Cats, Rats, and Yack Attacks!: July 2008

Can a book change your life? Perhaps it can…I know that the truths of God’s Word, in the Bible, can.

What about a work of fiction? Or, is it fiction? For me it was a re-affirmation of who I know my Daddy, my Abba, my Jesus, my Blessed Holy Spirit truly are. He is who He is!

As someone else has already said, “ If you read one work of fiction this year. Let this be it”.

Whether a work of fiction or a stunning, inconceivably miraculous truth, this book can transform you in ways you could never imagine. This is a story, not of religion, but of the incomprehensible power of God’s LOVE and grace. This is a story of truth. It will bring you to tears and laughter. It is unconventional, imaginative, and overwhelmingly beautiful. It can heal your pain and lift you to heights of joy, of love and praise and glory you never dreamed of.

You may find a faith you have never known or believed could exist in your heart. You may have your faith strengthened and fortified in glorious ways. You may find answers or you may come away with more questions. I believe this is one of the most beautiful and spiritual books I’ve ever read.

This book is the prayer of thousands, the pain, the joy, the search for God’s truth…wonderfully expressed by one blessed man. I have been mightily blessed and I pray you will be also by reading “The Shack” by William P. Young.

Thank you Papa, thank you Jesus, thank you Sarayu…
and thank you Willie and Mack. I have been blessed.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life:
music and cats." ~~ Albert Schweitzer

So…now it's time for a little cat yack attack!

Cats, cats, kittens in mittens...how
many humans are smitten with kittens?
How many kittens can fit in a mitten?
How many rats can a cat attack?
~~Boomer G Kat

Well, enough of that! ;o) Although cats are a source of so much humor and intrigue and there is so much to learn about cats.

Wow, a post on cats could be a daunting task. I think for now I'll just
focus on some cat-tivating facts about them and their appeal to those of us who love and are possessed by them.
Yes, you read that correctly. One does not own or possess a cat. It is we
who are owned by them. I am presently owned by a ferocious mush named
Boomer. Loves his “nip” and loves to nip feet and ankles to get attention.
Maybe it’s in retaliation for having his tail amputated? That’s a long story, but he was “manxed” at the shelter where we mutually adopted each other.(Of course, he doesn’t know he is lacking that particular plumage and does all cat things quite well without it.
So, no “ahhs” of sympathy, thank you.) He’s a majestic long-haired ebony boy who definitely rules this pride with cattitude.

Now let me say this. I am an animal lover, love 'em all, dogs, gerbils,
horses, and so on, and on and on. All of God’s creatures are beautiful to me.
Maybe it’s because so many of them reveal the majesty and mystery of
His creation. So many of them love as God does, unconditionally. Yet, I guess
I'm a real dyed-in-the-fur cat person!

I think part of what I love is their independence (it fits my own personality). They are not, contrary to the belief of those who don’t take the time to understand them, solitary creatures. They can seem haughty and they can be aloof. Especially to “non-cat persons” whom they instinctively recognize and will deliberately ignore and avoid. Then again they know just how to really annoy someone who really doesn‘t like them…both modes of behavior just prove one thing…they are pretty darn smart! They are very sociable to those deserving of their attention, but are definitely not pack animals. That’s something that really appeals to me. I don’t want to be a member of a pack, or it’s “alpha male”. I want a one-on-one relationship. Then there's the lack of fawning and drooling...LOL. Cats don't need to be constantly receiving attention, and boy oh boy, they don't always give it when you want it either. For me, and most cat lovers, that's great!

They do, however, have this way of snoozelling into your lap or onto your
work at the weirdest or most inopportune times...LOL. Nothing like a kitty on the keyboard. They have the most creative ways of letting you know they want your
attention-RIGHT NOW!...and reminding you that they are the center of your universe and vice versa. Cats seem to have a mysterious way of knowing when you really need their warm, loving presence and the soul-comfort that comes only from stroking them and feeling their warmth and love. And hearing the lovely sound of purring, that unique “cat music“, that soft rumble of contentment that is so soothing…nothing compares to that.

My furry little friends have dried many a tear and salved many a hurt over the years. Gaze into the eyes of a cat and lose yourself in that unwavering, unblinking stare. What mysteries do they conceal, what makes them accept us as one of them? Oh, to be able to see beyond those orbs, to plumb the arcane depths of a cat’s mind.

They can also be the world’s biggest clowns, and trust me, they know it..

I once had a very special cat, my inimitable Frosty, who loved to play fetch with a pastry brush, of all things. They can amuse us for hours with their antics. Foil balls, bits of paper, little fuzzy things…and don’t forget good old catnip…they make you laugh with them, not at them

They come in all shapes and sizes. From the magnificent and majestically regal Siberian tiger to the adorable little Munchkin. They ooze personality, and even the most ferocious will roll on their backs for a belly-rub, purr like crazy, and behave like a little “pussycat”. What?… You’ve never heard a tiger purr?

As for the intelligence and ability to love humans that even the giants of the feline world are capable of, here’s living proof of that.

Cats have been revered, adored, and honored in many ways since ancient times. The cat was sacred to the Egyptian goddess Bast and the Egyptians pampered and respected them.

In the Islamic world, the cat was respected and protected because cats were loved by the prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam. There is a story that Mohammed's cat Muezza once fell asleep on the sleeve of his master's robe --instead of disturbing his beloved cat when he had to leave, Mohammed cut off the sleeve of his robe.

Cats were honored and protected in Asia because the humans there recognized the value of their services in protecting food crops and the silk worm industry from destruction by rodents.

Rembrandt's etching, “The Virgin and Child with Cat“, shows a cat in an intimate domestic setting with the Holy Family.

Many people believe that, cats, by bringing the rodent population under control, heroically saved humans from complete extinction from the Black Plague during the Dark Ages. By the way, those superstitious fools in the Dark Ages, despite this, believed cats to be evil, in league with the devil and the familiars of witches. They had it all wrong my friend. Nothing so loveable and innocent could be Satan’s cohort.

Throughout the ages they have been admired and adored and the modern world has made them Broadway stars. Oh, and let’s not forget…the inimitable Catwoman…mrrroowww, spit, hiss, and check out those claws in the velvety glove…LOL. Take a gander at that bod, so lithe and sensual! Now, there’s a man’s cat!

Jellicle Cats come out tonight and Grizabella sings of her memories all alone in the moonlight, the music hauntingly, poignantly, beautiful. Can you imagine (if you haven't seen it, what a shame) one of the longest running shows on the British Stage and subsequently on Broadway, is all about cats. Still running in various places. A creature so loved that millions have enjoyed a show that is a tribute to their inscrutability and popularity. Cats, the musical was a delight. Cats, the real thing, are a joy. It’s an incontrovertible fact…CATS RULE!!

"The cat could very well be man's best friend but would never stoop to admitting it." ~~Doug Larson

Will we ever really understand them? Never in this lifetime. God gave us a
creature of incomparable beauty, grace, and mystery...and yes, love. We can only love them as they love us, for exactly who and what they are, share their special world to the extent that they allow, and be blessed by their presence in our earthly lives. Oh, but I so look forward to that blessed future life with the Lord, when I will not only be reunited with all my special pets, but will roll in the grass of Heaven with all those felines I love, from my own little ones to the majestic kings of His kat world!