ZOE

Zo⋅e - noun - “a female given name: from a Greek word meaning ‘life.’”

Our first cat in Brazil was “given” to us while we still lived in Niterói. It was a very hot summer day (around 100*) and we heard the “mew, mew” of a tiny kitten voice. We discovered a little baby cat, barely old enough to have his eyes open. He had been placed into a shoe box and abandoned at front of our gate. Sharon said that we would keep the kitten just long enough to get it healthy and then give it away. I knew better! We fed him by dropper, then bottle fed him until he grew into a beautiful healthy cat. By this time, Sharon couldn’t let him go, he’d become part of the family. We had a friend once tell us that, “you own a dog and feed a cat”, this was true of Furby. Furby adopted me and he was “my cat”.

When we moved from Niterói to Rio de Janeiro, we took special care of Furby so that he’d feel welcome and adapt to his new environment. He did well and was soon prowling the neighborhood as if he was the lion and this new territory was the Sub-Sahara of Africa. We’d had him fixed years earlier, so we weren’t worried about any “little Furby’s” out there creating mischief. One day, Furby went outside and never came back. I was saddened! Furby was my cat and I missed him terribly. One neighborhood lady told us that she thought that a group of stray dogs killed our cat at the end of the street. She thought that she had seen a dead cat that looked likes ours’ out on the corner. How sad!

A little over a year ago we were given a kitten and we chose the name “Zoe”. Now, my wife Sharon was reared to be a cat hater. It’s not her fault, she seemed to have been born that way. She was genetically predisposed to not like cats! Her father is a cat hater and he taught her well. She tolerated Furby, but Furby wasn’t hers. This however was not the case with Zoe!

Zoe was given to us my some school mates of Priscila’s. Priscila knew the mother cat and had made arrangements for us to get fist pick when the kittens were ready to leave their mom. Zoe was a precious lovable kitten who didn’t know that Sharon was supposed to be a cat hater. Zoe was very demonstrative in her affection and she demanded affection from Sharon. She would often follow Sharon around the house as Sharon was doing house cleaning. If Sharon took a nap, Zoe had to be in the same room, occasionally in our bed.

About three weeks ago, Zoe started getting sick. We originally thought that Zoe was just trying to purge a massive hair ball, but after further examination it was discovered that Zoe had what is called “Feline Leukemia (FeLV)”. Here in Brazil, cats found with this disease are not immediately put to sleep, but are allowed to try to live as long as the disease does not progress beyond possible care. We were deeply saddened by this diagnosis. We discovered after doing some research on the web and speaking to our veterinarian, that we could try to extend Zoe’s life, but that ultimately this disease will kill her. After a week of trying to help Zoe get somewhat better the veterinarian said that Zoe was anemic, would not be getting better and that would have to be put to sleep.

Zoe means life! We were blessed to have this cute furry bundle of life with us for around a year. Jesus is recorded as saying "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10b) We are grateful that it is Jesus who gives us life and that we can completely put our trust in Him. Please pray for Sharon as she grieves over the loss her “her cat”.