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As a true animal lover and advocate, I have been saddened and angered by the many stories I’ve seen and read, over the years, about the flagrant disrespect, impatience, cruelty, and harm with which some humans treat animals. If we can’t be kind, gentle, and loving to animals how are we going to treat each other? God calls us to reach out and care for the least, the last, and the lost. This includes animals. I had always felt compelled to speak out on behalf of animals against this injustice, but never had a clear direction on how to do so; that is, until the Holy Spirit gave me the “nudge” of a lifetime.
My compulsion quickly turned into a heartfelt, inspirational mission as I began to recall the precious memories of my sweet cat, Mix, who passed over 20 years ago, as well my gentle cat, Lexi, who passed in 2022. Mix was the first cat I had ever owned and I believe that she was the perfect cat: gentle, loving, kind, loyal, and completely welcoming of me giving her zerberts on her tummy as she purred away! She showed me extraordinary love, loyalty, understanding, and patience for the nearly 21 years I was privileged to have her as my little girl. Only now, after she has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, do I fully appreciate Mix as the amazing gift she was. I had my second cat, Gracie, years later; she was a sweet, playful kitty who developed a brain disorder that changed her personality. When she was only two years old, her illness caused her to physically attack me. Her veterinarian told me the only option (for her unbearable pain and for my safety and the safety of others) was to put her down, which I did – leaving me with both physical and emotional scars. After dealing with PTSD resulting from that attack for around three years, I decided my love of cats was far greater than my fear of them, so I adopted Lexi from a local shelter. Another gift from God, she was exactly what I needed: a sweet, calm, gentle, loyal senior cat. Heartbreakingly, Lexi developed an inoperable cancer tumor after only living with me for about a year and a half. I had to put her down in January of 2022. While I cannot apologize to these sweet creatures for my ignorant “pet parent” flaws and faults now, what I can do is pay homage to them through the creation of this book and show my most sincere gratitude and love to Mix and Lexi for the ways they truly saved my life.
In the first Creation Story found in the Book of Genesis, God created each aspect of our universe and world and saw that each one was “good.” In creating the “creatures,” God never indicated that two-legged creatures were better than or preferred to the four-(or more!) legged creatures. Each creature is precious and beloved in God’s sight! We are all interconnected with, and interdependent upon each other. That means that the dominion with which humankind was granted must be understood and exercised in the same way that God exercises dominion over humankind: with love, grace, understanding, patience, forgiveness, respect, kindness, and compassion. What a wonderful world it would be if we could love, respect, and care for all of God’s creatures (two-legged and four-or more-legged!) every single day! That goal, dear friends, is possible – and not difficult at all.
Just ask Lollie, Micks, and all of the wonderful animals from the Rainbow Bridge!
