Black Belt Jack Jack

I would describe myself as a life-long animal lover … but not a cat person. The universe had different plans. We were gifted a little black kitten who showed up on our porch one rainy night. This happened within days of us moving to our new house - like he was waiting for us to arrive.

We all had a hand in naming him, each of us contributing a part - Black Belt Jack Jack. Days later we realized that each part of his name starts with the same letter of each of our first names. It was meant to be.

Jack Jack is an outside kitty and is the reason why we have not had any rodent problems, even though we live in a log cabin in the woods. I watched him take down 4 in a day with very little effort. Plus, just the smell of a cat around the property deters rodents. We love the natural pest control.

Jack Jack earns his keep in other ways too. This is the first time my seedlings are old enough to care for another living creature. Lily, our old lady boxer dog, died a few years ago. But this care goes beyond simple food, water and shelter. Jack Jack is a playmate and companion. He elicits compassion and gratitude, regularly receiving love notes from my youngest seedling. Jack Jack follows us everywhere we go. He taught us lessons we didn’t know we needed to learn, filling a hole and making us whole. I am still not a cat person, but I sure am a Jack Jack person.

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Inspired by:

Thanks for your post @exyle, you helped me remember it was #caturday

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I am grateful to find a place with rich soil to grow a community. May we take root, and flourish together.

@Bia.Birch 🌱

All artwork, photographs, and content are original and created by @bia.birch unless otherwise credited