Purrs, cuddles, and insights into the mind of God

So we adopted two kittens this week 🙂

We got them from the Austin Pets Alive’s Town Lake Shelter, and when we saw the little furballs crawling upside down in their soft carrier, we knew they were meant to be part of the Huemmer family. We had names picked out before we got home.

Now, I’ve never had cats before. I’ve never even seen myself as a cat person – in fact, for most of my life I’ve been allergic to them. So I was a little surprised to hear, as part of our adoption talk, that the shelter recommended that we keep them as indoor-only cats because of the dangers of the outside world (coyotes owls, disease, to name a few). Since I’ve only ever been a “dog person”, I was a little disappointed. While I knew I couldn’t play fetch with them, I had looked forward to showing the cats our garden and playing with them in the hammock.

Letting them outside, explained the adoption worker, would make them long for the outside, whereas if we kept them inside, they would never know what they were missing. That seemed to make sense – you can’t be tempted by something you don’t know about right?

We would create a kitty paradise for them inside, a place with games and toys and fun times, so that they wouldn’t long for a world that was dangerous. Isn’t this like what God intended for mankind in the Garden of Eden? He meticulously crafted and placed everything in the garden for the enjoyment of mankind – knowing that man would still willingly choose to leave it. I spent the days before the kittens came home laying out everything neatly in the bathroom and even asked a vet friend of mine to check it out for any potential dangers. Let’s hope no snakes tempt our kittens outside!

We couldn’t take the kittens home immediately because they were still very small and needed to get to the right weight to be spayed first. We were both sad that the kitties would need to undergo a surgery while they were so young, but we knew it was best for them. Little did we know we’d also have to give them follow-up oral meds the day we brought them home, which they didn’t like one bit. “They’re good for you sweetie,” I crooned at the kittens, who frowned in disgust at me. And again I thought of our Father, who knows that sometimes what’s best for us isn’t something we’ll like, isn’t something we may even ever recognize the value or benefit of.

The kitties offer insights into how our Father cares for us. These small revelations help us on our path to sainthood by reiterating that the will and ways in which He works are often unknown or incomprehensible to us. As Saint-aspirants, we recognize that and cling to him, calling to Him in love and with trust, regardless of our circumstances or situation (much like a kitten to a hard-to-resist scratching post).

I’m writing this post on the first evening after we’ve got the kitties. Even though I’ve been told that cats don’t get lonely and I know that they have each other to play with, I’m still a little sad that they are at home alone without us for so long. Luckily, our Heavenly Father does not have the same sadness – He’s given us an Advocate, His spirit, to be with us always. As His adopted children, we know that we are never alone and never far from His love.

St. Francis, guard and watch over our pets and help us to be good stewards of God’s treasure of them to us.What have your pets taught you about God? About yourself?

This week’s video song is mostly just plain silly – take a look and enjoy!

 

Note: Reflections in this blog are my own and do not represent the positions of my employer.