The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

~Proverbs 12:10 NLT

When the boss asked if I wanted four kittens, I jumped at the offer. After all, I lived in the country with chickens, goats, and hogs. I needed a few cats to cut down on field mice and other critters.

The Kittens

I had not grown up in a household with cats. Nor had my parents. My grandparents on Mom’s side owned hunting dogs, mostly, but also pet dogs. Mom remembered Scratcher and loved and talked of him often. I never heard Dad talk about having dogs when he was a boy, but the entire time I knew my grandparents on that side of the family, they owned small dogs.

Neither Mom nor Dad had any use for cats, so we always had both indoor and outdoor dogs when I was growing up. I had no experience with cats until my wife came along many years later. She and her family were cat people. But now, I had four kittens I had no idea how to handle.

As I drove them to my mini farm, they ran around the cab of my pickup, meowing and clinging to me. Scared to death they were and showed it by planting their sharp claws into my skin. By the time we arrived at my house, I wondered if I had not made a grand mistake.

The Cost

Needless to say, my first adventure in owning cats didn’t go well. Within short order, I was ready to pass them along to someone else, as my boss had. Only I knew no one who wanted them. At the time, I wasn’t knowledgeable about shelters or how to get rid of unwanted animals.

So, one day, I took them off and put them beside the road near a home that I’m sure they soon visited. Not the best solution. And, sadly, not one that adheres to the wisdom writer’s suggestion. I’ve tried to be more obedient since then.

According to Solomon, caring for God’s animals is a sign of godliness. Not one of the biblical principles we typically associate with Christianity, but one nevertheless.

Noah’s experience gives us a good example of how God views animals. Certainly, God created them in the beginning, but as He prepared to destroy the earth because of humanity’s wickedness, He told Noah to preserve a certain number of each animal.

The Command

God has given us animals to enjoy, be they dogs, cats, or whatever suits our fancy. But when we adopt or purchase those animals, we should care for them as God cares for us. They are not humans, although we can find ourselves almost treating them like one. And they don’t have souls that live on after death. Nor will their bodies be resurrected at the end of time. Yet, I do believe heaven is populated with animals. After all, God loves them, so why wouldn’t He have them there for us to enjoy?

In the meantime, we should show that we value the life God places in humans and animals by caring for the animals we own. Mistreating them gives a distorted picture of our love for God and life.

Think of some ways you can show love to your pet.

Father, thank You for the marvels of creation, especially my pets. May I treat them with love.

 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2026: Be Ye Kind … Even to Animals: Martin Wiles: All Rights Reserved.