Feisty Cat
Sulley is not yet two years old, but he has already perfected the art of manipulation. I don't know if I would have been so willing to adopt a male, orange cat if I had realized that they are reported to be the feistiest types of cats that people can choose to keep as pets. Some people like feisty, but I prefer cats that are mild mannered and relatively unopinionated.
Sulley was a Stobel kitten, one of many that have been hand-raised by my grandchildren. Sulley's parents and grandparents were all excellent mousers who have done an amazing job of keeping the voles at bay. That's why Meagan and Andy are willing to raise cats; they definitely prefer cats to rodents.
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| Ari with Sulley, when Sulley was still a kitten |
Before he moved to our house in town, Sulley himself was an outdoor cat whose only secure shelter was in the garage. I'm sure his mama taught him how to catch mice and voles as soon as he was weaned. The funny thing is that Sulley hasn't wanted to set foot outside our house since he moved in. He seems to prefer the cushy house cat life to a mouser's life in the country.
It's taken us a while to realize that Sulley is downright naughty when he wants something. Some cats will rub up against your ankles or meow loudly when their food bowls are empty, but not Sulley. He does all the things he knows he's not supposed to do, in quick succession, until we figure out what he thinks he needs. If he can see the bottom of his food dish, he thinks he is going to starve. If the fountain on his filled water dish stops working because the battery needs to be charged, he wreaks havoc until the battery pack is replaced and his fountain is working again. If the basement door is closed, he scratches on it relentlessly until someone opens it so he can descend the stairs to his favorite napping space. And, heaven forbid I should stay up even five minutes later than my normal bedtime; that infraction will incite Sulley to dash from one piece of furniture to another, scratching each couch or chair pointedly in hopes that I will just go to bed instead of reaching for the dreaded spray bottle.
Have you heard the saying, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease"? For countless centuries, it meant that the wagon wheel that squeaked the loudest would be oiled first, since it made the most annoying noise. Now, it simply means that the person (or cat) who complains the most is the one who is most likely to get the help he needs. Sulley has certainly perfected the art of "squeaking." Sometimes I wish he could just talk so he could tell me what he wants, and avoid the runaround.
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| Sulley's innocent looks can be deceiving. |
In Luke 11, Jesus told this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence."
Like Sulley, the neighbor in this story persisted until he got what he wanted. Jesus went on to say this: “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
Jesus was making this point: If a man would get up at midnight to help his unrelenting neighbor, how much more would God answer our prayers and meet our needs. We are not worthy of his grace, but we can expect God to hear us and give us what he knows is best, just because he loves us.
We don't always know the best answers to our prayers, even though we like to tell God what to do, much like Sulley insists on having his bowl filled even when it already contains a sufficient amount of food. Just as Sulley expects me to do what he wants, we can trust God to do the absolute best for us, even if it might not be exactly what we expect, because he loves us that much.
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