I have been blessed throughout the years to have some pretty wonderful and amazing pets. They have brought me a great deal of comfort and many laughs. While I like both dogs and cats, I am partial to cats. I remember when we moved to Ohio from California. I was a pretty lonely little girl, having been uprooted from everything I knew for the first eight years of my life. We lived in a subdivision and there were lots of kids to play with and now I was living on a farm, and it felt like the middle of nowhere. I would grow to love the farm and still to this day miss living on a farm.
But one day that first summer, my dad came home from work or somewhere, I was sitting at the dining room table, and he walked in and as I looked up at him, out popped the cutest orange kitten. I was in love immediately and we were inseparable for many years until he took to wandering. Tom cats have a tendency to wander. My favorite memory of him is seeing him sitting beside dad at the ponds. Dad would be fishing and every time he caught a wee little bass, that is what the ponds were stocked with, he would toss it over to Morris, my cat, and Morris would gobble it up. The cat would eat those fish until his belly was so full, it would drag the ground.
And then there was Rex. He was a silver German Shepherd. He loved to lie on top of his doghouse just like Snoopy. He hated thunder and was afraid of pillows. If you didn’t want him in a room, just lay a pillow across the doorway and he would not cross it for any reason. He also loved to eat ground bees. He would find a nest, dig around it to stir the bees and then as they flew out, he would catch one and chomp away all while being bit by the bee. And then once he finished it, he would start the process all over again. He was our constant companion and wherever we were on the farm, Rex was there too. And if you knew his name, and gave him pets, he would be your friend forever.
I could tell so many stories about all the other pets I have had throughout the years, but that would take a book, and this is just a blog. Right now, I have two cats. One a recent addition. Atlas, my older male, has decided to let the new kitten, Watson, stay. Atlas is also a pretty chill cat. He rarely meows, loves car rides, walks on a leash, and adores my husband. As for Watson, time will tell about his personality. We think he is about 5 to 6 months old, is also not much of a talker, however, he purrs all the time. One thing I do know is he is a cheese thief. My husband and I were snacking on some cheese and crackers the other night watching a movie, and when we weren’t looking, Watson stole a piece of cheese. The only reason we discovered the theft is he is not a very quiet eater, and I looked to see what he was chewing on…a piece of cheese nabbed from our plate.
I am sure all of you with pets could share your stories of the joy pets have brought into your life. I personally can’t imagine life without them. I am grateful for the ways we are able to interact with other animals to the point where they become friends and are just as excited to see us as we are to see them.
I am writing about my pets to encourage people to support their local Humane Societies. Many are full to over-flowing and need the extra support for people to foster, support their efforts, or adopt a pet. My only caveat to those who want to adopt, is to please do it because you are willing to make a lifelong commitment to the care and feeding of a pet. My cats have lived to be 17 years old. I had a dog that lived that long too. If you are a bird fan, many parrots can live up to 50 years. That is quite the commitment. Make sure this is what you want. I also know that sometimes life circumstances happen, and you are no longer able to care for a beloved pet. Please make sure you have someone who is willing to take on the care and feeding of your pet(s) if for some reason life happens.
Pets are gifts that teach us what God meant when he gave humans dominion over the world. And dominion in scripture doesn’t mean dominate, but to care for. God delegated authority to us to care for creation. Pets help us learn what that means so we can do the same for the rest of the created order. We are caretakers. We need to do a better job.
Peace,
Beth
Beth's Blog 