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On late Saturday evening of the Creation, the Almighty looked at his work, and put his feet up. He was looking forward to his first day of rest. The first Sunday in history was about to come. The Almighty was content. But suddenly he heard a strange sound at the door so he got up to check. It was the cat.
"Great Lord", said the cat and rubbed herself against the Almighty's legs,"Your creation is magnificent, and I, too, am content. You gave me beautiful soft fur to protect me from the cold. You gave me wonderful soft paws, so that I can sneak up silently on my prey, and you gave me sharp claws and a flexible body, which make me a good hunter and climber. But just the same, I have to admit that there is a tiny bit still missing."
The Lord creased his brow and thought back - what could he have forgotten? It could not be the Cat Flap; this invention was planned for much later. The same applied to Kitty-litter, domestication had to preceed that. "Speak up", requested the Almighty,"what is it that is still missing?"
"Only a very minor detail, Lord", spoke the cat, and, with excitement, wiped her paw over her whiskers. "And it is not meant as a criticism...".
"Come out with it," demanded the Lord, somewhat annoyed because he saw his Sunday rest in some danger. "What is it?"
"Well," said the cat, wrapping her tail around her paws, "I have not enough defence powers! My claws and teeth are magnificent weapons against mice and other rodents, and with my jumping power I can chase off birds, but I have no defence against Man!"
Restlessly the Almighty looked at his watch and the cat used this break to continue, "You gave the lion very large teeth and frightening paws, the snake can defend itself with poison, even the hedgehog can keep Man away with his spikes. Only I, Lord, am without defences and am therefore somewhat unhappy."
"What did you have in mind?" Asked the Almighty, "Would you like wings like a bird or would you rather crawl into the earth like a worm?"
"I don't know", said the cat. "Maybe a large tusk like the elephant or rhino."
"As you wish", said the Lord, and gave the cat two mighty tusks of the best ivory. Immediately she lost her balance and fell forward, unable to move.
"I don't think tusks are a good idea after all", complained the cat, now more unhappy. "If only they were not so large - maybe a pointed beak would be better."
Again the Lord fulfilled her wish and replaced her pretty little nose with a hefty, dagger-like beak. But the cat was again dissatisfied.
"I think a beak is not the right thing either", she said, and pecked awkwardly on the ground. "How can I clean my fur with this? Maybe a heavy body armour would be better." And again the Lord granted her wish and again she was dissatisfied. So she wished for something else, and each time the Lord granted it she became more and more saddened.
Meanwhile, it was already one minute to midnight, the 7th day, on which Creation was to be completed. The time for the Almighty to rest was almost at hand. So the Lord looked down on the poor cat and said, "To be safe from Man you do not need tusks, beak or armour. Because I now give you a weapon more powerful than any big paw or poison. Man will lay down in awe at your feet - I give you purring!"
At this very moment the clock struck midnight, accompanied by a comforting sound coming out of the throat of an overjoyed cat. And the Lord saw that it was good, so he took the purring bunch of fur onto his lap and said, "I have worked hard for six days and now need some relaxation. So I will spend my first Sunday together with you!"
Spoke he thus and then rolled over with the cat for a sleep on the lounge.
Cat Affairs, Winter 1999 ~ The Newsletter of the NSW Cat Protection Society.
...And on the Seventh Day...