Pets

A previous commentor accused me of hating cats back in the This Is Stupid post.

Anonymous said...
So... you don't like cats? Is that what you are trying to say?

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I love pets. Just last shift we had a fire where the home was pretty much a total loss. The residents were out of the area. We rescued their two cats from the basement after we found them while searching for people.

The cats were very scared, wet, hot, and one had the hair on his tail burned. Animal control would not come out to take custody of the cats until the next day, (the fire was around midnight). So we took the cats back to the fire station in the engine. I stopped at safeway on the way back and talked with the manager about getting some cat food. You see, we didn't have any money on us. So there I am standing in safeway at 2:00 AM wearing my dirty bunker gear asking the manager for a free bag of cat food. He gave it to me of course, (I paid him after I got off duty).

We cleaned the cats up, fed and watered them. The owners stopped by and retrieved their cats later. Many, many times I have seen the positive influence pets can have on people. They truly are a blessing on us humans. They give us an opportunity to put into practice stewardship over creation and can help lead us to a certain degree of faith and knowledge of God's love. Caring for another life and nurturing it can give us some insight in to God's care and nurturing of us. When those pets die, they leave us with a very real sadness.

A friend's pet recently passed. It was a cat and was so magnificent that it was named "The MagnifiCAT".

Here is a poem dedicated to pets and their owners.


Because I'm only human,
it's sometimes hard to be
the wise, all knowing creature
that my cat expects of me.

And so I pray for special help,
to somehow understand
the subtle implications,
of each proud miaowed command.

Oh, let me not forget that chairs
were put on earth to shred;
and what I like to call a lap
is actually a cat-bed.

I know it's really lots to ask
but please, oh please, take pity;
and though I'm only human,
make me worthy of my kitty!

Author Unknown