Last week, we had a little emergency with our flagship cat, Bagheera. He is a shorthair black cat that my sinuses can tolerate and I kind of like him. He has a lot of spunk and is funny.
Apparently, cats can get a condition where, if they eat too much dry cat food, their urine can crystallize and this blocks the urinary tract. These crystals are sharp and the condition is painful (it was clear from his yowling that this was the case). The solution is to insert a cat -heter and remove the crystals and then using an IV, pump the animal full of anti-biotics and fluids. They are released the next day and you get a hefty vet bill. Ouch! In the old days on the farm, we just took them out and dispatched with them to put them out of their misery. These days, you are an unredeemable villain in your kids' eyes for doing such brutality.
Well, we got him home and put him in the downstairs bathroom "kitty suite" where he could urinate at will without messing up the carpet, etc if he missed the litter box. We could also keep an eye on him. One thing we noticed was that he refused to drink the water from our tap (gee, did someone poison the well?), probably related to too much salt in the water from the water softener.
Sure enough. Four days later, even with the non-dry cat food, anti-biotics and lots of inducement to drink more water, he was beginning to show the same symptoms once again. Pacing around and trying to mark or pee on everything - but with no results. I was worried we were in for another over-night vet bill. I went in to use the toilet in the night and he was in a worse condition. I felt inspired to lay my hands on his head and give him a "dry blessing" (no oil). Remarkably, he sat there perfectly still for approx 3 mins while I did this. Normally, that cat is all over the place and will not let you touch any part of his body for more than 2-3 seconds. Halfway through the blessing, I noted how still he was to myself and felt that he understood the nature of what I was doing for him - and that it would help him. I finished the blessing and then went back to bed. My wife woke up and I told her what I had done. I also felt that we needed to do more for him. He was pretty much done with the course of medicine - and I was not willing to "pour more money" into him at the vet. My wife remembered some old cranberry supplement pills we had in our cabinet and we decided to open the gel caps and mix that with some wet cat food and some congealed coconut oil. We mixed the concoction together and administered it to him using a popsicle stick as a spoon. The next morning, he seemed perfectly fine along with much of his water gone and evidence of a nice urination in his kitty box. Over the next few days, it appeared as if we had averted a disaster.
Now, I wish that we had done one thing at a time so we could clearly tell whether it was the blessing, the natural cure, or a combination of both. Sometimes, when utilizing our Priesthood, we are given knowledge of how to fix things once we have done our part to seek out knowledge. The knowledge, when it is presented in front of our minds, will become clear and will jump out at us as the way to a solution. This is why we must read the scriptures when seeking guidance. While it would be nice to have an angel to come and tell us step by step instructions of how to proceed in life, the more subtle and timeless pattern is reading and having the Spirit witness our next move. I have been quickened lately in mind as I have read 1 Nephi 17 and 2 Nephi 1. Both chapters have given me a mountain of instruction that I have been able to apply to myself. Without reading, there would be no personalized instruction from the Lord.
One last thing, I did the same thing for one of our favorite chickens that was ailing. I ended up naming him Mereck L. Chicken, because of the miracle involved with him overcoming the Mereck's virus that acts similarly to polio in fowl and they eventually succomb to it in 100% of the cases where it progresses to the point that they cannot walk or even hold their heads up. He was a fine chicken but had gotten to the point that he was laying on his side and could barely raise his head. Again, the middle of the night, using the bathroom and hearing his anguished sounds and I felt to lay my hands on his head and see if the Lord, for His purposes, might spare the poor creature. The next morning - standing up and eating from his dish. Truly it was a Mereck L!
I have a theory that, for many (noble) creatures, they have ample faith to be healed and have an implicit faith in their Creator - and have not been hobbled with the thinking of the fallen world. All that is necessary is for the power of God to come thru them in the form of a blessing and they are on their way. For many humans who are hobbled by sin and lack of faith and obtuse thinking, we have not sufficient faith to be healed in such a direct and miraculous manner. I have only seen a few humans who have responded to a blessing of the Lord at my hands, like those two animals did.
It really is a sad thing to think about.
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