WHERE'S MY DUCKY?

There it was at my feet. A blue “fishing pole” with a knit ducky attached to the end by a string. The fishing pole came moving forward towards me and then fell at my feet. There it was waiting for me to pick it up. It was the first thing I did every morning. My Bengal cat was ready to play and his favorite toy since he was four months old was the ducky. It was his favorite thing to do and whenever he was ready to play, he let me know by bringing the ducky from wherever it was in the house.

The game was rather simple. Use the “fishing pole” to hide ducky under the bed while Beau waited for the right time to pounce on the toy. Sometimes he liked to hide under the bed ruffle and wait for the ducky to swing by. Then at times he liked to have ducky up on the bed where it could hide under the covers or fly up in the air. That trick meant that Beau had to catch his prey in the air and bring it down to his level where he could show ducky that he was the king. The game fascinated him and it was played more than once through the day. Each time he brought the toy to me and begged to play.

Cats are known for their independence and usually when I want to spend some time with him in my lap, he could seem to care less. He will jump down and walk away. Then when I am really busy he becomes very insistent that he wants my attention. He will crawl over the computer desk, sit down on the bed while I am trying to fold clothes, or sit on the back of the rocker and put his paws in my hair. For some reason that satisfies him but the resulting hairdo is much less than perfect. But then that is why I like cats. I appreciate their personality and rather than make them behave I have to “read” their facial expressions or body language. I have the challenge of meeting them on their own terms.

There is a wonderful comparison between my cat and his antics and my relationship to God. Unlike my cat, I don’t have to get God’s attention. He is always there and hears me whenever I call upon Him. I can call upon Him and don’t have to wave anything back and forth to get His attention. He always has time for me and even when I have lost my way He still is there beside me. He knows my emotions and doesn’t have to play a guessing game to see if He can find me. Isn’t it great to know that God cares enough so that I always have His attention!

PAINT YOUR CAT???

Paint your cat? This must be some type of joke. Certainly no one would ever consider painting his cat. Each breed has unique characteristics and one of the more interesting factors is the texture and color of the fur. Tuxedo cats are basically black and white; tabbies are orange or gray striped and Siamese have a light cream-colored fur with distinctive blue eyes. When I discovered this email in my inbox I wasn’t sure exactly what to think. It was unimaginable to even think that someone would have the time or incentive to consider painting a cat.

Yet as I scrolled through the email, I discovered some of the most unusual cats I have ever seen. Cats that were painted with black and white stripes to resemble a zebra or skunk. Cats with purple and yellow colors around the face that resembled a mask. One cat was painted in two shades of blue around the eyes to resemble a blue morpho butterfly. Other cats boasted butterfly masks in shades of purple and blue with tinges of red. One cat was painted with red and green stripes; another cat was painted in blue and green plaid to match its owner’s kilt. One cat’s face was painted to resemble an owl while two other cats slinking across the ground had the traditional plaid colors of a giraffe. One cat was painted white with blue heart over the main body part. And, yes, there was a patriotic cat that was painted red, white, and blue. Stripes were painted horizontally over the main body and the posterior of the cat was done in blue with white stars. If you could come up with an image that interested you, then you could paint your cat accordingly.

The most obvious question that hovered in the back of my mind was why would anyone ever consider painting a cat? The process has to take quite some time so how long does it take? How do you ever manage to keep a cat calm while painting? What kind of paint is used? Could the paint be harmful to the cat? Where does someone go to get his cat painted? How much does a trend like this cost? I know I love my cats and they are a part of my family, but you wouldn’t ever find me even considering the option to paint my cats.

Cats are basically independent animals with a personality all their own. They don’t come when they are called. They may be finicky eaters and have no set boundaries. The kitchen counter or top of a table seems to fascinate them but try keeping them off and you may find it somewhat difficult. Cats love to climb and furniture can be a wonderful place to exercise and sharpen their claws. Cats show love but according to their own whim. Just try to pick up a cat and give it a hug when it has a mind of its own. But when you are the busiest and really don’t want to be bothered, the cat will twist between your feet or jump into your lap and insist that you spend time with it. For me, I love the challenge and the personality of having a cat. In fact, I have five cats right now—two tabbies, two tuxedos and one Bengal.

If you really want to find out about a person’s true character, watch the way that he or she reacts to a pet. If they reach out in kindness and love, they are someone who is loving and kind to others. If the person gets frustrated or angry because the cat doesn’t mind, then it is quite likely that this person will easily become angry or frustrated when they interact with humans. If the person goes so far as to throw or toss the cat into the air this same person will be prone to violence. And yes, I have seen cats literally tossed across the room much to my chagrin. Even such an odd prank as setting a cat’s tail on fire (and, yes I know someone who did this) shows insensitivity. If I have to choose someone to make friends with it would be the person who was able to show love and kindness. And if I had to choose between some people and a cat, the cat just might come out ahead.

For the Christian we can make a parallel between the painted cats, our lives and sin. Although the cats were painted in various colors and styles, the basic animal was the same. Underneath all that paint, the cat was still a tabby, tuxedo, Siamese, or Persian. The paint only disguised the outside. It was done to appease the owner and probably as a status symbol. Cost didn’t seem to be a factor and it certainly was a way to get a conversation started.

We can put on the outward appearance of being Godly but underneath we can be role-playing. As children we are taught that our heart is black with sin before Christ comes into our heart. When we accept Him as our Savior, his red blood washes our heart clean or white as snow (Psalm 51:7 and Isaiah 1:18). If we are Christians who only go through the motions then our heart or parts of our heart are dotted black with sin. No one is perfect and we don’t always reveal everything about ourselves to others.

Every little thing that I have tried to hide from others will be seen under the microscope of God’s eye. All aspects of my life will be open before God and He will judge accordingly. The Bible has many references to sin but there are two references that I like which goes along with this theme. Psalm 69:5 reveals that “O God, you know my foolishness and my sins are not hidden from you”. I Corinthians 4:5 tells us “Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the heart.” We may fool others but we can’t fool God.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The cats were painted for various reasons and they came in all sorts of designs and patterns. What pattern and colors are being traced over the pattern of our life? Will the pattern and completed picture be one that will honor God? Will our life really be pleasing to Him?