It’s true , he really did! Oh it wasn’t by using words; it was by answering a prayer. And he didn’t waste any time doing so. Here’s what happened and it is very true .

We are cat lovers and we have many; each one an unwanted pet or stray or feral cat that found its way into our home and hearts and now has been spayed or neutered and has our love. Some are outside cats, some are inside cats and some are both, it depends on the cat.

And with outside cats you sometimes are brought gifts. These gifts are usually small animals that the cat has hunted and caught and proudly wants to either show you or give to you in return for the love you are giving it. I went out through the garage door and almost stepped on a bird that had been put on the welcome mat. Now I don’t know which kitty brought me this gift, this offering of love, but I put on my gloves and quickly picked it up to see if in fact it was deceased yet. And it was not. Breathing quickly and in a panic I could see traces of blood near one of its legs and as I held it I wondered what I should do with the ill-fated bird. If there is no hope then its demise is assured, but at the cost of how much pain and suffering? We’ve taken many a bird to the local wildlife rescue place over the years but this one didn’t look like it would make the trip. It was a very small bird, perhaps a wren. Do I get a sandwich bag and end his little life as quickly as possible by sealing him inside to asphyxiate? Would that be a humane way to handle it? Would I want someone to do that to me when I’m seriously injured? I think not. Go lay him in the back yard and let nature take over? Maybe have him eaten alive by ants? Oh lord no, what a death that would be. Crush him in my gloved hands? What do you do?

And so I placed him safely in a cat carrier in the garage where the cats couldn’t possibly finish him off and the ants couldn’t get to him, and I prayed. I asked the good lord to advise me on what to do and how to show this tiny bird a bit of mercy at the end of his shortened life and kill him painlessly. I told myself that in a half hour or so I could go back out there and find him dead and just be done with it. If he died on his own I would be absolved of doing the dirtiest of deeds. I prayed to God for guidance. I asked for direction and for the dying bird to be free of the pain inflicted by my stupid cat. I was mad at all of our cats.

And then I went out to check on him… and he was standing up straight. I reached into the cage and he backed away from my hand, a good sign indeed! And so I snatched him up and decided that I’d carry him out into the yard and see if he could stand up and maybe fight for life and as I placed him on the back fence, why he went airborne and flew away. And I’m not talking ten or twenty feet, that bird was gone. Long gone! My prayers were answered, my direction clearly shown to me. And that dying little bird was touched by the hands of God and I was there to see it and hear him speak, well kind of!

Glen C. Schulz