Cathy the Cat and Unexpected Blessings
Saturday morning Remy had a visit from her best friend for the first time in several months. The best friend's grandfather had died during the summer and the family wasn't doing much socially - grief has that effect. But anyway here comes Remy's friend and her mom and we're all excited since it's been so long since we've seen them.
I noticed our cat, Cathy, sneaking towards the open door, and shooed her away. She is an indoor cat, fixed, with no front claws, and has no business being outside, but temptation is a strong motivator to a cat. The door, however, hung open for some time, and I did not neccessarily keep my eye on it the whole time it was open. In the afternoon, Allisyn took the kids out for shopping and swimming. I injured the muscles in my left chest during the last move, and have been moving furniture and boxes still and just trying to butress up against the pain - I ran out of pain pills long ago, and am undergoing physical therapy once a week, which just makes everything hurt more. So I took a nap while they were gone.
At dinnertime I noticed that when I put food in Cathy's dish that she didn't come - usually the sound the dry food makes when it drops into her dish is enough to summon her. I checked all her usual hiding places and noted that she had to be gone. Somehow Remy found out and, friend or no friend, started whining and bawling. I didn't handle it well - I can't stand to hear anyone whine. But I knew she could'nt help it - she's really attached to that cat, who usually runs away from Remy.
I went out to look for Cathy three times - once in the evening after dinner, once at dusk with the flashlight and once after dark with my car. The first frost was forecast for that evening and I knew Cathy could be in trouble if she wasn't able to find warmth. If she had been out, I would've found her - at one point I thought I saw something peeking out of the woods, and I called out "Cathy?" But it turned out to be an opossum, who darted back in as soon as it noticed I was human. I called "kitty kitty cathy meer pretty kitty kitty brrrowwwwll kitty kitty kitty" so much that I became hoarse. My neighbors, I'm sure, we're overjoyed hearing me call out Cathy's name so many times as I did.
I did not find her. My daughter cried herself to sleep - the friend was helpful in keeping her calm. Remy had a bad night, tossing and turning, talking about the nightmares she was having in her sleep. We somehow made it up to go to church, and for some reason the power went out in our block just before we left.
At church, Remy went up to the altar to pray. I was touched; I'd never seen her do that on her own before. I went to the altar myself and prayed next to her; we both knew what she was praying about.
At home I was unpacking more boxes. I had left a bag of loose cardboard flats that I'd used to separate records in the car, and the bag had broken open and the flats were scattered everywhere. Allisyn commanded that I clean up this particular mess, so I went to the car and gathered them to put in a locker where we are keeping a bunch of records in the back. I noticed that a door which is not usually open, leading to a large electrical panel for our building, was ajar. Someone was doubtless working in there because the power had gone out. I thought to myself "I bet you that's a room where a cat could go in and hide." And sure enough, I peeked inside and there, huddled in a corner, was a familiar ball of fur, streaked with cobwebs, wet and ratty. I called out "Cathy?" She poked up her head, looked me in the eyes, and began to cry.
I gathered Cathy up and carried her triumphantly back into the apartment. My daughter leapt in joy and my wife thanked me and decalred me a hero (!) She was trying to figure out what to do if Cathy never did come back. Actually, Cathy ended up no more than 100 feet from our apartment, but due to cold and no food she was too weak to make it back, so she hid.
You may say it was coincidence that led me to her, or simply my dogged persistance in finding her. Believe what you like. But I think it was the prayer. Get two people to pray together on the same subject and you can move mountains. Anyway, I like being called anyone's hero, though I regard the outcome of this adventure as a blessing. But I doubt that Cathy appreciates any of the prayer, tears and searching which led to her heroic discovery. After all, she's a cat, and she's still trying to get outside.
Uncle Dave Lewis
udtv@yahoo.com