Cats that Don’t Catch Mice

It seems to me that the value of a cat is greatly reduced if it doesn’t catch mice. And if it would then dispose of the carcass instead of leaving it on the doorstep, that would be even better. Perhaps a cat could be forgiven for carrying fleas if it got rid of mice. But apart from that benefit, I’m not sure it should be forgiven much.

I got to thinking about this because of a phrase in Isaiah 56:10: 

“His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. 

All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, 

Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;”

The verse does not mention cats, and I don’t remember a single reference to cats in the Bible. But “dogs unable to bark” got my attention. We could only wish for such a thing, since it seems that neighborhood dogs bark incessantly at everything, or nothing. But the value of a watch-dog is in its bark, alerting to a danger or an intruder. The value of a cat is, in my mind, in catching mice.

The point of the passage has more to do with humans: watchmen who don’t watch. If they are not attuned to the approach of an enemy, then they can hardly be called watchmen, can they? This is followed by a reference to shepherds who don’t “shep.” They don’t care for the sheep, since they are too busy caring for themselves.

I think the application could be much wider. Close to the role of (spiritual) shepherds, think of preachers who don’t preach. It’s not that they can’t talk, but that they fail to broadcast God’s Word in their talking, called preaching.

But couldn’t this be applied much further? What about listeners who don’t listen? Givers who fail to give? Servers who don’t serve? Encouragers who forget to encourage? And why would this be the case? Probably for the same reason as above: they are too busy caring for themselves.

We are (rightly) offended by fathers who don’t father, and mothers who don’t mother. It’s not the way this world is supposed to work. Family structure is essential, and while problems exist in all families, the key roles still need to be fulfilled, as difficult as they may be in particular circumstances. And if this is important in the family, then it is also important, perhaps doubly important, in God’s family. Let’s make sure that we actually do what we have been called to do. Let’s go catch some mice.