by Mike Payne
Early in the week I had an appointment with my dentist. On my way inside, I heard a faint, but unmistakable mew of a kitten coming from the flower bed in front of his office. I searched through the foliage and, behold, there was the tiniest kitten I have ever seen—eyes still shut, frantically searching for mama. I looked around for her too, hoping she was lurking nearby, poised to move this last baby to a new, safer location. After learning from the office staff that this baby had been there for some time with no signs of a mama in the vicinity, I located a box to carry him in and headed to the vet. She supplied me with kitten formula, a tiny bottle, and instructions on how to nurse a cat that couldn’t be more than five or six days old.
I brought the baby home, swaddled in a blanket to my wife, the consummate nurturer; she immediately added a heating pad to keep him at just the right temperature, and tried her best to feed him every three hours—but the little guy just couldn’t wake up enough to take the bottle.
The following day, the vet suggested we try a drop of Karo syrup, as hypoglycemia is often an issue for abandoned newborn kittens. After the sugar in the syrup kicked in, he finally started showing signs of progress. We watched as he ate heartily for the first time, and my wife burped him (yes, you have to burp a kitten), and snuggled him in his little box for a nap, beaming like any proud mama. An hour later she called me in, and said, “I don’t think he’s breathing.” He wasn’t.
Why do I tell this story? Because I truly believe that events like this are God’s reminder to slow down and “smell the roses.” In the mayhem of life in the news business, with deadlines looming as always, we were forced to make a decision as to whether we wanted to continue on with “business as usual”, or dedicate a moment of our time to the joy of caring for one of God’s creatures. We chose the latter, and I’m better for it. I was reminded that life— a cat’s or my own—is but a mere wisp in time, and to live each day to its fullest, showing myself approved to God! I am glad this little ball of fur came into our lives, even if just for a moment. Thanks for the reminder, God!
