The Pastor's Calico

By Sylvia Heidemann

When Pastor Dave looks back on the time he saved a tiny calico kitten from certain death, he now surmises she was running away from home, bent on a life of feline crime. As she grew, Cameow bonded with her rescuer, but became antagonistic to his wife, and even plotted to kill her twice! This calico's inventive, devious behaviors are annoying and amusing, requiring forgiveness on a daily basis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sylvia Heidemann
• Release date: Nov 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311634603

Sylvia Heidemann

Sylvia is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in English and journalism. Her working career has centered on editing journals and magazines and providing public relations services for associations.A dedicated animal lover, Sylvia has been the guardian of a number of cats, three Labrador Retrievers, and two horses. Throughout her life she has domesticated formerly feral cats, and they have become totally devoted to her. She enjoys writing non-fiction inspirational stories with an uplifting Christian message. Interesting people and her personality-plus pets are her favorite subjects.Sylvia's husband David is a pastor and also a dedicated animal lover. In the 16+ years they've been married, they were lovingly manipulated by Shadow, a sweet but stubborn Labrador Retriever. Shadow (subject of The Pastor's Shadow) passed in January of 2013. In 2018 the couple began volunteering for a no-kill shelter, and couldn't resist adopting a 10-year-old longhaired Dachsund (Skye) that lives for chasing squirrels.They have also been guardians for seven feral cats, three of which still live under their roof, in addition to a grumpy old cat that belonged to one of Sylvia's sisters (who's now in a nursing home). Sylvia and David know that herding cats is a full-time job.Current writing projects include a book on the very queenly Star, a formerly feral beach cat that recently passed at the age of 13, and one on the two brothers shown in Sylvia's profile photo. The boys are strikingly different in every way, with the ginger-and-white Gibbs being adventuresome and creative, while the laid-back McGee (a Ragamuffin) craves nothing more than good food, companionship and a nice back rub.

Book preview

The Pastor's Calico

The cat that tried to kill the pastor's wife.

By Sylvia Heidemann

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Sylvia Heidemann

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Matthew 18*

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother

or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

Author's note: Cats, being cats, believe unlimited forgiveness should always be extended to them, too.

*THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The Rescuer

Chapter 2 - Feline Foundling

Chapter 3 - Shadow, Surrogate Mom

Chapter 4 - The Climber

Chapter 5 - Here Come the Boys!

Chapter 6 - Cat Psychology

Chapter 7 - Cats on the Move, Again

Chapter 8 - Cameow, Personal Trainer

Chapter 9 - Food Games

Chapter 10 - The White Flag

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Chapter 1

The Rescuer

My husband is a pastor, and the most compassionate and loving of men. Proof of this is his rescue of Cameow, a cat that started off innocent enough, but somewhere along the line turned into a scheming, bad-tempered little feline. She is a muddied-up-looking calico—some might call her coloring tortoise shell. Cameow is decidedly mean-spirited, especially towards me, and has tried to kill me twice. I find it ironic that my husband, a gentle shepherd of a man, loves and caters to a cat that exhibits decidedly devilish behavior. His compassion for her dates from the moment he removed her from harm's way.

Initially, I was taken in by her kitten-y charms, too. Yet, from the very beginning I had this