I have always been a dog person. When I was growing up, we almost always had a dog. Several of the favorite moments of my childhood years involved a dog. When I started having a family of my own, it seemed natural to have a dog and so we did. Some of the most intense moments I have experienced as a child and as an adult involved the grieving over the death of a canine friend.
Today, I find myself on the verge of becoming a cat person. That still sounds really weird to say. It’s not that I really have anything against cats, it’s just that cats are so different, and I really don’t have that much experience or exposure to cats. The truth is that when I stopped to get to know the few cats, I found myself routinely being exposed to, they were really pretty cool.
The first such experience involved a couple of cats name Sidney and Pierre. They were the pets of the preacher and his wife of the church in my hometown. Sidney and Pierre were large cats and perhaps that is what was so intriguing about them. They were very friendly as well as being very curious. They allowed me to pet them and particularly enjoyed the massages I would give them behind their ears. They were agile and really rather exotic looking and were content to come and go. They were so much different from the dogs I had experienced. The dogs seemed very needy and required quite a bit of attention. But these cats seemed almost aloof, a bit reserved until you got to know them and then they were quite different.
When Camille and I got married, I discovered that she was a cat person. She quickly learned to live with a dog as I had one when we were married. I watched her slowly adjust to life with a dog and eventually I think became a fan. Andre, the dog really liked her and would often be found sitting in close proximity to her. When Andre passed away, we thought about getting another dog but decided against it. I had had him for 17 years and it was really hard when he died. Over the years since, Camille has repeatedly mentioned getting a cat, missing a cat, etc. Today, I am ready to join the world of those who live with cats and seemingly enjoy it, perhaps as much as I loved having a dog.
What has helped me to get of the idea of having a pet cat is how Camille has shown me that while cats are very different than dogs, they are really interesting and can have a special place in your life like a dog can, only different.
As I have thought about it all it reminds me of how God makes people whose personalities are so different. Some of the most interesting, insightful people I have met have been a bit like cats. What I mean is that they are more reserved and less vocal than some but if you take the time to get to know them, you discover a rich treasure. Our temptation is to avoid breaking out of the relational molds we sometimes find ourselves in. Sometimes we limit the beauty of God’s great world because we don’t value people, perhaps we don’t even see them, primarily because they are different than us.
I honestly am kind of excited about getting a cat. We are planning to start searching very soon and have some ideas of what we are looking for. The animal shelters will be our first stop as we think the perfect cat for us is already out there ready to be adopted. I know it will be different than when I have gotten a dog but am ready for the challenge. If you have any great potential names for a cat, please let me know!
Leave a Reply