Blessings in Disguise...Through a Cat Eyes

Blessings come in many forms. The cat you see in this blog is one of many unexpected gifts from God that I am thankful for. There are those of you out there that are not fans of the furry little felines. I was in your camp, that is, until Patches came into my life. His entrance came just at the right time. I have always considered these creatures to be more of a pest instead of a pet. The impression I had of cats was this; they shed hair easily, they're nosy, those claws can do some damage, and well, a bit on the snobbish side. They only want the attention when it benefits them, and at no other time will they be bothered with the humans. Well, I was in for a lesson and a blessing. This was all thanks to God who knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and I believe He might even get a little enjoyment out of surprising us with the unexpected.


I've always been a "Dog, Man's Best Friend" type of guy. Every pet that I ever had was of the canine family. Skippy, a mix breed Terrier, whom I had for a number of years before his passing in September of 2012, was one that I had become very fond of. My wife had gotten him from the pound, and Skippy became a regular part of the family. There are many memories that came as result of our relationship. It is a bit cliche, but animals do really become a big part of our lives, and when they die there is emotional loss that comes along with this. Skippy had medical problems that became progressively worse as he aged. He was having a hard time getting around, and because of this we decided to have him put down. This was a struggle, but regardless of how much I wanted to keep him around, it was only humane that we let Skippy go. About a month prior to this, Mr. Patches came into the picture. God meets you at your need, even though it might not appear to be much, you soon learn the value that His blessing has.


So, here I am dealing with Skippy's worsening condition, and in comes this cat that introduced himself by constantly meowing at my back door. He keeps returning, such a persistent little bugger. I have a soft heart when it comes to animals in general, so I began feeding him on occasion. I could tell that this was a young cat, and it was apparent that he did not have a home. In our neighborhood there are a lot of strays, and I believe Patches to be the progeny of a pairing of two in the wild. Needless to say, you could tell that he came to me with sort of an attitude. He continued coming to the back porch, I continued to feed him, and then I found myself placing a cardboard box with blankets outside because the weather had turned cold. I was not the only one giving in this relationship, Patches would nudge me and want me to pet him. I still had two dogs in the house, so I was unsure about inviting a cat into the mix. My wife and I then decided that we would take him in, so off to the vet we go.


Okay, here's the scenario. We take in a stray that has been born into the wild and lived in this world on his own for the majority of his young life. He's survived the only way a cat knows how to survive; by fighting with other felines for food and territory. The vet's report was not good, now remember I have a soft spot for animals. Patches had not been sleeping inside our house as of yet. We had been letting him in during the day when we were home, but he was remaining outside at night. My wife and I were not completely ready to keep Patches inside the entire time, that is until we received the news. Patches has been diagnosed with Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The vet asked the dreaded question, "Do you want to put him down?" He explained the pros and cons. Don't get me wrong, my vet is not a callous man, he was simply stating what I already knew. That is, for Patches to live a halfway decent life from this point forward and avoid all the dangers of living out in the wild, he would need to be inside. This would prolong his life, and he could not infect the other cats in the neighborhood. Immediately, the choice was made to keep Patches and take him in as a pet.

He was given his shots and taken home. I was very surprised to see how well our two dogs, Harley, the Pug and Gimley the Pomeranian. These dogs, Harley approx. 9 yrs. old and Gimley about 2 yrs. old, as you can imagine have their own personalities and are both set in their ways. But the three of them acknowledged each other, and for the most part got along fine. Patches has been with us now for a little while, and he is still very healthy.


This story is an example of how God sees your hurt and pain and meets you at that discomfort. Regardless of how small we may think our problems are, they concern us so they concern God. Blessings can come in many forms. I believe this to be true for myself and Patches in this situation. I received comfort through an unexpected visitor, while he got a new lease on life.


Realize that we have a Father that cares. He will provide comfort and peace when we are in need. Our problems are His problems, and only He can solve them. Let Him.