To me, our cat, Belle, is an amazing example of kindness, compassion, and divine love in action.
Belle arrived in our household when our other cat, Oscar, was two years old. She was skittish to begin with, but Oscar made sure that Belle knew what an imposition it was to have her join the family. He hissed at her at every turn, and she gave him a wide berth.
When Oscar was three, he was bitten on the head by a wild animal. The vet told us she usually saw such bites on the back end of a cat running away. This meant that Oscar had stood up to his enemy. That decision nearly cost him his life.
Oscar got very ill, had-to-be-fed with an eyedropper, and given medicine around the clock. It was truly touch and go.
During those weeks of Oscar's illness, Belle stayed nearby.
Tentatively, she drew closer to Oscar to give him company and comfort. Over time, she gingerly approached to give him a bath. At first he fussed, but he was too ill to resist. Finally he learned to accept Belle's love graciously.
From that time on, Belle would always create an aura of sweet protection around Oscar with her presence.
It's so impressive to me that Belle forgave. She has taught me to take less offense, to offer kindness more, and to build my daily life on loving service.
Emma's story first appeared in Angel Animals and Emma very kindly gave me permission to include it on the website.
A Morning Kiss
A morning kiss, a discreet touch of his nose landing somewhere on the middle of my face.
Because his long white whiskers tickled, I began every day laughing.
Janet F Faure
Hosted by X-Shops - Hassle free e-commerce