Fin was found by a kind, animal protector in a field while they were mowing on a cold spring morning. They took the poor kitten to Smith County Animal Clinic and he was given a grim prognosis. He was cold, dirty, still had his umbilical cord and more than likely less than 2 days old. My son, a helper at the clinic and also a savior of animals, proudly brought the tiny, hopeless creature home for us to raise! I didn't have the hart to say "no." I also hated the idea of leading this poor baby to his demise due to the inevitable and my son be devastated. Also, more importantly, we have bulldogs, we didn't need a cat. A few statistics that are helpful here: 95% of 1-5 day old abandoned kittens die. The number decreases with age but the kitten isn't out of the woods until the kitten reaches 8 weeks.
But he lives and he grew up into what you see today. He is beautiful. I have been told he looks like he is all or at least part Maine Coon. Size over time will tell. His name is Fin because the people that named him were honoring their recently departed cat, Gil. Get it? Gil...Fin. We kept the name and after several adoption attempts we kept the cat. Because he has never been around other cats and his adopted mother was a protective bulldog, he has a lot of dog-like qualities until his cat instincts kick in.
Lately, at the weather warmed up and the birds started watching their nests so did Fin. He is obsessed with one tree and one nest in particular. It is a bush in the side yard, outside the fence. Fin is an indoor cat. Since we live in a neighborhood, our animals are supervised outdoors or in our fenced back yard. The more freedom we gave him to wander, the further he went. He began to take advantage of his freedom. He was hard to find, to get back in and the bird finally moved her nest. He was just doing what cats do. But when he wants to "come back to the safety of home" he has to figure out how to get back in. Like the prodigal kitty he usually tries to jump the fence bak in in vain and is forced to grovel at the front door to be let in.
Freedom is a tricky thing. The more you have, the more you want. Once upon a time, mankind was living a doomed life they purchased with their will and the freedom God gave them. Living a doomed life had to have been defeating. They traded freedom, minus eating from one tree, to slavery to sin and ultimately eternal death and separation from God, tossed from the garden. Humanity was living like a kitten abandoned in a field with little hope. But God sent a savior, a redeemer that sacrificed so we could live. This savior nurtured us, cared for us, gave us a new life. This new life was everlasting. We were no longer slaves and once again given freedom.
For Fin, running amuck means he could get lost, stolen or hit by a car. For us running amuck could cause us to live a life apart from the Father's will for us. Living outside of His perfect will brings grief into our life, poor decisions lead to more misery. Living inside His will is easy, light and still gives us freedom to move.
As Fin has been given more freedom, he has learned to come home and not stay gone for too terribly long and doesn't stray too terrible far. He has found out that while exercising his will, he loves his life with his family that saved him from death. Will you choose the one that saved you from death or will choose your worldly yoke of slavery.
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