One Christmas Eve about 2 millenniums ago, a man and a woman [who
was heavy with her pregnancy] were
making their way to Bethlehem, for
the census. Their going was slow,
and they were late arriving. The only
accommodation available was clean
straw in a stable barn.
blessings of God, and she touched
him on his forehead.
There, to this day, you will find Mary’s
mark of the letter “M” on the forehead of all tabby cats. (The “M” sits
between the eyes on the forehead).
That wonderful night, the tired lady
gave birth to a baby boy, whom she
called Jesus. It wasn’t very comfortable in the stable. They were sharing
it with animals and the noise kept
them awake. The baby was quite
fussy because of all the commotion,
and because the straw was scratching him. His Mother wrapped him in
some fine linen to try and alleviate his
fussiness.
A few streets away, there were some
stray cats out looking for a meal.
They [like everyone else] knew that
something really big and special had
happened, and they could hear a
baby crying, not too far away. They
made their way towards the noise and
commotion, curious as to what was
happening.
“There, to this
day, you will find
Mary’s mark of
the letter “M” on
the forehead of all
tabby cats.”
The scene was beyond anything they
had ever seen. The stabled animals
had settled somewhat, but there were
throngs of people gazing at the child,
and the night was like day because
of the brightness in the heavens. But,
still the baby fussed.
One of the stray cats went towards
the baby, and climbed in to the makeshift bed with the child, and offered
him a warm soft place to lay his head.
The child was comforted and fell
asleep right away.
The Mother was of course Mary, and
she was so thankful that the cat had
settled her baby. She thanked him
profusely, and said that henceforth,
all of his progeny would bear the
Kittycat Issue 1 January/February 2014
14