Dusty’s Devotion - Pawverbs for a Cat Lover's Heart

The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

CHERI COULDN’T IMAGINE A CAT being more devoted to a dog than Dusty was to Shatzi. From the moment Dusty joined their household, she had been trying to win Shatzi’s attention and affection. Unfortunately for the black cat with the fluffy tail, her efforts often failed to get anything more than a passing glance from the family’s loyal and even-tempered Keeshond—whom people often said looked like a cross between a German Shepherd and a Pomeranian.

Eventually, Dusty had taken a new tactic, one that the resolute cat knew would be impossible for Shatzi to ignore. Every morning, Dusty attempted to groom Shatzi while the tolerant dog took her after-breakfast nap.

“I gotta give you points for your tenacity, Dusty,” Cheri said as she sat down with her mug of coffee. Dusty was hard at work licking Shatzi’s plush, double-layered coat. “That’s gonna be quite a hairball though.”

Day after day, Dusty would groom her canine sibling, snuggle up to her while she slept, and attempt to bring her gifts from the great outdoors.

One day, after Cheri returned home from a daylong conference, it became obvious that Dusty’s devotion had gotten a little out of control. Shatzi was in her crate, and Dusty was sitting in front of the crate, starstruck. Shatzi, however, was cowering and whimpering in the back corner of the enclosure. The reason was evident. Clinging to the metal bars under the crate’s roof was a goldfinch—frantically flapping with all its might, so hard that it ruffled Shatzi’s fur.

Cheri swallowed the rising panic in her throat. Shatzi was clearly terrified of Dusty’s “gift”—and clueless as to what she was supposed to do with it. Meanwhile, Dusty looked as proud as a preschooler awaiting her mother’s praise over her latest finger-painting masterpiece.

“Dusty!” Cheri squealed. “Shatzi does not want a bird—alive or dead or stuffed! You have to stop bringing her things from outside!”

Dusty leaned over and licked her side. Shatzi let out a pitiful bark that sounded a lot like out!

Cheri knew she had to intervene and rescue the bird, so she put on a pair of oven mitts, counted to five, flipped the latch on Shatzi’s crate, and reached for the small yellow and black bird, snatching it on her first attempt. She hurried to the back door to set their traumatized houseguest free but came to an abrupt stop. The door was locked and impossible to unlock with her hands in the oven mitts. Why didn’t I think to open it before starting “operation free bird”? Thankfully, just then her husband, Daniel, walked in from the garage.

“Door!” Cheri yelled.

“What? Why do you have . . .” Daniel started to ask but then quickly put the pieces together. “Dusty?”

“Yep!”

Daniel threw open the back door, and Cheri opened her hands. The bird shook its feathers, looked left, looked right, looked up, and took flight. Cheri then checked on Shatzi, who was being consoled by Daniel—and keeping a wary eye on Dusty.

That evening Cheri typed “how to get a cat to stop bringing unwanted gifts to a dog” into the Google search bar on the computer. But two weeks later, Dusty took care of that herself. After she misjudged a jump and ended up with a cast on her back leg, Dusty was confined to the house. And so, her daily presents for Shatzi ended.

Dusty navigated like a pro while wearing the lime-green cast, but Cheri could tell her little black cat missed being able to come and go through her cat door. On day two of Dusty’s convalescence, Cheri watched in amazement as Shatzi dropped her favorite ball at Dusty’s feet. The little cat looked adoringly at Shatzi. A moment later, Dusty swatted the ball with her front leg. Shatzi retrieved it and dropped it again. Their slow game of fetch lasted for several minutes before Shatzi lay down next to Dusty.

For the next six weeks, Shatzi rarely left Dusty’s side. The two played together, attempted to groom each other, and napped together. Dusty had never been happier.

Or at least she was until the cast came off and Shatzi became the aloof big sister again.

But something had changed. Dusty had experienced a taste of true sisterhood, which—much to Cheri’s delight—seemed to have cured her of her gift-giving ways. Now the two siblings seemed content just knowing the other was there.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

In what ways do you think that living generously can lead to a prosperous life? How can you show generosity to someone today? What are some examples of being refreshed by another person? When have someone’s actions refreshed you?

Paws & Pray

Lord, you have lavished me with generous gifts. Thank you for all the ways you provide for me. Often I can get so consumed with my own desires, circumstances, and needs that I forget to extend generosity to others. Please show me how I can be a blessing and a refreshing presence to someone today.