Let me start by saying that I DO NOT celebrate Halloween. I don’t put up pictures of ghosts or goblins and I don’t hand out candy to the “Trick or Treat – ers”. We have all seen pictures of black cats, though, with bowed back, tail in the air and every hair sticking straight out. Thus the title.

Clyde is a Burmese cat that allows me to cohabitate with him and his sister Bonnie. Normally Clyde is a friendly little creature, non-violent in nature, and content to let things be as they are. He even tolerates his ‘Niece’, Salida, a golden retriever, when she comes to visit. … Until one day…

Rocky, a border collie, and his ‘Mommy’ came to visit. As expected Clyde disappeared into another room and Rocky was lying on the living floor listening to the conversation between his ‘Mommy’ and myself. Imagine my surprise to hear definite ‘Kitty Cursing’ coming from the other room. Out stalked Clyde, back high, tail in the air and every hair sticking straight out, muttering curses that would have caused me to spit soap bubbles had my mother heard any such uttering from me. He swaggered into the room and attacked the unsuspecting Rocky, all the time muttering his opinion of Rocky and all of dogdom. After a second attack he stalked back to the other room where he proceeded to mutter and growl for several minutes.

What caused my usually mild-mannered cat to react in such a manner? I don’t know but maybe it was because Rocky was a male and Clyde thought he should be the only male in the house. I really don’t know. He treats Salida, his ‘niece’, with respect – even tolerance.

Jesus tells us: “Let me tell you how to experience real happiness. Do something good to those who don’t like you, say something good about them who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat and exploit you to further their own interests.” (In Luke 6:27, 28 GNB) Later in the chapter he admonishes us to turn the other cheek and if someone asks for our coat, give him our cloak also.

We are human beings, created in the image of God. He expects more from us than to retaliate. Clyde doesn’t know any better. We do!

Wynona Gordon