Missy Kitty's many reasons to be thankful this year

While most of us will still be easing through the post-Thanksgiving gluttony on this Black Friday, Missy Kitty will be filing away her annual list of reasons to be thankful.

Many cats here in Cape Girardeau, across the country and around the world won't have a very long list. They are strays, or abandoned, or ignored. Missy Kitty, by comparison, is pampered beyond words.

So, here goes with Missy Kitty's reasons to be thankful in 2015:

1. Cats do not take sides in sectarian conflict. Therefore, they have little to fear. Sometimes it's hard to find the good guys in these matters. Cats know this. So they mostly stay neutral.

2. Cats who live with caring humans are blessed beyond accounting. Milk in a clean dish. Crunchy bits in a bowl. Fresh water. Petting around the clock. An occasional catnip ball. That's about as far as you can get from terrorism.

3. Plenty of space in which to roam is any cat's idea of perfection. Sure, there are some stay-at-home cats that are happy as can be. But cats that rely on instincts dating back thousands or millions of years still like a romp once in a while. Missy Kitty is pleased as punch she isn't in a kennel cage somewhere. Or waiting to be adopted at a shelter -- which is exactly where she was before her humans rescued her and started treating her like the queen of Sheba.

4. If her humans went to the trouble of preparing turkey for Thanksgiving, they would try to share tidbits with Missy Kitty. It's a nice show of affection. But Missy Kitty has particular tastes. Extremely particular. And even the finest steak does not tempt her. She is extraordinarily grateful that she is never hungry.

5. When we got all that rain several days ago, Missy Kitty had any number of dry spots to choose from. There was her pad in the chair in the living room. The front porch. The back porch. The cat nest in the garage. Even so, she managed to get wet a couple of times, just to prove she could. Having a safe, dry home is something to give thanks for.

6. Peace is hard to define, but Missy Kitty is as peaceful as you can expect a cat to be. She had never fired a missile at a plane flying overhead. She has never sanctioned any roaming animal trying to pass through her territory. She has never wantonly maimed or tortured any living thing except for those rare exceptions when she participates in the animal kingdom's food chain and chases voles.

7. Missy Kitty knows she has not taken advantage of every single opportunity that has come her way during her short life. But she's abundantly thankful that she had a choice. If she chose napping over any other activity, it was because she could choose whatever she wanted. That's something that deserves thanksgiving.

8. Finally, there is love. Missy Kitty's humans pour it out day and night. They care for her, protect her and rub her behind the ears in that special spot that makes her purr box roar. Missy Kitty tries -- often -- to return that affection. Of all the things for which to give thanks, love beyond measure certainly has to be at the top of the list, even though it's mentioned last in this collection of thanksgivings. Don't be put off by that. Cats always save the best for last.

Here's hoping you will take the time to give thanks. Remember the small things as well as the big. And just remember: If a cat can be thankful, especially during this holiday weekend, so can you.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian.