Abby Cat

Remember that story about the cat that closed the door to the bathroom.  Today's story is about how we got that crazy, not so normal cat.

Before Uncle Byron and I ever came to Brazil (which was in the late summer of 1994), we had a cat.  Her name was Abby.  When we went to Brazil we had to leave her behind.  Granddaddy and Grandma graciously accepted her in their home.  Now when some of you were little,  I think you would have met her at their house in Virginia.  In fact I seem to remember Grandma saying that Abby would hide when you all came over and only come out long after you were all gone.

When we first got her, she was so little that she didn't even walk very well.  We called the vet that took care of our neighbor's cat and asked some questions about what to do for her.  He said to fed her milk with an eye dropper.  He also said to wipe her little body all over after her feeding with the corner of a damp washcloth.  Do you know why?  Because a mother cat after a feeding would wash her little kittens with her tongue - all over.  ALL over, and then the little cats would feel the need to use the bathroom.

I put some newspaper in a special spot in the kitchen and placed her there after each feeding and washing.  That cat never did any "business" in any other spot in the house.  After a few days she got a little stronger and we decided to go ahead and buy a kitty litter box.  I put the box in the same place where the paper had been.  The only thing was that she could barely walk and was very small.  I would put her in after her feeding but she couldn't get back out.  She would try a little and then meow for help!  Eventually I got the idea to put a little box on the outside of the box to be a stepping stool for her. 

Now let me tell you how we ended up with this cat.  We knew that "soon" we would be going to Brazil, we just didn't know exactly when.  When you are on deputation to raise your support as a missionary sometimes it can take a while.  For us it took about 3 years of visiting churches and sending out letters (no email back then).  So, I wasn't real keen on having a pet.  Why get a pet, only to have to decide what to do with it when it was time to go?

But, one day Uncle Byron came home from his classes at the Missionary Aviation Institute with a kitten...

 Every since Uncle Byron took classes at MAI,

 and worked at Sears Automotive Center for a bit, 

he has worn blue work shirts and pants as his basic every day attire.

He had seen the kittens earlier in the week at a barn on the property.  The mother had given birth to the kittens in a spot where there was some fiberglass insulation.  She probably thought it was a nice warm nesting spot, but it was a death trap.  All the little kittens and the mother died.  Probably from where she was licking the little kittens and ingesting some of the fiberglass.  So Uncle Byron decided to bring the last one home.

Now I recall Uncle Byron telling me some sob story about the other students thinking about making a cardboard box, pushing it out into the lake (you can see it beyond the bus and plane in the above photo), and seeing how long it would take for the "boat" to sink with the cat.  Uncle Byron doesn't remember that, but either way - he brought home the cat.

We didn't name her for a little bit.  When Uncle Byron finally decided on a name, he called her A.B. Normal like abnormal.  He thought that was funny, I guess.  But only used the initials to call her Abby.   All through her life from time to time, she had to visit the vet because she would have spells of not breathing well like a person with asthma because of her exposure to fiberglass when she was little.

Abby cat turned out to to be a wonderful blessing in our lives.  Over the time of those three years of deputation she provided some silly joy in our lives.  When it was time to go to Brazil it was very hard to leave her behind.

People used to ask me what I had to give up to go to Brazil.  We didn't own a house, we didn't have a lot of possessions.  We had family that was very supportive of our desire to be missionaries.  I guess I gave up my cat.  Thankfully God has given me a nice house to live in and a whole hoard of possessions.  Thankfully Grandma and Granddaddy and Granny Atha have all been able to visit us many times here in Brazil, although I do miss them greatly and now William and Dalton and all of you.  And now I have a new cat!  Hmm, I guess God is pretty good!

You all have a great week!

Love, Aunt Michele