Rainy Day Thoughts

It's raining today; not a downpour but rather the slow drizzly kind that dampens the spirit and seems to go on forever. And while spring is coming, the chill still seeps into the marrow of my bones.

This morning I have climbed into Cat-Dad's lap and snuggled into his robe as he does his early morning reading. My thoughts wander as I drift in and out of a light sleep. Lying here safe and warm I can dream about the future that he has so often described, a future where cruelty is a shameful thing of the past. A future where hunger and abandonment, overpopulation and physical abuse, are only darkly suppressed memories within the collective mind of an enlightened human society.

I dream also of our future together and envision our lives fifteen years from now. As an Elder, I see myself once again snuggled in Cat-Dad's lap as he reads on a damp and rainy Monday morning. The chair is bigger as is our home. Kittens of all ages still chase each other through our house. However, importantly, there is no longer need for them to receive medical and psychological care to repair damage done to them by humans. Their stay is merely transitional, on their way to predestined forever homes.

Yes, I have pleasant thoughts and dreams whenever I am lying close to my Cat-Dad. It is my fondest desire that before I pass on I may see even some small evidence of change in human society as a result of the work that we and countless other animal rescue groups across the nation continue to do. It is a shared vision that together we can not only embrace, but also see achieved.

I am only one small cat and the task of creating change is enormous. However my belief in this vision is strong and my confidence in the part we play is steady. Cat-Dad teaches that the size of our success will always be directly proportional to the size of our belief.* I accept that and it is the reason I can rest here, confident in knowing the work we do this day will benefit those in countless generations yet to come.

With love for all,

Noel
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By the power of faith every enduring work is accomplished.
- James Allen

* David Schwartz - The Magic of Thinking Big

The Warmth of Love

This morning I awoke with a start as a strange foreboding made my spirit shiver. Something cold was going to happen, but I did not know what it might be. I opened my eyes and was comforted to see that Cat-Dad was still sleeping beside me. Deeply I pressed back under his chin, which has become my permanent sleeping spot at night. He would keep me warm. It was his promise that Christmas eve of 2006 when a rescuer brought me to him, almost dead from pneumonia, starvation and cold. As if an unconscious message had just been relayed, his arm moved to cover me and press me closer.

How well (and frightfully) do I remember being cold. It was always that way on the street, especially at night as a kitten all alone when I huddled against the wall of an alley instead of being at my mother's side. It was there I also learned about hunger. As I now lay warmly wrapped in Cat-Dad's arms with the knowledge that breakfast would soon be provided, I thought about those first months of my life on the streets. How different it is now. Cold, hunger, and loneliness are things of my past and I am so thankful for my life. I have important work to do in feline and human rescue. Surely, no cat could be happier than me!

Cat-Dad has told me that humans who have other humans who deeply care for them live longer and happier lives. I believe that must also be true for cats who have someone to love them. The warmth of Cat-Dad radiates not only from his body, but from that inner love he has for me and all of us who come to this rescue/foster home. It is the source of his healing power of which every one of us has experienced.

Well, it turned out that my foreboding feeling was right. Today it snowed - hard - paralyzing the city and making travel extremely hazardous. The temperature fell far below normal for our area, but this time, I was on the inside of the window looking out. I never forget how easily fate could have arranged instead for me to be on the outside looking in. I thought of so many other cats who are still in that situation and rededicated myself to our commitment of bringing warmth and food to those in need.

The task of a working rescue cat is never done. But perhaps for just this little while, I will close my eyes and revel in the comfort that has been given to me through the warmth of my special person's love.


With love for all,

Noel
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