October 4th – The Feast of St. Francis and a Tribute to my Miracle Cat, Kit
While this popular shirt that Jackson Galaxy is wearing might be trendy, the fact that men love cats is nothing new to me.
I don’t like to use the word, trend, because it implies something elusive that is happening at the moment, with an expiration date just waiting for the next fad to replace it. So, to some, the increase of the male presence in the cat world might seem like a trend, but I believe in fact, that men have been involved in the care and loving of cats far longer than mainstream ideology would tell and that we are just becoming more aware of it now. I do not believe that one day we will wake up to find people such as Jackson Galaxy of My Cat From Hell, Kent Butler of Catnip Chronicles, Terry Frum of Brian’s Home, Kevin Hattori of Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, multi-award winning pet expert, Steve Dale, and Peter Wolf of Vox Felina finding cats to no longer be relevant or integral to their lives.
Another man with a strong passion and caring for cats is a dear friend of mine, Michael Ostrofsky of Five Pet Place. I had met Michael early in the year via social networking when we were trying to save the Loews outdoor cats residing on the Universal hotel properties in Orlando and I met him in person at BlogPaws. A man with boundless energy, talent, and vision, he created Five Pet Place to provide cat guardians a line of high-quality and exquisitely designed cat products such as scratching posts, window beds, and water/food servers. But, more than that, he understands the spiritual connection we have with our beloved feline companions.
I was part of an outdoor Pet Blessing last year (can you spot me?) and as you can see, cats are not part of the audience!
October 4th is “The Feast of St. Francis” where animals are blessed at ceremonies held in churches around the world and Michael realized that rounding up our cats and taking them to church is all but impossible, so he had a blessing written for them and created a free email service with a special prayer that can be shared with you and your pets. I was reminded of this the other day when I stopped by one of my favorite blogs, Cat Chat, and saw that Michael was featured as a guest blogger about this subject. So many of the comments to his post were so thankful for this service, but also were about the powers of faith and the miracles that often occur with our pets who are in need.
While I am not necessarily an overly religious person, I do believe very strongly in the powers of faith, spirituality, positive energy, and channeling love for healing. So, as tribute to this blessing and the miracles of healing, I would like to dedicate today’s post to my beloved tabby cat, Kit. Her time on this earth seemed destined to end at 15 years of age but apparently she had other ideas…
This was Kit perched atop our front door sometime in the 1990's. Clearly this is not an award winning photo...
Kit appeared in my driveway out of thin air one cold fall day in Upstate New York and she seemed to be about 9 months old. I was already the Elly May of our family and our house was busting at the seams with fur, feathers, and scales. My then husband, Bill, had me on strict orders – NO MORE STRAYS – as if I asked these animals to come find me… Well, the long and short of it, Kit did stay and not only did she make the move to the home I am in today in Florida with Dan, she also outlasted my marriage and shared many a milestone moment in my life and is the impetus for the journey I share with Zee and Zoey and my life as a cat advocate. (You can read all about Kit, her connection to Zee and Zoey, and all the other animals in my life in more detail in my book, The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey).
There eventually came that inevitable moment that many a pet lover can relate to and I knew my time on earth with her was nearing an end. I said my goodbyes to her as best I could and with what I was certain would be her last night with me, I put a blanket and pillow on the floor and laid next to her so that she would have my warmth, love, and companionship as she moved on.
Kit loved looking out the window at all the birds and lizards that would wander by. This is one of the last times she was on the sill before she passed on.
When I woke up in the morning, I was paralyzed with the fear of having to deal with reality, but Kit was already up… fit as a fiddle and looking like a cat half her age! Miracle. Absolutely. I was graced with Kit’s company for three more years and when we finally did have to let her go, Dan and I were with her for her final moments and she literally seemed to tell us with her eyes that she knew we loved her, but that we had to let her go, and that it was okay to do it.
So, I allow myself a cry as I remember her and I also thank her for showing up in my driveway that fall day so many years ago… and now that I think about it, it very well could have been October 4th that she came to me. Fate and destiny being what it is, I would not be surprised at all.
This lovely tribute of Kit was done for me by my step-daughter, Crystal
What about you? Any miracle stories about your pets?
I have a bunch of miracle stories about my pets. i like that picture of the cat on top of the door. What a brave kitty to get way up there.It doesn’t have to be an award winning picture to be a good picture. Hope all of you have a great day.
Thank you for this beautiful post. St. Francis is one of my favorite saints.
First I just received my t-shirt “Real Men Love Cats” in the mail the other day and proudly wore it around town. I think I should have ordered more than one since I’ll be wearing it regularly. It’s quite the conversation starter.
I do not have any miracle stories yet! But I’m sure I will. Especially since I have a black cat I do believe they are lucky and am waiting for that special moment. Not necessarily winning the lotto but maybe new volunteers coming forward to help us feed and care for Riverfront Cats. That would be a blessing!
However my dog did save my condo from a flood. She heard the rushing water in middle of the night as she slept on my bed and awoke me to alert me something was wrong. I was able to grab buckets and towels and save my furniture and floors from being ruined. The same for my neighbors.
Pets are a blessing and local church is having a service just for the pets. I’m taking the cats!
deer mom ta Z & Z; mizzuz Deb ….mite it bee Ok if eye were ta tell ewe Kit is livin large N in charge heer at rainbow bridge and her iz at de happee herring always meowin bout how kewl her mom Deb iz…mite it bee Ok if eye tell ewe her opened her own shop N its called Deb & Kit’s Designer Doors N More tho quite frank lee eye dunno what de more part iz, but Kit always makes sure new comers heer at RB get de door oh their choice on their cloud….mine has trout on it……trooly 🙂
sendin blessings oh St Francis two all
dude k, rainbow bridge cloud 777313
da tabbies o trout towne – what a wonderful comment. Thank you for letting me know how my sweet Kit is doing – I love that she is making sure all the new comers at the RB get the door of their choice on their cloud… so touching… hope you don’t mind that you made me cry, but it was a good cry!
My cat Sherman saved my life just a few nights ago.
I’m diabetic and took my insulin before bed like I always do.
Sherman doesn’t normally sleep on the bed. He’ll come and snuggle up to me for a few mins and then he jumps down and sleeps on the floor.
Well, that night, Sherman wouldn’t jump to the floor like he usual. He snuggled up next to my tummy and wouldn’t leave. A few hours later I awoke to Sherman pawing/licking my face. He’s never done that before or since.
I woke up and checked my blood sugar. It was very low. Since Sherman was able to wake me up, I was able to get to the kitchen and get some juice and bring my blood sugar up.
If Sherman hadn’t made sure I woke up, I most likely would’ve ended up in a coma.
I thank Karma/Universe/God every single day for sending such a wonderful, amazing, life saving cat into my life. He’s is a part of me, a part of my soul, and I hope I’m a part of his. He will alway hold a very special place in my heart. A cat like Sherman only comes around once in a lifetime. 🙂
What an incredible story, Jackie. That truly is a miracle and how blessed are you to have Sherman as your companion. Thank you so much for sharing.
It amazes me everyday that I’m the lucky person who gets to be the guardian of this amazing cat. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve him (probably nothing – there’s nothing I could possibly do to deserve Sherman – he’s a gift)
I pray every day that he’ll be in my life for a very long time. I get so upset at the thought of Sherman not being with me furever.
I try to dwell on the positive though and enjoy every minute life will allow me to have with Sherman
Thanks for the kind words, Deb. When I came up with idea for Five Pet Place, which combined my passion for business with my love of cats, I knew I found my calling.
I have several miracle cat stories, but the one that stands out in my mind is the one that inspired our Feast of Saint Francis Blessing by Email service.
My cat Napa was diagnosed with an intestinal disorder. Despite the best efforts of a very talented vet — she was losing ground fast. Lost a great deal of weight. Had zero energy. Was on so many drugs her fur turned to a dull dark orange instead of her usual shiny black.
When an uncle in my hometown Pittsburgh heard about her plight, he bought a Saint Francis medal and sent it to me. I tacked it to the wall near her bed — because that’s where she was nearly 24 hours a day. Imagine my surprise about an hour later when she very, very slowly walked into my office an hour later to head butt my ankle. Ten minutes later she was eating the largest meal she had in months — all of which led to a complete recovery and several more happy and healthy years of life.
Some call it a coincidence. Some call it a miracle. All I know is Napa turned the corner when that medal arrived — so I wanted to share that wonderful moment with fellow animal lovers on this wonderful day.
What an amazing story, Michael. Thank you for sharing and the kind words were very heartfelt. Sometimes there just is no logical explanation for what happens in life, but I am glad Napa was part of yours and thank you again for creating this email service for blessings.
Wow, what a great story.
What a blessing to have your kitty back. I’m so happy for you 🙂
Your story about Kit really touched my heart and reminded me that we’re so blessed to have the kitties we love however long they can be with us. Many blessings upon you and all your babies. Thanks for the link to the St. Francis’ blessing too : )
What a wonderful story and beautiful kitty.
BTW, if you’d like to receive a blessing by email — go to fivepetplace.com then look for the picture of Saint Francis. Our blessing went out at 555 this morning — but I’ll send another round out tonight to those who missed it.
So beautiful, Deb. Your story has touched our hearts and made us smile. We just have to tell you about Nicki –
Glogirly had a kitty before me, named Nicki. Like Kit, Nicki outlasted relationships, moves, and even loss. He was always there for Glogirly, no matter what. Nicki became very ill at only 6 years old. Kidney disease. Glogirly held him close when it was time to cross the bridge. She saved his ashes, but could never decide what to do with them. What would honor her Nicki. So they remained in the tiny little cardboard box they came in when she picked them up at the animal hospital.
Some time after Nicki’s death, Glogirly found herself completely alone. Starting over after a divorce, beginning again with very little, she moved into a tiny apartment. She didn’t have any help moving, so she packed everything she had in small boxes she knew she’d be able to lift and carry by herself. She got them from a department store…they were for packing china place settings, each only about 14″ wide by 10″ high.
She hired movers to carry her furniture up the steps to her new space while she carried up all the boxes. When the movers left, she found herself standing alone in the middle of her new apartment, surrounded by stacks and stacks of those identical boxes. Not knowing where to begin, she paused and thought about how she’d gotten to this point in her life. She thought about how scary new beginnings can be. Well, she had to start somewhere, so she reached for a box and opened it up. There right on top was the little cardboard box with Nicki’s ashes. It was at that very moment she knew everything was going to be alright.
Fast forward 6 or 7 years. Glogirly had moved away from her hometown and her dad had sold his place to join her. It wasn’t long before his health was failing and she needed to move them both back home so that he could be close to friends and family in an assisted living environment. More movers, more boxes. This time Glogirly was packing for two. While her dad was settling into his new place, Glogirly stayed with a friend and kept all her things in storage. She needed to find something for her dad that had been lost during the move. She went to the mini-storage place and found herself surrounded by even more stacks of boxes. These, representing both her and her father’s lives. Not knowing where to begin searching, she reached for a box and opened it up. There was that little cardboard box again right on top. It was Nicki. Everything was going to be alright.
Oh my goodness, Glogirly. I don’t even know what to say, but you have brought me to tears. Because I know how far you have come in life, your sharing this means a lot to me. Thank you and may the strengh of that little cardboard box be with you always… xoxo
Some amazing stories in the comments here! I don’t know why but animals seem to respond to prayer in a way humans don’t. Perhaps they don’t have the spiritual baggage we do! When I was a kid my mother would always say if our tabby was ill, just pray for her and she’ll be ok. And she invariably responded almost immediately!
Thank you for sharing this heartwarming story with us.
Kit had found and well chosen her furrever home. This is a beautil tribute!
Purrs
Mom has a miracle story about one of her Sibes…Crusty…sometime she must tell it
Such a great post! My Dad has been out of town so he missed this and thanks you for the Meow-out. My Dad said being a Cat Guy is one of the best things ever and he couldn’t imagine it being any other way!
Such a beautiful post about your beloved Kit! I am certain she came into your life because it was meant to be, and because the two of you had things to learn and experience together. What an incredible blessing, indeed. Thank you for sharing this story with us.
Thank you also for mentioning me in the same breath as those other cat guys. I believe there really are more of us than people know, and that there would be even more if people took the opportunity to get to really connect on a deeper level with felines .
Big hugs to you!