Marguerite Keiffer

Deacon Marguerite Keiffer

This is a true story based on my experiences with my beloved cat, Deacon. He was not an ordinary cat; instead, he was a little person clothed in cat fur that I adored. He was my constant companion during the turbulent years of my preadolescent and adolescent years.

What's in a name? In the beginning of Creation, God gave Adam, the first man, a job to do: To name each and every animal and bird on earth. Long ago, when I was a child, I read a quotation from one of Mark Twain's books. He said that Adam called a dog a dog because "he looked like a dog." As a little girl, I thought that this was very funny.

To my readers, I ask the same question. How would you decide to go about this. I will give you a thought to consider from a cat's point of view. In the beginning, the animal told about in this story had no name. Some called him a feline; others, a pest. When he met Adam, he was nameless but determined to be given a name worthy of his own kind (Gen. 2:19-20).

With great curiosity, he approached Adam. Sniffing and looking all around to make sure he was safe, he finally seated himself beside this first man. Adam looked him over carefully; he liked his friendly attitude and curiosity that made Adam want to pet him. But, this animal had a mind of his own; he could be temperamental. His name should be cat, a name that has fit him through the ages.

This is how his name came about:

C = curiosity
A = attitude
T = temperament
________________

CAT

My only exaggeration in this entire tale is when I tell about Deacon crying, tears flowing down his face. To a little emotional girl of eight, she imagined her Deacon did shed a few tears of love, of course!

I am letting Deacon tell his own story: he is the protagonist. This is a wonderful story to read to a young child before bedtime or for a middle school student to read to himself/herself. Deacon will capture your imagination with his adventures and shenanigans!