This is a photo of my latest pet Snowflake.
This week I shared my story of how I now own her.
Of course as cat lovers well know, who owns who? :)
The authors of the book Rescued Kitties: A Collection of Heart-Warming Cat Stories are publishing a sequel. I replied to Taylor and Klassen's Craigslist.org ad to have Snowflake's and my story considered for inclusion in their next collection.
Below is what I sent them. Enjoy!
Christmas
in July :)
by Laura Moody
One of my absolutely favorite things is a snowflake. How
wonderful it is that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ could make each one
unique, never to repeat another. It is almost a shame they disappear so rapidly
and that they are so miniscule! I am certainly glad we have microscopes to see
their beauty. It is equally as wonderful that Jesus also makes each person
unique, for His purposes alone. We all have a purpose in God's eyes and He has
planned good works for us to complete well in advance of our birth. Our God is good like that! :)
(For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 - The Holy Bible NIV)
For 18 years I had the privilege of owning and caring for two brother cats that I rescued from the county shelter. At 6 months old, they had already had one home and were given up for adoption because they had climbed the curtains. Obviously the previous owners were first time kitten parents! All I could do was shake my head and make arrangements to be the mom for Boo and Scooter. Each one wore a furry tuxedo, complete with white socks, mittens and shirt. :) Boo showcased the black suit and Scooter the gray one. I enjoyed many good times with them. For the majority of their lives they were indoor kitties. Later in their lives though I really wanted them to experience the outdoors. It was great fun to see Boo run at a steady gait the 100 yards behind my townhouse on the green grass. He reminded me of a puma! Scooter regularly enjoyed climbing the wooden fence similar to how a squirrel might shimmy up a tree. Often he would find his way to the top of my garden shed and sun himself while curled in a ball with a nice little smile on his face. Both cats enjoyed the garden very much and spent many days lying in oxalis clover and orange mint as well as reclining on the steel gray field rocks I used for landscaping.
(For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 - The Holy Bible NIV)
For 18 years I had the privilege of owning and caring for two brother cats that I rescued from the county shelter. At 6 months old, they had already had one home and were given up for adoption because they had climbed the curtains. Obviously the previous owners were first time kitten parents! All I could do was shake my head and make arrangements to be the mom for Boo and Scooter. Each one wore a furry tuxedo, complete with white socks, mittens and shirt. :) Boo showcased the black suit and Scooter the gray one. I enjoyed many good times with them. For the majority of their lives they were indoor kitties. Later in their lives though I really wanted them to experience the outdoors. It was great fun to see Boo run at a steady gait the 100 yards behind my townhouse on the green grass. He reminded me of a puma! Scooter regularly enjoyed climbing the wooden fence similar to how a squirrel might shimmy up a tree. Often he would find his way to the top of my garden shed and sun himself while curled in a ball with a nice little smile on his face. Both cats enjoyed the garden very much and spent many days lying in oxalis clover and orange mint as well as reclining on the steel gray field rocks I used for landscaping.
Boo lived until December 2012 and Scooter lived another
year, passing in Jan. 2014. While I was sad at no longer having them with me, I
also enjoyed not having to scoop poop for a while. Then, it happened. I missed
having a pet. In particular, I missed having a cat as a pet. So, on route one
day in July 2014, I passed by the shelter in my car. I saw their sign that said
pet fee waived for the coming week. Yahoo!
I took advantage of the opportunity and soon found myself at
the shelter looking at all the animals and then ultimately focusing in on all
the cats. I noticed a very cute Maine Coon kitten with blue eyes that unfortunately
had a bit of an infection. It was so young and I really thought it would be
nice to give such a little itty-bitty thing so new to the world a comfortable
home. I kept looking around at the other choices and there in one of the bottom
cages was an extraordinarily beautiful long haired, all- white cat with pink
ears, pink nose and light blue bright eyes. They were just like marbles!
I read the description of the cat and found out that she was
a 2 year old female named Snowflake!!! I was pleased and happy and a big smile
appeared on my face. I asked the attendant why Snowflake was here and after
hearing about her last family, which included 2 adults, 3 kids, 2 other cats
and a dog, I rationalized that she would clearly be a lot less stressed and not
continue with restroom issues if she was mine.
I did not go home with her that day we met. I was still on
the fence about the little sick Maine Coon kitten. So I prayed and decided I
would return to the shelter in 2 days. I asked Jesus to show me which feline I
should have and if it was His will that I own a pet again. I was excited to see
what would transpire later in the week!
On that Thursday I arrived prior to the opening hour to see
two on-call vets enter while I was waiting in line. I asked if they were going
to see the sick little Maine Coon kitten and they replied that they were. I
waited with a mom and her children on the bright sunny day and we discussed
which pet we were interested in. They were quite relieved when I said I wanted
a cat, because they were after a husky dog which according to them was quite
popular and they were hoping to be the ones to adopt the animal which they had
seen on the shelter's web site.
At last we entered the building and quickly moved to our
respective animal areas to see who was still available. I checked for the
kitten first. Its cage was empty. Then I checked all the other cages for
Snowflake. She was there! I asked to spend time with her in the visiting room.
She seemed a little nervous but certainly playful, alert and curious. I thanked
my Lord Jesus and went to the counter to secure her.
While I was at the counter, another new pet owner was
working on finalizing her adoption too. The representative I had was not aware
of the pet adoption fee being waived that week, so I was very appreciative of
the customer nearby repeating what I had already stated. I also learned that
Snowflake had a microchip embedded under her skin for tracking purposes. I
never had a pet with that sort of technology so it was a bonus in case she ever
got lost. (Note - That is exactly how I had ended up at the shelter 20 years
ago and securing Boo and Scooter. The cat Pooh that my west coast housemate had
given me had traveled cross-country with me from Los Angeles, California to
Northern Virginia. He spent most of the time under the front seat of the car
while on route and at a hotel I had to use my jack-knife to remove mattress
material in order to retrieve him from his secret hiding place of the bed's box
spring. That was pretty funny. Pooh even saw snow for the first time within
four months of arriving on the east coast. Sadly my cool cat disappeared one
evening when no one was home. I searched for the animal for months and even
placed notes in neighbors' mailboxes asking if they had seen it. For your
information please do not open other peoples' mailboxes and insert lost pet
notices even if the mailboxes are next to the curb. I received a phone call
from the local postmaster saying that it was against the law. I didn't know. I
was very distraught. My Cali cat was gone. The great news though is that many
times good things have a way of appearing after perhaps some not so good things
have taken place. So in that case long ago, even though Pooh never came home, I later had a chance to rescue two more
kitties from the shelter - Boo and Scooter.)
So before I left the shelter with Snowflake, I knew to check
the area where they gave away new pet owner supplies. I had already prayed and
asked Jesus to have a large cat carrier be there so that when I put my house on
the market, Snowflake could be kept safe when visitors came to view the
property. Jesus provided that too. :) As it happened, the metal cage was white,
with a red metal tray the length of its bottom. It reminded me of a sled.
(And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 - The Holy Bible NIV)
Christmas in July surely happened as I took home my presents mid-day!
(And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 - The Holy Bible NIV)
Christmas in July surely happened as I took home my presents mid-day!
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