Just get rid of the cat!

This story is one example out of many, of God’s miraculous intervention to show compassion to us, and to provide for our needs, in the wake of my husband leaving us. It also illustrates how God’s care for us and provision for us includes our love for our pets. Finally, I hope it explains our reluctance to give up our surviving cat. It’s not just that we love our cat, or that we’re selfishly holding on to an unnecessary attachment. When people are in great financial need, those who care for us think of solutions that from the outside seem simple. Getting rid of pets to reduce expenses is an obvious step. Unless God chooses to do something different.

In June 2007, four months after my husband left us, one of our two cats became seriously ill. I did my best to take care of him, but he grew worse over a few days. The kids were sick with worry, too. I prayed for him and encouraged the kids to pray, as well. As he worsened, his symptoms became clearer and I was able to do some internet research. I realized he had a life-threatening condition and without treatment, he was going to die very slowly and painfully. By now, it was Friday afternoon, about 4:30. The kids and I talked about it, and I tried to help them understand he was going to die. I didn’t even have money to have him put to sleep to end his suffering.

The kids asked me if there was anything I could do. I told them I would try calling some vets to see if anyone could help us. After a few calls, one office referred me to SNAP. This program occasionally assisted with vet bills. It was after 5:00 at this point, and when I called I only got voice mail. This was my last hope and it had just died. I left a message, but got off the phone and began considering how I might put my cat out of his misery myself. We were all weeping. We talked about prayer and how sometimes God’s answer is no, and how that doesn’t mean he does not love us. Within just a few minutes, however, I got a call back. I shared my dilemma with a volunteer from SNAP, and she told me she needed to make a call. Minutes later she called me with the address of a vet’s office close to us and instructions to take him there. By 6:00, he was in the care of a vet. We picked him up Monday and he was well. He would not die, and the bill had been paid in full! Praise God!

My faith was strengthened, and my children learned that sometimes God’s answer, in the face of impossible obstacles, is yes. We were wounded and devastated by my husband’s betrayal. I was doing my best to walk by faith and to teach my children how to trust Jehovah Jireh for anything and everything. I was especially concerned about the kids losing one more thing, and how this would affect their faith. The Lord saw and perfectly understood our pain and intervened on our behalf. Yet I knew from my research that this condition was likely to recur. So I prayed again for the Lord to provide both wisdom and finances to continue to care for our pets.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I got up at 5am to go to work and found Mr. Monkey awake. He had heard our cat getting sick in the night and was cuddling with him. It was the same condition, and he was much sicker much faster this time. We both realized he was going to die this time and we needed to put him to sleep. After returning home from work, I sat all the kids down to talk. We wept again, but they were able to understand that sometimes the most loving thing we can do for our pets is to end their suffering. I did not force this decision on them. They had time to come to this conclusion themselves. I called a few vets to find euthanasia that I could afford. Then we loaded up our sick cat and drove to the office. Once we got there and explained our situation to the vet, she dropped the price from what the receptionist had quoted me. She allowed us time to grieve and treated us with tenderness and respect. Before we left, she shared with us that her own faith had been waning, but our story had encouraged her. We brought a Christmas ornament for everyone in her office with us. She told us that she was going to put up her Christmas tree for the first time in several years. God had not only provided the funds to pay for the care our cat needed, he also gave the kids the time they needed to prepare for the loss. Then he directed our path to a vet who was in need of some care herself. Lord, you are good and your mercy endures forever!

Often in the time since my ex-husband has been gone and since we let one of our cats go, we have sought the Lord about giving up our other cat. My children are better prepared today to accept that loss if he one day answers yes to that question. If we must say goodbye to our cat, which it looks like we’ll have to do soon, we will grieve her loss as deeply as a member of our family. She is just a cat, and what’s best for my family may no longer include her. But it breaks our hearts to say goodbye.