I’d like to preface this blog post by saying that I believe God created animals — all animals — for a purpose. Whether it’s to provide sustenance, emotional support, or act as our mode of transportation or protectors, animals have assisted individuals both throughout Scripture and in our Church over the years.

With that said, I’d like to now tell the story of Emilio, my breakup kitten.

In the spring of 2012, I was dating a man who I believed was “the one.” We discussed marriage and he even attended church services with me as our relationship progressed.

And then one day, out of the blue, he broke up with me — which, consequently, broke my heart.

I became incredibly depressed, not understanding why this event took place. But God knew. And, I believe, He saw that I needed something cuddly and cute to help with the mending — something like a tiny kitten.

I visited the local cat shelter and found the smallest-of-small, grey-and-white kitten sitting in the corner of the kitten room by himself. I visited each Saturday during the summer until he weighed enough to be adopted. And, for the mere price of $50, Emilio became mine.

I took him home, and Emilio immediately became like my second skin, snuggling up to my neck at night like a warm scarf and sitting on my lap every chance he got. But anyone else? No way. My parents and friends could never get Emilio’s attention — he was a mama’s boy it seemed.

That fall, I was introduced to another man. We got to know each other and began dating. And one evening while he was visiting at my apartment, another certain someone came to say hello. You guessed it — Emilio. It may seem small, but to us, it was huge. Emilio had given his approval of this new person in my life, and that new person eventually became my husband.

Through the years, Emilio enjoyed time spent on heating blankets, reading chairs, and snuggled up with a warm body. He even sat close to read stories with me as I read to our son, Graham. He was part of our family.

A few months ago, I received my reminder notification that it was time for Emilio’s annual wellness visit at the vet. I made the appointment for December 14.

A few days before his scheduled appointment, Emilio wasn’t himself. He grew very ill in the middle of the night and didn’t eat or drink for the entire next day. We knew something was wrong.

The day of the appointment, we took Emilio to the vet for what we thought would be a wellness checkup, only to learn that he was in kidney failure. This was the furthest from our minds, but yet God knew all those months ago that we’d need that appointment on that specific day even before we did. Emilio crossed the rainbow bridge a few hours later.

I share this story because God used a tiny kitten to heal my heart seven years ago — and He gave that little abandoned kitten a purpose. We often hear about God using individuals for a particular reason and, in this instance, He used a feline instead.

He isn’t limited to humans. He uses whales (to teach lessons), lions (to exhibit His power), donkeys (to carry soon-to-be mothers), doves (to show His faithfulness) … the list goes on and on. God cares for the animals just as He does us. And sometimes we’re blessed enough to get to have one of them as a part of our lives.

Our home is emptier without Emilio, but our hearts are full knowing God blessed us with him.

“All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all.”

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.