Life Lessons I Learned from My Cat

With Spot, a dog she loved

1) Don’t make judgments too quickly. Something that looks undesirable might turn out to be the best.

I really didn’t want the kitten my neighbor brought to me. She looked scrawny, her eyes were runny, she probably had fleas and worms, and worst of all, she was afraid of me. She looked back at me with incredibly blue eyes and I saw only fear. She was all white except for her ears (which were brown) and her tail (which was black). My daughter wanted to call her Dipstick. If I’d had a choice, I would have sent her back. But I couldn’t. She was feral, didn’t have a home, and would die if she had to return to the lumber mill where she’d been born. I was stuck.

Yet this kitten turned into a sweet, lovable cat, the kind of cat I love. She developed beautiful markings and her black tail was her pride and joy. She curled up on my lap every time I sat down and purred her pleasure at my attentions. Her fur was the softest thing you ever felt, and after a few years of being fiesty (her Siamese heritage), she settled into being a sweet, adorable and very intelligent pet.

Her disgusted look

2) There is always an “escape hatch” from any difficulty and God will provide a way home.

We put the kitten under a table in our utility room and blocked it off so she couldn’t get out. But, being the wild kitty she was, she escaped that horrible cooped in place and found a tiny opening in a window above the washing machine. Having made her escape, she found she didn’t like the outside world as much as she thought. Instead of making a run for where she was born (25 miles away), she hung around and we eventually caught her in a fishing net from under our neighbor’s house. The next morning when we went to see her, and reached into her “cage”, she came to us without fear. From that moment on, she was home. Someone suggested calling her “Sally Forth” but I named her “Talli Ho”,  Talli for short.

So many times I am frantic to escape my problems, only to realize God put me there and He will rescue me when it is time. My inclination is to escape, but He leads me home to His heart of love and I find rest, provision, and safety from harm in His hands.

Talli with our new grand-daughter, Cassidy

3) Always bring your owner a gift. Love goes two ways.

Talli was raised with an old golden retriever dog, so she always felt she was a dog. She growled when someone drove into the driveway. She brought us her toy mouse (or later on, her spider on a string) in her mouth and begged for us to play with her. She tracked down and killed bugs of all kinds throughout the house. She brought us little gifts of dead mice and was horrified when we threw them away. Her best gift, though, was her love. I knew she loved me, and I loved her back. It’s a two-way street.

God loves us with an indescribable, infinite, huge, awesome love, so much so that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. My cat, Talli, did not judge me for my weight or what I was wearing or how much money I have. She appreciated the food and care I gave her, but beyond that, she accepted me and loved me. As simple as that. God doesn’t look at us for what we wear or how much money we have or what the scale says about our weight. He looks at us when we believe in His Son as redeemed, pardoned and justified — His own dear children, co-heirs with Christ, priests and rulers in His kingdom. Revel in His love and return it. It is a two-way street.

4) Spend time with your owner.

Talli is ready to go with me!

Talli greeted me in the morning at my bedroom door and when we were gone, she would be at the front door, ready to say “hi” when we returned. Her little meow (never the loud cry of a real Siamese) was always in my ears, asking for food or attention. She rubbed on my legs when I sat down and leaped into my lap, sure of a comfortable place for a nap. She was my constant companion, and as we spent time together, we grew to love one another more and more. She learned many words and responded to us in her own little ways.

Our owner is Jesus Christ. We often get up and get busy, giving Him only a five-minute “nod” in the morning, then go about our day as if He doesn’t exist. Yet He is longing for our fellowship. Like Talli, we should delight in His presence, spend time on His lap, and curl up for a nap in His arms. We should invite Him into every waking moment of our lives. As we learn His ways and His Word, we will grow to love Him more.

5) Implicit trust is essential in your relationship with your owner. 

Talli would often beg to go outside just before we left on a vacation. I would tell her “no”, and even though she knew that word, she would look at me with those big blue eyes and I could see in her mind the question, “But why won’t you let me out? It would be so easy. Just lift your hand and turn the

My dear kitty for 14 years

knob.” I couldn’t tell her that she would starve to death if I let her out that morning. She had to trust that I knew the best.

We can’t know God’s ways and thoughts entirely, and He can’t tell us what His plan is for us in the future. I beg Him to answer my prayers the way I want, and when He says “No,” I tend to be disappointed in Him and shun Him for awhile. Yet He knows what is best for my life. Implicit trust is essential in my relationship to Him. I need to believe that He loves me and knows what is best.

These are a few things my cat, Talli, taught me. She is gone now. After living 14 years with us, and becoming too ill to lead a happy life, we had to say good-bye to our dear friend. I am comforted by the thought that I will never have to say a sad good-bye to my friend and companion, Jesus Christ. He is with me always, even to the end of the world. Praise His name!