Joe Duran.

"It was a lot of fun," Heller said, and a wonderful tribute to Burke. "It was nice that we were thought of."

One of the group's longtime volunteers, Barbara Schubert, put Heller's accomplishments in a feline perspective: "To the surprise of everyone, Sylvester (no longer a kitten), completed 55 laps, with only three litter box stops. Sylvester, now 7.14 cat years old, did an outstanding job of wowing the crowd with some fancy footwork on the ice. Seen later sipping a catnip cooler and massaging his hamstrings, Sylvester commented, 'I'll probably be sore in the morning, meow.'"

Ben Swan, special projects manager for the Santa Fe animal shelter, writes about animal-welfare issues. Contact him about animal stories and animal-related events at 603-8075 or santafescoop@gmail.com.