One day, when my cat, Truffie, was very young, she stopped eating. She lost weight. I’d already taken her to the vet twice. My credit card charges were over $600. All the lab tests and X-rays were. Normal. The vet suggested more tests. I couldn’t afford to spend more money if he didn’t even know what was wrong.
Truffie was sick for five days. If something didn’t change soon, I thought she would die. She still wouldn’t eat or drink water. She had a fever. None of her prescribed medications were working.
I worried and wondered. Does God care if Truffie is sick? We know He cares about our health and our finances and foreign affairs and the troops in faraway places. But, does God really care if my cat is sick? Does He have time to hear my prayers, considering His busy schedule healing folks and protecting our loved ones? You see, I’ve prayed about all those things for a while, but what about Truffie’s fever? Did I dare pray for God to heal her and expect a miracle?
I asked my pastor, “Do you think God answers our prayers when our animals are sick?” He described a certain Catholic holiday, where people bring their animals to be blessed, but he couldn’t think of a verse in the Bible that specifically mentions God caring much about cats.
I searched the Bible to find something to suggest that God cared and would answer our prayers when our animals are sick. I found the following:
(Matthew 10:20 NIV)' 'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your FATHER’S care.’ Humm… Sparrows? Cats? Not quite the same, but if He loves sparrows, maybe He loves cats, too.
We’re all familiar with God’s blessings and promises. God gives us everything we need. Our home. Our loved ones. A job... well, most of us have a job, or we had one, before the company downsized, and now some of us have unemployment. But, not many of us are going hungry, so even on our worst days, God supplies our needs. That didn’t answer my question. Could I really expect Him to hear my prayers to heal Truffie? I read more about prayer and faith.
(Matthew 7:7 NIV) 'Ask and it will be given to you.” Really? Just asking? Was that the key?
(Matthew 17:20 NIV)' 'For truly I say to you. If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible. That sounded promising.
(Matthew 7:11 NIV)' And lastly… 'How much more will the Father in Heaven give good gifts to those (his children) who ask Him?’ Now, we were getting somewhere. Perhaps it was a matter of prayer with faith, not the specifics of what we pray for. What did I have to lose?
So, I prayed for Truffie. “Lord, you know how much I love her. You know how it would grieve me to lose her. I’m calling on Your promise, 'Ask and it will be given…'. I place this little cat in Your loving hands, Lord, and ask You to heal her and raise her again. I’m asking because You’ve promised if I have faith…”
Now, I’m not going to tell you that a bright light surrounded the house or that Heaven opened and God’s voice rang out, “Truffie. Rise up and walk,” but the next day, Truffie started to eat. Her mood brightened. She purred. She was on her way. She would recover! And she did! (She’s 17 years old now and still going strong.)
I know that God cares for our cats and dogs and rabbits and horses and all our pets. Not because there’s a specific verse in the Bible that says so, but because we love them and He loves us enough to want our joy to be complete. He promises that if we ask and have faith, we can move mulberry trees into the sea, or move mountains from here to there, or maybe it’s all about teaching us to take all our cares to the Lord, no matter how big or small. And many times, according to his will, our prayers are answered.
Truffie is living proof. God answered my prayer, and yes, I’m convinced. God loves cats.’
