There is an unhappy trend in my neighborhood.  People get cats as pets then put them outside without having them spayed or neutered.  That leads to more cats, which leads to more cats, which leads to more cats. 

What, you may ask, does this have to do with God?  It has everything to do with God.  One of the first tasks humankind was given was the care of the earth and the animals.  You’ve only to take a quick look in any animal shelter or rescue to see how we’ve done with that responsibility.  The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 6-8 million cats and dogs enter shelters each year and 3-4 million cats and dogs are euthanized every year.  We’ve done a very poor job of caring for God’s creation.

Proverbs says that a righteous man cares for the needs of his animals.  Animals need to be sexually altered.  Unless you are a responsible and well-educated breeder, your pet does not need to reproduce.  Unaltered animals have an assortment of behavior problems from aggression, to inappropriate elimination (they pee on the rug) to just downright being obnoxious when they’re in heat.  These “behavioral” problems land animals in shelters every day contributing to an already out of control population.  Spay/neuter surgery is affordable and safe.  If you cannot afford to alter your pet, you cannot afford a pet.

You may wonder why I’ve suddenly shifted gears from the week’s earlier topic.  It’s because I’m soaking wet and there’s a furious female cat on my front porch.  I’m wet because I gave some kittens a bath.  The cat’s furious because they’re her kittens or I guess they were her kittens.  Since they are in a cardboard box in my office I suppose that technically makes them my kittens but I suspect my husband (to say nothing of my existing cats) will have a few things to say about that.  Not that he needs to worry.  I’m happy to find these guys good homes elsewhere.

It’s a tragedy when animals aren’t cared for properly.  Though their mother has a home, these little guys were left to deal with life on their own.  They’d have been two more reproductive members of feline society had I not found them when I did.  That will no longer be the case.  They’ll see a vet, be cured of any maladies they may have and, when they’re old enough, be altered so there are a few less cats in the world. 

If you’ve never considered that the care of animals can be an act of worship I encourage you to give it some thought.  God is clear that animals are our responsibility.  If you’re a pet owner, would God be pleased with the way you’ve cared for your pets?