Wild Kittens to Home Cats

In January, a feral calico cat came to live in our backyard. My husband fed her and tried to tame her, but she chose to remain feral instead of sharing our home. Dave continued to feed her, and she became our “outdoor kitty,” preferring to live under our backyard shed. In July, she blessed us with five feral kittens. We got the necessary shots for all five kittens and the mama, and they all had the surgery that would turn them into responsible cats. We had decided to keep one of the two tuxedo kittens, a female we named Sox. We found good homes for the other the four kittens, including the other tuxedo kitten that we called Boots.

 The night the family came for Boots, he would not let himself be caught, so they left with a determination to find a different kitty. You would have said, as we did, “He will never be tame!” I kept thinking of our beautiful but wild kitty, and I worried that no one would ever want him. So we decided to let him be feral in our backyard with his mom if that was what he chose.

 But first, Dave would try harder to tame him. His sister, Sox, settled in and became a sweet, gentle kitten. But Dave never gave up on Boots. He worked patiently with him in the house. It took a long time for Boots to learn to trust. Now he, too, is gentle and sweet.

 What changed him from wild to mild?

Of course, he knows he will always have food to eat, and our hands will always be gentle, but mostly he knows he is loved. Now he sleeps by my side much of the night, often with his face just a few inches from mine, confident he will never be hurt. Often he puts his paws on my cheeks for a while before falling asleep. His purr says it all—he is home, we are his people, he trusts us, and he feels loved.

Life has not been easy for some, and it can be hard to trust or to love. Yet Jesus works with us patiently and gently, always showing us how much He loves us. He never gives up. But the choice to trust Him is ours. His Word promises, “They shall be My people, and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:38, NKJV).

We can be confident in God’s love.

Let Him change you by His love!              

 Ginny Allen.