TGIF
There’s nothing more confounding in life than this.
Sometimes, doing the right thing… brings very wrong results.
When I first met Smokey he was hiding in a bush next to my driveway, crying for a meal.
(As a side note, if you hear a cat crying, they’re probably talking to you…that’s not how they communicate with each other…)
I lured him out…he was thin, tired, sick, missing teeth, and very hungry.
We developed a relationship and I saved up to get him neutered and treated for his maladies and he’s been here ever since.
He’s not thin anymore…he cleaned up well…
I assumed that would be the happy ending of another cat rescue story…but happiness is hard to find among me and my cats.
Miss Kitty alternately is terrified of and him and angry with me.
She fears coming in and won’t stay when she does.
She’s lost at least a quarter of her body weight and I’ve lost most of my dignity carrying food around the neighborhood calling for her.
Now, it’s getting cold out…
My other strays feel the same way about old Smokey…sometimes I see them looking for ways to sneak around him and come in for a snack, but they are very uncomfortable when they do.
I’m heartbroken.
Miss Kitty has been my friend for over 10 years and the rest have been here for years as well.
I’ve always been able to integrate new cats into the family…but not this time.
I might lose my best feline friend for trying… when I thought I was doing the right thing, the good thing.
I still believe I was.
God brings situations in front of us and asks us to represent Him in those situations.
He expects us to do the right thing, and the Spirit in His kids yearns for righteousness…to set things right.
He doesn’t ever guarantee the results.
Sometimes you see the fruit of your work, sometimes you pay the price for trying.
Sometimes, you lose friends.
Do the right thing anyway.
The end of the story doesn’t happen here…
Make your own application…
(Miss Kitty’s portrait courtesy of John Shaffer)
Cat drama….. story of my life 24/7. I vote for Miss Kitty… and the bruiser has done ok outside til now.
Loved your comment about losing your dignity walking around the neighborhood. She’s obviously mad at you for ‘going out on her”…. how dare you.
We have a deaf cat… He is too nutty to keep inside, though that would be safer for him. And he is on anti-anxiety medication to mostly stop him from peeing in the house, defending “his” turf. We hope he eventually learns to share with the girls, who aren’t going anywhere.
To ‘call’ him in at night, we stand out on the front porch and CLAP. I’m sure our neighbors think we are completely wack. Oh well.
Cat people. Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.
I vote for Miss Kitty, too. She deserves a peaceful ending to her life.
I don’t accommodate bullies. Even if he doesn’t appear to be a bully to you, the cats recognize him.
But what to do with I have no suggestions. Craig’s list? I’d just make him stay outside. Offer him a food dish a good far distance from your door.
Smokey is learning to be good cat and I don’t want to abandon him.
However…Missy has come in the last three nights and I’ve locked her in…she’s eating ok and I’ll keep him out until I get her healthy.
I tried to give her melatonin for her anxiety,but she just threw that up…saving for CBD oil next…
I think the neighbors would have me committed at this point if I stood outside clapping… đ
Be glad you have problem cats! My daughter has a rescue horse. She needed a companion for her mare. They are herd animals… Even though gelded, he has made old Gracie’s life miserable trying to establish his dominance… over the water trough, over both of the feed piles, she is not allowed shelter in the run in shed when the wind is up now.. .
I’d swear she asked to come in the house with me this morning
If is true that the Church returns on horses, God will put a favored saint on Gracie… not sure who will be on Trooper… MLD? maybe… .?
This could also apply to church gatherings. We lost a few folks from our church because we âallowedâ a homosexual couple to attend worship services. My thought was, âHey, theyâre hearing the Gospel preached and being loved on by some very gracious people. Itâs the best place for them.â
Em, âMLD maybe?â
Youâre hilarious!! ?
Look into CannaPet for a safe, feline source of CBD. https://canna-pet.com/
It’s not that expensive.
Rocky is on legit Rx anti anxiety meds… the CBD didn’t help….but he is wack.
Captain K, glad you knew it was a joke…. I tend to agree as to welcoming the gay community, but what to do when they demand affirmation ? ? ?
Offered to this fine community for what its worth. Some folks I worked with were, well rather, well broken/struggling/needing help. Something, trust me, one should never be in faith communities in my personal experience. Unless there is an apologetic value. One lady I helped had some struggles, she tended to shove things in parts of her body, out of decorum I will not describe some parts. She did manage to take out one eye with a fork at meal time before started working with her, during a meal she got a hold of a fork and went after the remaining eye and went right for it. I managed to get my left hand in the way, and she sank that fork down deep. I deflected it and we went on about the meal. That was rather common in my job, I am paying in spades for that now with the fractures and nerve damage issues.
I know I begged God for healing for her and others, prayed prayers, as disgusting, stupid and pathetic as this sounds even tried to bind the evil one etc just to help irrelevant but well it is what it is. She did get help through medication and behavioral interventions. These people defined me, being the dumb A$$ I am I let them. I do not regret it but maybe I should. I will admit this the one time every single time I saw such folks relax and not act up etc was during mass with some old priest that would just be there for them. Of course the mass is of Satan and all that is of the new world order taking over America or what ever. Yes people talked like that to me. They found a moment of peace, sometimes that was enough.
I never quite got why this type of stuff made evangelicals so angry, it does, trust me, but I dont get why it does. Offered for what its worth.
“We lost a few folks from our church because we âallowedâ a homosexual couple to attend worship services. ”
I guess it all depends on how people define the “worship service” and its purposes.
I think in historical Christian tradition the “worship service,”in a very broad sense, is where people come to have some sort of “fellowship” with God/Jesus. I see nothing wrong with anyone coming as long as they aren’t disrupting others.
I also understand in some/many traditions openly unrepentant people are not be allowed to participate in certain parts of the assembly. Now the problem is making a list of what those openly unrepentant sins are that would exclude people from participating.
I think the only issue becomes that slippery slope of “allowance” when what was an “abomination” becomes “acceptable” and now “who god made me.”
Just rambling…
Thanks Capt.
Brian,
Wow, what a story. You obviously have a gift for compassion for others, esp. those with mental health issues.
I think much of the Church, esp. the evangelical version (I don’t find this so much in the mainline churches and among Catholics), doesn’t do well with human weakness in general and mental illness specifically.
I have a friend who was a counselor and she told me that in an alcohol rehab program, the evangelical believers were always really tough to work with because they were in strong denial about the fact that they had a weakness for alcohol in the first place. It’s really sad. Apparently you pay a price for not being able to accept reality, even if it’s painful.
evangelical believers are the victims of compromising leadership… anything to keep butts in the… keep the head count up… my late husband and i saw this trend begin to do damage in the late 60s…
earlier on another thread we were talking of favorite verses… “depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never know you…” guess some in our churches have never read that one
The evangelicals tear down the Catholics.
The Anglicans tear down the evangelicals.
The Catholics look askance at the Anglicans.
The Baptists tear down the ânot true Baptistsâ.
The Methodists split with the ânot true Methodistsâ.
Etc.
Meanwhile Satan just laughs as we all live out his plans and the rest of the world asks âwhy would we want to be a part of that? They are all just like usâ.
Cut it out.
There is a very funny cat commercial out now for homeowner’s insurance. It shows a cat “with a thousand years of tiger DNA” stalking the house waiting to create mayhem for the owners. I will think of your Smokey next time I see that commercial! I am worried about Miss Kitty also. Maybe the cats recognize something in him you don’t see? An extra helping of that “tiger DNA” maybe ? We have two Cocker spaniels ( hubby is allergic to cats). Our pups definitely have their own staff including groomers, pet sitters, vets, and personal cooks ( we have to make their food at home due to heath issues). They are worth it to us, though!
“Cut it out?” Folks ere do a pretty good job of dialog with disagreement . … Or so it seems to me…. ?