How I Was Captured by a Surprisingly Unusual Cat
From Day One, I had always been a dog person. I had absolutely no use for cats.
In contrast, what's not to like about dogs? They're always happy to see you. They would cheerfully give their life to protect you. Dogs are warm and affectionate. They greet you with ecstatic whimpers and a tail wagging fast enough to start a tornado.
Photo courtesy of Erik-Jan Leusink and http://unsplash.com
Cats?
Not so much.
On a good day, a cat will ignore you. Most days, a cat will sidle up to you and purr for a while. And then, with absolutely no warning, it will turn, claw you deeply enough to draw blood, and dart away.
Having made these general observations about dogs and cats, for the first half of my life I hadn't the time of day for a cat. Then in the mid 1980's, the neighbor's who lived above us had a cat that had kittens.
Two of the little siblings, one a tabby, the other more or less solid tan, got in the habit of wandering down to our house. Once here, they would revel in all sorts of mischief. This did nothing to improve my attitude toward their species.
Some days they would simply lie opposite one another on our front porch, each licking the other's fur.
Other days, the two kittens would make their way into the garage (unbeknownst to me) and get utterly lost and hidden.
Our garage at the time was full to the gills with an incredible amount of junk; household goods being stored for a brother in the Navy, yard sale treasures, and boxes of still-packed-up-things from when we moved in years earlier.
When I'd step out to the garage through an inside door to get something later in the evening, I would sometimes hear a pitiful mewling. The next half hour or would be wasted hunting for the little demons. Upon finally locating the kittens, I'd take them outside and throw them up the hill, back to their home turf.
Photo courtesy of Simone Dalmeri and http://unsplash.com
Now, before you call the SPCA on me, let me say a word or two in my own defense.
First, as you may already be aware, cats always land on their feet. It's built into their firmware, a little gift from God that protects them from injury in the day-to-day life of a cat. BTW, I've heard that astronauts have studied and learned from the dynamics of cat-landing, and have been able to apply those motions to maneuvering in a zero-gravity environment.
My second defense against cruelty is this: Because I was throwing the kittens up the hill, the actual distance that they dropped from the top of their arc to their landing place was only a very few feet.
Photo courtesy of NASA and http://unsplash.com
I eventually got in the habit of tying the two kits together with a long piece of telephone wire the minute they would show up. That way, when they got themselves lost in the garage, I could at least find the middle of the wire and reel them back out again!
Fast-forward several months...
Fast-forward several months, and both kittens were now full-grown cats. While I didn't see much more of the tan, the tabby kept coming by to visit. For reasons still a blessed mystery, he seemed to have adopted me.
For example, I'd pull into the driveway after work and get out of my car. Our house boasts a very long, covered front porch. As I'd be walking towards the door, tabby cat would come racing past me and then stretch out across the path, blocking my way completely. It was as if he were saying "Where have you been? I've been waiting here for you all day!"
Tabby cat developed a knack for dashing through even the most slightly opened door, into the house, down the hall, into the bedroom, and up onto our bed. There he would lie, like a king on his throne surveying his domain.
He also took to joining us on the sofa while we watched television. There he would make himself at home beside me or on my lap, and occasionally would "let his motor run" as an expression of apparent contentment.
Photo courtesy of Jens Kreuter and http://unsplash.com
During those years, we hosted a weekly group in our home and we would study the bible together. I recall one of those evenings long ago. Everyone had said their farewells and driven away. Some time later, we noticed a car coming back up our private road and into the driveway.
"Is This Your Cat?"
A knock at the door. "Is this your cat?" Tabby had apparently slipped, unseen, into their car and made it all the way home with them before being discovered!
I believe that it was this innate friendliness and sense of adventure that ultimately led to my tabby's demise. He stopped showing up at our house. Days went by; I'd look and hope for him to appear, but nothing. A week. Two weeks. Sorrow.
My best guess is that my little friend went on an adventure in the woods behind our house. There, he met Mr. Coyote, sidled up to him, and inquired: "Can we be friends?"
Photo courtesy of Ross Sokolovski and http://unsplash.com
Licking his lips, I suspect that Mr. Coyote's reply was "Sure! We'll be the best of friends." And sadly, I'm sure you can imagine the rest of the story.
Two kittens, treated with equal disdain.
One who not only became attached to me, but who somehow, mystically, magically captured my attention and then my heart. How could this be?
The LORD, as they say, moves in mysterious ways.
Since developing that relationship with tabby cat, I have been much more open to other cats - though still, to be honest, a tad cautious!
Believing as I do that tabby cat, as well as myself, are both creatures created by the Maker of the Universe - you may have heard Him referred to as Jesus - my sadness at the loss of my little friend is tempered by hope.
You see, the Hebrew/Christian scriptures teach me that the God who created all animals also has a high regard for them.
The scriptures have also persuaded me that Jesus has literally, personally, singled me out (among many others) and set His love on me. He's promised me that I need never fear death. Why? Because He has bestowed on me a never-ending life.
Like Woody Allen, I want to achieve immortality by not dying. Unlike Allen, I believe that I know what will make that possible.
Background Meme Image is a portion of an image courtesy of NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration (HubbleSite: gallery, NewsCenter) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
What does that have to do with my little tabby friend? Well, Jesus-God has said that He will one day soon create New Heavens and a New Earth. Persuaded (as I am) that the One who originally created that little tabby beast truly loves me and has my best interests at heart, I intend (when I see Him) to ask Him to re-constitute tabby cat. I think He will.
Hello? Reader? Are you there?
Nice to meet you. I'm so glad you stopped by today to share a few thoughts with me. Please drop me a note by clicking "reply" below? I'd like to know what you're thinking. And, if you like what you've read here, please "follow" me and upvote what you like.
This story is absolutely tremendous! I loved reading it. I have a rescued tuxedo cat that loves me very much and I love her, too. I don't know what she has been through before she belonged to me, but she stays as close to me as she can get. My husband says she walks around crying when I'm not home. Anyway, awesome story! I like how you surrounded the story in Jesus-God. The whole story warmed my heart to the point of near-tears. Thank you so much for sharing and for letting the tabby into your heart. Well done, my friend.
Hello, @dottie,
I am so very happy and thankful that you discovered my story and that it was meaningful to you! :) :) :)
You've made my day with your lovely, constructive, and relevant comment. Although earning Steem for writing here on Steemit is nice, it is reaching appreciative readers like you that keeps me here!
P.S. I actually typed most of this earlier today, but somehow it didn't get posted... Thanks again! :) :) :)
I will check out more of your writings! You are a very good writer. I am glad you continue to stay here, creatr.
Thank you very much, @dottie.
I have in the past maintained a Topical Table of Contents. It is unfortunately a bit out of date now. I'm trying to persuade the powers behind Steemit to keep their promise and make it possible to edit older posts. If they do that, then I hope to re-vamp my table of contents. However, you might find it a useful guide to some of my writing. Just click the GIF below 😄😇😄:
This is a really great story. It actually reminds me of how we got one of our cats a few years ago. You never know. That cat might still be alive. I had a cat I kept at my dad's house as a kid. It disappeared one day. Six years later our cat showed back up. She had unique markings so we know she was the same one. We have no idea where she went but she was fluffy and fat so I guess she was taken care of.
Thank you so much, @marxrab. I'm glad you liked the story.
I would like to believe that my friend cat survived and found another place to live. Even if he did, this happened so long ago that I think we're now well beyond the normal life-span for cats...
It makes me smile, though, to hear about your fluffy and fat cat coming back... :)
Aaaarrr, monsters i say! coyotes seem to be the only things that are truly dangerous to most cats. there was an impromptu statistical study done, by a vet in NYC, when they began to notice a new phenomenon, cats jumping from high rise windows. it turns out, that more cats who fell from below 6 stories are injured worse than those who fall from greater than 6. this is not a commentary on throwing them a few feet. it is to say, cats are remarkably durable, unless they get holes poked in them, which coyotes do, or run over. tabby sounds to have had a peaceful cat life, in languid, leisurely cat style. there are always monsters lurking about but, only rarely do they dare show their faces. still we should always take care. monsters.
It is funny how there is that one cat who can capture a dog lover's heart. Great story, thank you for sharing.
You're welcome! It was your great cat story that inspired me to write mine... Thank YOU! ;) :)