I never considered myself to be a cat person. Most cats I knew were somewhat aloof. 

Dogs have owners, cats have staff. But then I met Noel. 

After my father-in-law died, we thought that my mother-in-law, Edwina, might like a pet to keep her company. In 2009, my sister-in-law, her daughter, and my son heard about someone who had a kitten. 

They decided that it would be a great Christmas present for Edwina. Since it was close to Christmas, they named her Noel. 

Not the typical cat, Noel quickly endeared herself to Edwina. She was not aloof. Edwina enjoyed her kitty sitting in her lap while she brushed her fur. Noel’s loud purr let it be known that she also enjoyed it. 

A few years later, Edwina’s memory was beginning to slip. She could still take care of herself but really needed someone to be there with her. Our son volunteered to move in with her. 

Noel quickly attached herself to him. Edwina would laugh and say, “he stole my kitty.” Edwina’s memory continued to deteriorate and our son ultimately became her full time caregiver. 

There were a few things that seemed to stick in Edwina’s memory as a part of her regular conversation. One of those was her laughing and saying, “he stole my kitty.” 

Edwina’s condition continued to worsen and the memory slips turned into hallucinations. At that point our son could no longer effectively care for her and we made the painful decision to put Edwina in memory care. 

Taking a new job in Cordele, our son moved home with us to get settled. We needed a home for Noel. I was not inclined to have a cat but we were willing to give it a try on a temporary basis.  

Noel swiftly moved to claim her spot in her new palace. Before long, Noel jumped on the ottoman beside our couch and walked across my outstretched legs as if she were walking across a bridge.  She curled up in my lap while I read or watched TV.

Noel made her lap preference clear, choosing my lap over Leslie’s every time. Even if she was sitting comfortably on Leslie’s lap, when I sat down she immediately got up, left Leslie, and curled up on my lap with her loud purr that we could hear across the room.  

When she heard our son come in from work, her head perked up and she watched for him to enter the room. If he didn’t come in soon, she was on the floor sitting by his door. 

I am the first one up in the early morning with my cup of coffee, Bible, journal, and devotion book. 

As soon as I sat down, Noel would curl up on my lap and purr. The shepherd boy, David, played the harp to soothe the soul of King Saul. I guess Noel’s purr was like that to me. 

A few weeks ago Noel did not seem to run and play like she had been doing. It looked like she was not eating as much. We took her to the vet and tried several different treatments. 

One day she left the yard and I found her sitting in the bushes in the neighbor’s yard. I didn’t know if she got tired of me knowing where her normal place to stay outside was or if she was looking for a place to lie down and die. Now I realize that it was probably the latter.

Saturday morning I was meeting a truck for delivery of campaign signs when I got a tearful call from Leslie that Noel died. She took her last breath in Leslie’s arms. 

Needing to let him know, I went to Striplings where my son worked to tell him. I’m not sure what people may have thought as we embraced in the parking lot crying over the death of a beloved pet. We found a spot in the yard and made it her final resting place. 

It hurts to lose a pet. The loss of Noel seems to be worse than I expected. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever grieved quite like I did with her. 

The first few mornings were the worst. She had become as much a part of that time for me as my Bible, coffee, and journal. 

As I wondered why this seemed to hurt so much, it occurred to me that I got pleasure from the relationship and love that she showed. She had no “job” in the house. She had no tasks to perform. She had no checklist of things to do. The only thing she did was to be with me and apparently she enjoyed being with me. 

The Bible uses images of animals to describe God’s care and relationship with His children. In the 23rd Psalm, David wrote how the Lord was his shepherd. In Matthew 23, Jesus used the illustration of a hen gathering her brood under her wings. Jesus noted in his sermon on the mount that God even takes note when a tiny sparrow falls to the ground. 

I thought a little deeper about what I did for Noel. I gave her food. I gave her a shelter. I took her to the vet if she was sick. I brushed her and that apparently brought joy to her. 

Just as I provided for Noel, God promised to provide for our every need. God also makes it very clear that He loves us and desires a personal and close relationship with us. 

Checklists and tasks are not what God seeks. He seeks a heart inclined to Him. He desires our praise and complete trust in Him to meet our every need. 

The joy that Noel brought to me was not through work that she did or tasks that she accomplished. She brought joy simply by her enjoyment of being with me. 

There are enough lessons there to fill a book. Through her death, that cat wrote a commentary.  

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