No   ordinary   cat

Yes, Peanut was no ordinary cat. This is a hard article for me to write because out of mercy to him we had to have him put to sleep last Wednesday.

He had severe kidney failure that was shooting poison throughout his whole body. On one of his tests the numbers were supposed to be between 10-30 and his was 143. For extreme kidney failure, there is no chance of recovery, only pain and more pain. So we made the hard but necessary decision.

Now I have to do my early morning devotions by myself. Peanut always crawled up beside me in the chair and did his part by sleeping until I was finished. If I didn’t start my devotions on time—his time—he would stare at me until I stopped what I was doing and go head for my “devotion chair.”

I am so thankful for the almost 13 years that we had Peanut. I didn’t pick him but I think God picked him out for me. As a tiny kitten he came to my mom’s garage in Eldon, scared and hungry.

My mom was getting ready to move to my brothers home in Laurie, so now what do I do with this homeless kitten. I asked a neighbor if he would take him, and fortunately for me he said no.

So I put little Peanut in a box in the front seat of the car and headed for Adrian.

Only he didn’t stay little very long. He soon grew to 18 pounds. I called him my bobcat look-alike as he did look just like a bobcat with his short tail and pointed ears and brown coloring. It’s possible he was part bobcat, but we have since found out that there is a breed of cats called pixie-bobs that look like bobcats and weigh 18-22 pounds.

Peanut didn’t have a mean bone in him. He was so gentle. He would follow me around like a little dog. When I was working outside, he would be right there beside me. And he loved Christy, our other cat. They would always curl up together in a chair or on the couch.

Yes, I thank God that He allowed me to have this marvelous loving cat for the time that He did. God has indeed made some mighty fine creatures to share with us.

“The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all he has made.” (Psalm 145:9 NRSV)

Love in Jesus,

God’s “Peanut-loving” servant,
Liz Ray

Written February 20, 2012