Miracle Cat

I believe in miracles, both big and small. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed thus far with a life that has not needed or requested any major miracles. My miracles have all been of the minor variety – but, oh, so many there have been!

Car trouble that didn’t happen until it was safe…Animals healed or, when lost, found…Loving homes found for all the cats, kittens, puppies and dogs that have ended up on my doorstep…Work showing up when it was most needed…Trouble or trauma that seemed inevitable, faded away…God is good, and He/She has been very, very good to me and mine over the years.

The most recent miracle that happened involved my elderly neighbors, the Petermans, a sweet kitty named Sarah Elisabeth, a well-placed phone call, and, yes, yet another cat rescue by me.

A month or so ago, my neighbor, John Peterman, left a message on our machine. He said a little yellow and white cat had “taken up” at their house. He wondered if it was mine. I didn’t return the call, because it wasn’t mine, and I’m a believer that every home should have a cat. I figured that cat had just found hers and I wanted the Petermans to give her a shot.

Then, one afternoon last week there was a flurry of dog activity on our back porch. I ran to see what it was, and caught a glimpse of a white tail, then watched as a yellow and white cat ran from my dogs, to scaled tall, thin tree not far from the house.

I ran after the dogs and called to Mr. Clark to put the dogs in. He did, and I went to check on the cat, who had climbed very high in the tree.

She was a little half-grown female, yellow and white, very scared and very friendly. She had no clue how to get down from the small limb where she was perilously perched. I tried the time-tested trick of opening a can of cat food and banging a little on the plate, right below the tree. She was clearly motivated, but couldn’t figure out how to get down. She managed to swing - and nearly fall - to the limb below, which was still quite high. She cried and cried, but wouldn’t - or couldn’t - come down.

Mr. Clark got the tall ladder and propped it against the tree trunk, Then, I held the ladder while he grabbed the cat. Boy, was she glad to be safe again!

I took her in, to Mr. Clark’s office (which serves as the rescued animal holding room), fed her and assessed the situation. She was clearly someone’s cat. She was well-fed, affectionate, healthy and she had a great big purr. Since we couldn’t keep her, I began forming the adoption plan - then it hit me. This was the Petermans’ cat!

I called - no one was home. I left a message. Later, I took the cat over to their house. All the lights were out - only the porch light on - no one was home. The cat spent the night in Mr. Clark’s office. The next day I left another message on Lou and John’s machine, and I walked her over to their house again, but it still appeared that no one was home.

We had appointments in Athens all day, so the cat spent the day in Mr. Clark’s office. If the Petermans didn’t return or respond soon, I’d have to come up with an adoption plan…Then, John called my cell. He said he’d not been able to understand much in my messages, but he had heard that we had a cat, and he wanted to “take a look at it.” I told him I’d bring her right over.

The look on Lou and John’s faces, when they opened the door and saw their beloved Sarah Elisabeth again would make the coldest heart believe in miracles.

It turned out Sarah Elisabeth had been gone for two nights, and they’d been looking for her - but with limited mobility - their search had been unsuccessful. Lou had been praying, and John had been hoping – and calling out the back door. But, as the third night approached, they had almost given up hope.

“We’ve never had a cat before,” Lou said. “I’ve never even liked cats, but Sarah Elisabeth is different. When she came to us she was so small and skinny and pitiful, and now look at her! I had no idea I would come to love her so much, in such a short time.”

And, Sarah Elisabeth was clearly right back where she belonged. She rolled around on the carpet, ate a little, roamed the house, then settled happily in Lou’s lap.

We had a nice visit, I gave them some cat care tips, and then I went home – so glad that Sarah Elisabeth and the Petermans were reunited once more,

These are the little miracles that mean so much - a tiny cat finds a loving home… an elderly couple discovers what an excellent companion a cat can be…I find the cat when she wanders…and, thanks to John’s message, return Sarah Elisabeth to the people who now so dearly love her …God is good!