Allen Anderson - Angel Cats: When feline friends touch hearts and change lives

When feline friends touch
hearts and change lives

PENGUIN BOOKS

PENGUIN BOOKS

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First published in the United States of America by New World Library 2004

First published in Great Britain in Penguin Books 2010

Copyright Allen and Linda Anderson, 2004

The moral right of the authors has been asserted

All rights reserved

Without limiting the rights under copyright
reserved above, no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
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the above publisher of this book

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-14-193174-6

PENGUIN BOOKS

ANGEL CATS

Allen and Linda Anderson are authors and inspirational speakers who have been married since 1983. They co-founded the Angel Animals Network, dedicated to increasing love and respect for all life one story at a time (see www.angelanimals.net).

In addition to Angel Cats: When Feline Friends Touch Hearts and Change Lives, their books together are Angel Animals: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals, Gods Messengers: What Animals Teach Us About the Divine, Angel Dogs: When Best Friends Become Heroes and Rainbows & Bridges: An Animal Companion Memorial Kit. Their next book in this series will be Angel Horses: Divine Messengers of Hope.

Allen Anderson is a computer software specialist, writer and photographer. He was profiled in Jackie Waldmans book The Courage to Give. Linda Anderson is an award-winning playwright as well as a screenwriter and fiction writer. She is the author of 35 Golden Keys to Who You Are & Why Youre Here. Allen and Linda teach writing at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, where Linda was awarded The Anderson Residency for Outstanding Loft Teachers. The Andersons share their home with a menagerie of pets, and they donate a portion of revenue from their projects to animal shelters and animal welfare organizations.

You are welcome to visit Allen and Linda Andersons website (www.angelanimals.net) and to send them stories and letters about your spiritual experiences with animals for possible future publication. At the website or by email you may also request a subscription to the free online publication Angel Animals Story of the Week, through which youll receive a new inspiring story each week.

Contact Allen and Linda Anderson at:

Angel Animals Network

P.O. Box 26354

Minneapolis, MN 55426

Website: www.angelanimals.net

Email:

Stately, kindly, lordly friend,

Condescend

Here to sit by me, and turn

Glorious eyes, loves lustrous mead,

On the golden page I read.

To a Cat, Algernon Charles Swinburne

W ith velvet paws tucked serenely under his rhythmically purring body, an Angel Cat breathes sighs of contentment. Stretched out on the cushioned window seat in languorous repose, he gazes outdoors to watch birds and squirrels scurrying around in an attempt to entertain him. Then he turns away from the window and patiently scans his territory, where he spies an empty lap. Majestic as a prince, he rises and glides away from the window. Sauntering across the room, he prepares to take possession of the inviting thighs. He sits on the floor nearby with ears perked up expectantly and gazes intently at the lap, flicking his tail from side to side. Then he turns his head away as if indifferent to its allure. Suddenly, with the grace of a gazelle, he springs forward from his hind feet and leaps onto his rightful throne.

Confidently, his paws knead the lap as if it were made of yeasty dough that will rise into a soft pillow underneath him. The Angel Cat arches his back, twitches his whiskers, and gazes with lustrous eyes into the humans face. Within seconds, he closes his eyelids and luxuriates in the touch of fingers that lovingly caress his silky fur and rub his fuzzy cheeks. When the fingers stroke his face, his raspy pink tongue licks them gently, as if to congratulate them on having found their purpose in life. The soothing purr of this charming companion makes the humans cares and concerns float away on waves of vibrating sound.

When the petting is over, the Angel Cat rests. His front legs curl possessively around the humans knee, and his claws retract into the spongy pads of his paws. Immersing himself in the moment, he settles into a Zen-like meditative state.

For a tranquil minute, or maybe an hour, the cat awaits a tolling bell that only he can hear. It emanates from the mysterious cat consciousness and will announce when these peaceful moments must come to an end. Without a shred of regret, he silently leaps back onto the floor. Then he turns his head, nods, and solemnly winks at the person with whom he has shared this intimate respite. With soulful eyes and the detachment of a Buddha, the Angel Cat telegraphs the message that, as enjoyable as this moment in eternity has been, he has no need to cling to the exchange of pleasure. His friends hands rest, lonely as winter tree branches, on the still-warm lap that no other earthly creature can fill as completely or sincerely.

Who are these mystical, mythical creatures that have captured our imaginations, blessing the earth with their elegant presence for three million years? How is it that, although they are a defined species, no two cats are alike? As Roger Caras says in A Celebration of Cats, What cats are is individualistic. One of their most enchanting traits is that each one you meet really does require meeting.

Why do cats fascinate us so thoroughly? Are they messengers who come into our lives as Divine instruments, to comfort us through the storms of life (the Greek word