Friday 5 November 2010

More Kitten Stuff...

I've been writing a lot of cat-related posts of late, but people have been asking me how Monsignor Furretti is getting along, so here's the latest...

I'm not a fan of allowing animals into church - guide-dogs excepted. However, I always get important things blessed - especially my cars (well, the way I drive...) and important books. I happened to ask if it was possible to get animals blessed. His Hermeneuticalness informed me that there was indeed a blessing for animals in the Rituale... admittedly, it was for flocks and herds, but...

He also told me that St. Martin de Porres had founded a hospital for sick cats and dogs. On the strength of that sort of saintly example, I asked if, on the Feast of St. Martin, Furretti could be blessed.

It nearly didn't happen - the night before, Furretti had a rather upset stomach, and I wasn't sure if a car journey would be a good idea. However, on the Wednesday she seemed a bit better, and so I popped her into the cat carrier and drove to Mass.

I didn't take her into the church, but left her in the car. After Mass, I brought her into the Small Hall, and gave her a saucer of water. Fr. Tim then blessed her - surprisingly, she didn't object to being sprinkled with holy water - but I couldn't take a photo, as I was busy ensuring that she didn't find her way into the vestment cupboards. Fr. Tim did manage to get a photo of her afterwards.

Since then, Monsignor Furretti has been making steady progress.

Sylvester was too big to climb onto small shelves, and he was getting arthritic, so didn't tend to jump onto anything higher than my bed. Anything (other than food) which I didn't want him to get at would be safe left up on a shelf. Now, however, no matter how carefully I put things away on shelves (often behind other, larger things), she manages to climb onto the shelf and hook the objects out. Pens, memory sticks, rosaries, alarm clocks... Yesterday, she sat on a bookshelf and deliberately hooked out three books from the middle of the row and pushed them off the shelf onto the floor.

Strangely, despite the many statues I have on my shelves, I haven't found any of them on the floor... yet.

Furretti also has her appetite back.

Note to self: even though prawn crackers bear no resemblance to prawns, Furretti likes them. Despite the Chinese takeaway packing them in polythene bags, Furretti will open the bag with a single swipe of her claw, and she will then proceed to hook out a cracker and commence chewing...

6 comments:

Genty said...

I wonder if it isn't time to host a Monsignor Moggie Open Day? You could charge the amount of a sachet of cat food for entry!
By the way, every time I see the picture of the Pope holding up the Tablet motto I have to do a double-take to make sure I am not looking at Michael Winner's underpants. Is it my eyesight?

Anita Moore said...

I'm glad Furetti is doing better. Kittens can indeed be quite destructive. Thank God they don't have opposable thumbs!

Maureen said...

I am so glad she is feeling better!

Zephyrinus said...

Good news, Mac. And a very photogenic kittie, as well.

Dominic Mary said...

Excellent (if unsurprising) news . . . continuing prayers for both of you !

Elizabeth said...

Didn't Pope Benedict bless the cat at the Birmingham Oratory when he was in England in September? We use the Anglican Church for Mass on Sundays, and on October 3rd I was taken aback to see the Anglican Minister in his vestments holding a dog in his arms, when we came into Church. Then I remembered it was the feast of St. Francis the following day. Needless to say our Priest did not follow suit.

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