When JD and I got married we almost immediately started looking for a pet. A nesting instinct? Probably. We both love dogs but our living situation made a dog impossible. I started looking online for a cat that needed to be adopted. Nina's picture online didn't do her justice. I didn't think she was that cute and I did NOT want a long hair cat. But I kept coming back to her. Nina was supposed to be in our home. There was no getting around it. The prompting that I felt was real.
Nina was not an ordinary cat. She thought she was a dog. She licked like a dog, crawled in your lap like a dog, and followed you around the house like a dog. She couldn't stand not being where the action was and sitting quietly on your lap was not enough. She would crawl up to your face, purring like a machine, and lick your nose. She wasn't happy unless she was two inches from your face.
She was also very tolerant. JD used to grab her paws and stand her up and make her dance. She was pretty good at hip hop. When young kids were around, they would grab Nina and Nina would submit to the pokes and prods of young curious fingers. She never tried to get away, even though it wasn't her favorite thing. She didn't want to hurt anyone.
She'd even let us bathe her. There were a few times when she got into things that required a bath and we'd fill the tub up with warm water and she would let us lather her up. She didn't try to get away. She didn't scratch. She knew we were trying to take care of her.
She even taught JD how to do laundry......
She would also communicate to us. She would come wandering in the room (running if she heard the can opener) and start meowing. We talked to her and she would respond back. The exchange went back and forth and we got such a kick out of it.
She also didn't get the hint that we were done petting her. She thought there was no POSSIBLE way that ANYONE could get sick of her. We'd put her down and she'd climb back up. She would do this literally 15 plus times in a row. Seriously!
She determined that new places to curl up were designed just for her. JD got this Redskins chair for a birthday and Nina was the first to enjoy it.
She also sensed sorrow. When I was sad, Nina always crawled onto my lap to give me comfort. She was there when I found out I was going to miscarry, there when JD was out of town and I was really sick, there to bring comfort to JD after his stroke. She knew when she was needed.
She wasn't too thrilled of the idea of a bringing a new addition to the Santini fold, but warmed up to him and was comforted by him during the last few hours of her life.
It is said that Joseph Smith expects that his favorite horse will be with him in the next life. I think I agree. It may seem silly to write a tribute to a cat, but I believe pets have special purposes. They were lovingly created by our Heavenly Father to teach us how to love. They love unconditionally. Everything the Lord created point us to Him. If we look around we can see how the earth and all it holds remind us of the Savior and of God's plan.
"Every animal or plant, in filling the measure of its creation, praises God. We must, by fulfilling our creation, do the same." Anselm Spring
Nina- we miss you and our home isn't the same without you.
