When GOD created the World, He chose to put animals in it, and
decided to give each whatever it wanted. All the animals formed
a long line before His throne, and the Cat quietly went to the end
of the line. To the elephant and the bear He gave strength; to the
rabbit and the deer, swiftness; to the owl, the ability to see at night;
to the birds and the butterflies, great beauty; to the fox, cunning;
to the monkey, intelligence; to the dog, loyalty; to the lion, courage;
to the otter, playfulness. And all these were things the animals
begged of GOD. At last he came to the end of the line, and there sat
the little cat, waiting patiently. "What will YOU have?" GOD asked
the Cat.
The Cat shrugged modestly. "Oh, whatever scraps you have left over.
I don't mind."
"But I'm GOD. I have everything left over. You can ask for anything!"
"Then I'll have a little of everything, please" said the Cat.
And GOD gave a great shout of laughter at the cleverness of this small
animal, and gave the Cat everything she asked for, adding grace and
elegance and . . .. only for her, a gentle purr that would always attract
humans and assure her a warm and comfortable home.
