Mercy and a Mangled Cat

For reasons I’ll write about when I’m able, yesterday found me at animal control, otherwise known as “the pound”.

I do not ever go to this place as I do not have the emotional filters necessary to conduct myself as a reasonable adult on the premises.

To be blunt, I begin weeping when I walk in the door and that weeping becomes sobbing and I embarrass myself and those who accompany me.

All those cats and dogs waiting in cages for someone to love and care for them overwhelms me and whatever dignity I think I possess.

The tears flowed within the first minute of being inside when a cat that looked just like Miss Kitty ran the length of his cage to greet me.

“He’s been here for months”, a kindly volunteer offered…

As I struggled to get a grip on my emotions, two burly Hispanic men holding a large box hurried in through the door.

They had found this cat and this cat needed help and they were hoping they had brought it to the right place to get help.

I looked inside the box and the cat was close to beyond help…it had been mangled by a dog and it’s wounds were horrible.

The little guy was frightened, but with a strange peace…he knew he was badly hurt and at the mercy of strangers for life.

I began to cry and pray over the cat…it was all I knew how to do.

A volunteer explained to the men that the cat would have to be assessed by the veterinarian and that due to the extent of its wounds it may or may not be euthanized.

They had the option to take it to a vet themselves, but treatment would be at their considerable expense.

They left the box on the floor and departed.

I tried to comfort the kitty, finished my prayers, and stood up to continue the business I had come for.

As I said “amen” the door opened, the men returned, and one picked up the box.

They would take the cat to the animal hospital themselves.

I was no longer the only one in tears.

The events of the rest of the day have left me utterly shattered, but I wanted the world to know about two men who left work to rescue a helpless creature and chose to save it because it seemed right to do so.

God knows their names and may He bless them abundantly.

They also gave me a clearer picture of what ministry should like like in a world where we’re all broken…we just carry our cages with us.

It all begins and ends with sacrificial love and mercy unearned.

Now, if I only cared about people as much as I care about cats…