Animal Instinct

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement:

An Animal’s Instinct

            When God made animals that could be domesticated, he knew they would teach us important principles and delight our souls. Simon was such a cat. An abandoned Siamese, he stumbled upon our house, a thin, bedraggled animal that hovered around the edges of our property. His obvious need of food touched the heart of our youngest son and garnered handouts from left overs. Day by day, he grew less skittish and bolder in his approach until he finally allowed my husband to pick him up and take him to the vet for a needed checkup. Simon expressed his gratitude for rescue from homelessness with plenty of satisfying naps on various family laps. He was lavish with affectionate rubs of our legs. Our youngest son spent vast amounts of time petting him.

One day, Simon demonstrated the amazing ability of animals to sense human needs. Unknown to us, our younger boys decided to ‘wash’ our van. They had a great time flinging water around from the hose when our youngest decided he needed to scrub the top of the van. From the window, I saw him climb up and stand; but I didn’t reach the door fast enough to demand he get down before his bare feet slipped on the wet roof, and he fell head first to the ground.  In horror we snatched up our bawling boy and brought him to our bed. While we were calling the Doctor, alarmed that he might have a concussion, Simon jumped on the bed and curled himself around the child’s head. Our son quieted. The cat stayed around his head. Following the Doctor’s instructions, we watched him for any danger signs, but he never showed any.

Did the boy’s cries summon the cat? Did the cat sense that his head was the area of concern? Did the heat of the cat around the head help? We don’t know. But we were amazed at the immediate response of the cat, and the calming effect he brought. Our son was fine with no repercussions from his fall. If we pay attention, we can sense God’s involvement in our concerns. In times of distress, we can ask Him to make His caring evident.