Being a cat lover, I always wondered why dogs get top billing so I decided to research where the term “a man’s best friend,” came from. It surprised me to learn that it was in Warrensburg, Missouri during a court battle. Senator George Graham Vest was the attorney for a man named Charles Burden whose dog had been killed by his brother-in-law, Leonidas Hornsby. Hornsby said that the dog was killing his sheep so he shot him. Senator Vest’s closing argument included a eulogy to the dog in which he stated “The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.” Never having a dog although knowing many I as well as many of my family and friends can attest to that statement! However, let’s not forget all the other animal companions who bring joy to not just men but all human beings.
I remember reading a story about Oscar the cat who lived at a hospice facility in Rhode Island. Oscar would go into the room of Alzheimer’s patient’s right before they died. Oscar became know as the “death cat.” I always felt that name sounded so negative. I felt that Oscar would go to the rooms to bring comfort to the patients in their final hours. He was their angel to help them move to the next phase. Cats sometimes get a bad reputation. My husband and I have three cats, all of which we rescued. Felix and Hannah came from our neighbor after a cat had kittens in her garage. Lucky we found on the side of the road after he had been hit by a car. We rushed him to the emergency vet hospital. He was bleeding quite a bit, had a fractured pelvis, head trauma and a punctured ear drum. He used up one of his nine lives that night so we decided to keep him hence came the name…Lucky. All three have their own personalities and quirks just like people. However they are the sweetest pets and bring us such joy.
I believe animals are on this earth to not only bring us joy but to teach us about life. They make us take pause from our crazy busy lives. They don’t have blackberry’s or cell phones. They don’t have play dates or calendars for their social life. Quite frankly they are more Zen than any human being I have ever known. They live totally in the moment. Animals can communicate without words and much can be learned from them. They aren’t corrupted by life like human beings. I watch my cats as they look at themselves in the mirror…no judgment. They roll around on the floor looking cute with their bellies showing with confidence that most people wish they possessed. They never think anything about their appearance needs to be fixed. They don’t seem to have any self esteem issues. They don’t lie because life is very black and white to them…..when they want something they communicate with a meow that commands and when they want to be left alone you will know it. They require very little…food, shelter and love and what they give in return is priceless….love, honesty and companionship. They don’t know gender, color, race, religion or nationality, they just know love. Couldn’t we all learn something from them?
I remember reading a story about Oscar the cat who lived at a hospice facility in Rhode Island. Oscar would go into the room of Alzheimer’s patient’s right before they died. Oscar became know as the “death cat.” I always felt that name sounded so negative. I felt that Oscar would go to the rooms to bring comfort to the patients in their final hours. He was their angel to help them move to the next phase. Cats sometimes get a bad reputation. My husband and I have three cats, all of which we rescued. Felix and Hannah came from our neighbor after a cat had kittens in her garage. Lucky we found on the side of the road after he had been hit by a car. We rushed him to the emergency vet hospital. He was bleeding quite a bit, had a fractured pelvis, head trauma and a punctured ear drum. He used up one of his nine lives that night so we decided to keep him hence came the name…Lucky. All three have their own personalities and quirks just like people. However they are the sweetest pets and bring us such joy.
I believe animals are on this earth to not only bring us joy but to teach us about life. They make us take pause from our crazy busy lives. They don’t have blackberry’s or cell phones. They don’t have play dates or calendars for their social life. Quite frankly they are more Zen than any human being I have ever known. They live totally in the moment. Animals can communicate without words and much can be learned from them. They aren’t corrupted by life like human beings. I watch my cats as they look at themselves in the mirror…no judgment. They roll around on the floor looking cute with their bellies showing with confidence that most people wish they possessed. They never think anything about their appearance needs to be fixed. They don’t seem to have any self esteem issues. They don’t lie because life is very black and white to them…..when they want something they communicate with a meow that commands and when they want to be left alone you will know it. They require very little…food, shelter and love and what they give in return is priceless….love, honesty and companionship. They don’t know gender, color, race, religion or nationality, they just know love. Couldn’t we all learn something from them?