Afternoon on Christmas Day of 2008, and most of us cats have settled down for our nap. But today I'm restless thinking about stories that Cat-Dad has been telling us, and since I'm not much into football, I thought I would write to you, dear readers.Stories about us cats are seemingly endless, probably because we have lived with humans only for five thousand years. Dogs (ahem...) on the other paw, have been subservient to man for over twenty thousand years. Mystery also surrounds our origins. No record of what most humans term "domesticated cats" - personally, I think that an oxymoron - has been found older than five thousand years. This gives rise to speculation that we were brought into existence as a race for the singular purpose of straightening out the mess that man was getting himself into!
But I digress.
One story seems particularly relevant to convey because it is a legend that dates back to the very first Christmas. This is one explanation (granted, there are others) about how tabby cats came by the characteristic mark each bears on his/her forehead, the likeness of an "M". The picture here above of Mork will remind you of this sign.
There are many tellings and variations of this tale that all reach the same end, but the one that Cat-Dad told derives from a posting on WikiAnswers.com. It goes like this:
It was a cold and starry night that found the cat out hunting. He didn't look much different from the other cats; he was gray in color with stripes of charcoal. As this cat walked down the dark alleyway, he heard crying coming from a stable. He entered, and to his amazement saw several types of animals surrounding a young mother who was trying to comfort her newborn son.
She spoke softly. "I don't know what to do. I thought you were hungry, so I fed you. I thought you were wet, so I changed your diaper. I thought you were cold so I wrapped another blanket around you."
She rocked the infant a few minutes longer and then laid him back in a manger filled with hay. The baby continued to cry. But the cat knew what needed to be done. He leapt into the manger and curled up next to the child. In comforting tones, he began to purr. It was the sweetest lull-a-bye ever heard, and the baby quieted and drifted off to sleep.
The woman gently stroked the cat saying, "Thank you. I don't know where you came from or how you knew, but thank you."
God was looking down and witnessing the blessed events of His son's birthday. Heard only by the cat, God spoke.
"You have done a wonderful deed this night. Because you cared enough to help this woman, I will mark you and your offspring forever so that people for all time will remember. Her name is Mary, and from this day forward, you will have the letter "M" on your forehead."
So when you see a cat with the tabby pattern (no matter if it's gray, brown, or some other color) look closely at its forehead. By this you will know that it is a descendant of the cat that comforted the newborn Christ on that first Christmas night.
Thoughts to ponder, dear readers. But while you do so, I must go now to take my nap before our Christmas Feast. I leave you with this question. What mark will be branded on your soul that will remind us all of the kindness you have given?
With purrs to all,
Sasha
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The purring of an average housecat falls into the frequency of 25-40 cycles per second (Hz). Interestingly, research has shown that exposure to 20-50 Hz induces increased bone density, relieves pain, and heals tendons and muscles... Many individuals swear they can ease or completely eliminate their migraine headaches simply by lying down with a purring cat.
- Fedyniak, L.G. (2003) A Cat's Healing Purr. Animal Wellness 5: 12-14
