Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Beauchamp on 7th mo. 20, 2012 at 2:37pm

Warm greetings Timothy, Hilda and family:

 

I too have cats and a bird. .  and feed several outside kitties.  It is a dilemma.  My heart goes out to the little furball critters.. . I love them all so much.  One day I fear I will become the old woman with 76 cats  - - oh dear.   

 

I wish I had an answer to offer, I do not.   People in my area drown them. . . or hurt them which horrifies me.  When they find their way to my yard I always talk to them and tell them they are safe.  I feed them as much as they want. . . every time I see them.  Some have been injured which hurts my heart but thru good nutrition I have watched them heal and grow into beautiful muscular specimens of great health.  For now at least the weather is kinder and gentler so they are not suffering too much.   I do fear the winter and how harsh it will be for them.  I truly do not know what else to do for them.  My cats go crazy when I feed them.  One of my cats bit me so badly and the bite became infected for weeks.   Now I use the broom to push him away from the door rather than my foot. 

 

I used to trap kitties and bring them to the humane society, but they would put them down.  After that realization, I left them outside. . . but would feed them.  I've known hunger and do not want anyone or any living thing to go thru that. 

 

I wish I had more to offer.  Thank you for your kindness to kitties.  I'm sending you all a hug thru the email for being so caring.

 

Peace and many hugs to you, always,

 

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on 7th mo. 20, 2012 at 3:48pm

Hello, Chris!

I admire thy tenderness to all creatures, even the cats. It is a difficult situation to try to offer help on, I understand. We (the entire family) appreciate thy care of thy kindness to kitties.

The Canticle of the Sun

Most High, Almighty good Lord, Thine be the praise, the glory, the honor, and all blessing.

To thee alone, Most High, are they due, and no man is worthy to speak thy name.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for all thy creatures, above all Brother Sun, who brings us the day and lends us the light. Lovely is he, radiant with such splendor, and speaks to us of thee, O Most High.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars, which thou hast set in the heavens, clear, precious, and fair.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for Brother Wind, for air and cloud, for calm and all weather, by which thou supportest life in all thy creatures.

Praise to thee, my Lord for Sister Water, who is so useful, so humble, precious and pure.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for Brother Fire, by whom thou lightest the night; he is lovely and pleasant, mighty and strong.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and directs us, and brings forth varied fruits, and colored flowers, and plants.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for those who pardon one another for love of thee, and endure sickness and tribulation. Blessed are they who shall endure it in peace, for they shall be crowned by thee, O Most High.

Praise to thee, my Lord for our sister, Bodily Death, from whom no man living may escape; Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are they who are found in thy most holy will, for the second death cannot harm them.

Praise and bless my Lord. Thank him and serve him with great humility.

Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181—1226

I have appreciated the words in this canticle. He was a humble monk with courage to live in poverty and to treat every living thing with kindness. I have learned a few things from what little I've read about his life.

Thank you, for thy gentleness towards "All creatures of our God and King."

Timothy

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Permalink Reply by Chris Beauchamp on 7th mo. 21, 2012 at 7:09am

Hello Timothy, Good Morning to you and yours:

Thank you for this beautiful Canticle of the Sun.  I'm not sure if I've heard it before..  some parts are familiar - - others are not. 

 

I'm familiar with St. Francis and have read about his consciousness for all living things, most especially the animals.  I have a heavy statue in my yard  of him, holding a bird in his hand.  It was my way of sending out a welcoming beacon to birds and other little creatures in my area.  Sometimes a live bird will land on his other hand and rest in it.  Its very sweet to observe. 

 

Thank you also for your gentleness to All God's little creatures.  We should want to protect them, not hurt them. 

 

I hope you have a most beautiful day today.

Chris

Timothy Bruffy said:

Hello, Chris!

I admire thy tenderness to all creatures, even the cats. It is a difficult situation to try to offer help on, I understand. We (the entire family) appreciate thy care of thy kindness to kitties.

The Canticle of the Sun

Most High, Almighty good Lord, Thine be the praise, the glory, the honor, and all blessing.

To thee alone, Most High, are they due, and no man is worthy to speak thy name.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for all thy creatures, above all Brother Sun, who brings us the day and lends us the light. Lovely is he, radiant with such splendor, and speaks to us of thee, O Most High.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars, which thou hast set in the heavens, clear, precious, and fair.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for Brother Wind, for air and cloud, for calm and all weather, by which thou supportest life in all thy creatures.

Praise to thee, my Lord for Sister Water, who is so useful, so humble, precious and pure.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for Brother Fire, by whom thou lightest the night; he is lovely and pleasant, mighty and strong.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and directs us, and brings forth varied fruits, and colored flowers, and plants.

Praise to thee, my Lord, for those who pardon one another for love of thee, and endure sickness and tribulation. Blessed are they who shall endure it in peace, for they shall be crowned by thee, O Most High.

Praise to thee, my Lord for our sister, Bodily Death, from whom no man living may escape; Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are they who are found in thy most holy will, for the second death cannot harm them.

Praise and bless my Lord. Thank him and serve him with great humility.

Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181—1226

I have appreciated the words in this canticle. He was a humble monk with courage to live in poverty and to treat every living thing with kindness. I have learned a few things from what little I've read about his life.

Thank you, for thy gentleness towards "All creatures of our God and King."

Timothy

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on 8th mo. 8, 2012 at 11:34pm

We find thy tenderness and gentleness to all the little creatures the Lord God made very much like our own way with them as well. They were made by the Lord God our Father and we try to be as kind as possible to them.

St. Francis was a special Friar and person. We found his Canticle of the Sun so fresh, so interesting, and so inspiring. It is amazing that the creatures actually come to thy statue in thy garden. . .

Thank thee for taking care of the little creatures in and near thy home! Gentleness is something we all could use a bit more of. To stop and think of a humble little bird, or creature that God made and cares about. . . It is good to know that thou also taketh care of them. God bless thee for that.

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on 8th mo. 9, 2012 at 10:54am

We have two pure bred (rumpies—or tailless) Manx cats. One is 5 years old and her name is Candy, she is a tortoise-shell which came to us as a stray. She had owners who took care of her and they let her in their barn and into their home. When outside, she managed to come to our place. Finally, the owners, Mr & Mrs Cooper, told us when they came to pick her up from us: "If she ever comes back here again, please keep her. We don't want her killed on the roads between our place and yours." She came back. . . with kittens expected! (We looked into Manx cats, and usually the average litter is 3 to 5 with the common number of 3. She had 5.) The other rumpy Manx is Hickory, probably strayed away from Candy's previous litter. He is about 11 months old, orange tabby, with only a tuft of hair where a tail should be.

To make matters worse, there is a stray black cat that has been roaming around for the past year or longer. Not long after Candy had her litter, the black mother had 6 kittens. This mother cat does not act completely feral but more or less very shy. We have gotten 5 of the 6 kittens inside, due to last month's record heat with nearly a week or so of 100°+ and to try to get them "used" to people. They are slowly coming around. The problem is. . . we just can't keep them all.

We now have 7 cats and 10 kittens! Plus we are tending a shiny black mother and her one kitten outside. We thought it would be nice to have something fixed up for them outside, but we just can't afford the extra cost. We looked into that, but some of the buildings and such are very expensive.

But for now, we tend to the ones we have. We hope to find homes for some of them. Some would make a good barn cat, if properly enclosed well watered and ventilated, to keep mice, moles, voles, shrews, rats, and other pests down. Many of them are more suitable for indoors as house pets. The greatest problem the area Humane Society and the Animal Shelter is facing is lack of homes for the dogs and cats.

We have a Maine Coon as well. We actually adopted him from the shelter before all of these kittens and strays flared up this year. Other than Sir Walter "Fluffy," the Maine Coon (which we didn't know he was pure bred until we actually picked him up) the rest are strays—perhaps American Shorthair
or American Wirehair or mixed domestic cats. . .

I hope no more strays turn up for a good while, because we seem to be the only ones around (on our road that is) that tends to the strays. God made the little creatures, and we take care of them, and hope that someone else, later on, can give them a good home to stay for good. Until then, we tend to the little creatures on our own as we feel led, but do realise that this is all we can handle. God knoweth our hearts though.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Beauchamp on 8th mo. 9, 2012 at 2:18pm

Oh dear. . . where is a good Bible passage such as "God never gives us more stray kitties than we can handle" when we need one.   : ) 

 

They sense your goodness and stray kitty buffet.  I have that problem too.  Usually they come individually . . . but sometimes they all show up at one time, then the growly fur flies in these mostly docile kitties.  I've gotten bit badly trying to break up the fight when they all show up at the same time for meals.  (How do they know??)  Now I take the broom out with me. .  just in case . . . so one can eat at a time.  Always wonder if I'll get my face bit when I'm leaning over to put food down so close to those pointy teeth. 

 

My inside kitties go crazy when strays come to feed or for loving. . . (mostly they come for food though - - and they are used to what I give and have even turned up their little noses on occasion; persnickety kitties!)  

 

I cannot take more in either. . and I don't want the additional mess inside.  I have a bird that's an eco system in himself.. .  little mites gather under his cage as he throws all his food out of his cage onto the floor...  bad bad bird.   But that's what birds do.   I love animals. . and I'm vegan so I don't eat them.  I just want to love them. . . from outside.   Don't want the spraying and marking of territories and such.        

I hope there is a good resolution to this problem for you. .  You are in my thoughts and kitty prayers. 

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on 8th mo. 9, 2012 at 3:30pm

I don't think of any good Bible passages at all but this: "All things are expedient, but not all things are lawful. All things are expedient, but I shall be mastered by none." Or: "The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." 

The last is probably the best. I don't see either "God never gives us more stray kitties than we can handle." That maketh us smile and laugh. Thee hast a way all to thyself to lift up our spirits and the arms that are feeble and weak. Finding a person that liketh little creatures is truly a treasure from Heaven! 

Even though the little things are so sweet, in their own way and can give compassion and love so simply and unconditionally, they are very sneaky. They love to get into things that do not pertain to them. . . They don't mind their own paws! :)

I think, seriously, that God sends them to us. He sends them to us because He knoweth what our heart is like: compassionate towards the smallest kitty or humble little bird. After all, He did make them, and He called them "Good."

O my, arm thee with a broom. Protect thy face. They know something good is coming, and want it all for themselves. Kind of selfish, though they don't mean to be. Just like thy bird, he doth not mean to do harm to thy floors, but he does it. They don't have the same understanding as we do. They seem to be "dumb," that is they can't speak our language. Really the entire earth and all creatures, groan and travail in pain until the Lord God of Light and Life cometh to take us to be with Him. . . John heard creatures joining in on the song which was started by an almost innumerable host and saying: "Blessing and honour, and glory, and power, and dominion be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." (Revelation 5:13)

We don't really have a problem with spraying. Most of the cats we have inside are altered. The rumpy Manx fellow is getting a graduation today. He will come home tomorrow without the abilities to keep our home in stock with kittens. (Thank the Lord! He has been after one of the other girls which has not been altered. . . We have been hoping nothing would come of it, so far nothing has, or we'd have even more kittens! :>} )

By God's Light and Guidance, there is a way to help these creatures find a home. If not, we'll just ask for strength to keep on tending to them until a nice family could take some of them. If that doesn't materialise, we'll just keep on tending to them. The same thing is happening with puppies and dogs in our area too. People can't afford to keep them or they need a surgery that their owners can't afford to have done. I hope that one day, people will stop, slow down a bit, and think. . . Listen with their hearts and see with God's Kingdom to look with the heart. Blessed are they that are gentle to those creatures who haven't a voice to raise in human language, but take pity on them all the same and care what befalls them.

Friend Emele hath a wonderful cute dog. . . what appears to be a Pomeranian or "Pom." It is so nice to see people treating humble creatures with kindness. Giving them opportunity to show their gratitude back in return, in their own way and without human words. . .in silence, as it is. Thee too, have taken in many a hurt or stray creature, and have no doubt witnessed this Silent Appreciation and Gratitude they return to thee—apart or above a scratch or bite—there are others that probably thanked thee in the only way they knew: mew or purr or some other such the like.

We are nearly vegetarians too, we do take very little fish, turkey, or chicken. That is so infrequently to rice and vegetables. So we don't eat but very few creatures God made. I'd be better off converting to veggies only. . .

The answers will come to a peaceful resolve. I trust the same may be for thee too. Thank thee for remaining our Friend here at this place, and all of my Friends and ye that have commented or appreciated a word or two we've ever typed. . . "Give thanks to the Lord. Serve Him with great humility," to quoth St. Francis.

Thank ye all. God be with thee. "Die HERR sie mit alle euch!" (trans. "The LORD be with all you!"

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Permalink Reply by keely showalter on 8th mo. 18, 2012 at 8:15am

dear timothy, i used to foster for a no kill shelter and did some work with the humane society in our area. frequently the issue is space in the shelter and demand for mutt cats and dogs in your area. contact a no kill shelter in a more metro area. offer to house the kittens until they have space or homes. a truck comes to our local shelter every couple of monthes to transport our strays to an area of greater demand. so even rescue organizations are familiar with this technique. the term for keeping these animals until a home crops up is called fostering....it is worth a try! keely

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on 8th mo. 22, 2012 at 5:52pm

Hello, Friend Keely!

Thank thee for all of this wealth of information! It is very helpful to us and we found it fascinating. Also, that thee must like these little creatures, or thee would not have worked with them at thy local Humane Society! Another person that liketh these little creatures. . . The People we Worship with, they like them, only from a distance. (We do not say that in anywise offensive or in a demeaning manner.)

Thank thee again. . . We have read and re-read this post of thine. Blessings and peace unto thee and thine!

Timothy

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