A Gift from Heaven

He was abandoned out the front of our house on New Year’s Eve 2000.

He was a gorgeous fluffy calico-and-white kitten with a mission.

Shandy, our gift from Heaven, felt he had a home with us, even though he didn’t know us.

My partner and I had just got home late on 31st December 1999, and Mere Male, my partner, saw a little face curiously peeking over the wall of a dis-used brick pond on our lawn.

The cat, only a few weeks old, slithered perilously down the outside of the tall brick wall, and I rushed over to help. My partner, kind to all strays in need, offered the hungry creature a saucer of milk, and that did it!

The stray was with us to stay.

He scampered indoors un-invited. I scooped him up and took him to the neighbours to ask if anyone knew who this furry little sweetie belonged to.

Nobody knew of him. At one of the houses, a huge dog came to the door. It growled ferociously, and the frightened kitten leaped out of my arms and ran away!

I was worried and searched for the stray, then I sat by the front window for a while, moping. I peered out into the inky sky, looking for a flash of white.

But----there was nothing. Tick-tock, tick-tock.

I went to sleep, and was awakened to Heaven's gift to us

Looking out the front of our house, I was delighted to see our stray was back! The sweet little kitten was back in the pond. I screamed and rushed out to greet our unexpected gift.

Well, that was it

My partner (Mere Male) and I silently agreed to give this beautiful creature a temporary home.

We weren’t looking for an animal companion at the time, but we put the kitten in the laundry over-night. Although we made his bedroom as comfortable as we could, I was sure that he would be lonely or frightened, being such a young age and separated from his family.

Contrary to what I expected, that first night there were no cries or scratching on the door or any sounds from our heavenly visitor!

This truly amazed me because the kitty may have had a sibling or two, and if not, had likely been plucked rudely away from his mother. It appeared that someone had separated the kitten from its family and dumped it out the front of our house.

Heaven works in mysterious ways.

In this case, the company of heaven sent a wise, peaceful and accepting kitten to those who needed him!

Unusually, during those first days of our calico-and-white "bundle of joy" boarding with us, I got up super early. I am not an early riser, but I was eager to play with the stray out the back.

He and I “had a ball”, running after each other happily, and getting to know each other.

My partner and I quickly decided that the cat could stay.

This amazing abandoned being was so sweet, cute, beautiful, soft, small, loving, spirited, and full of character, and needed a home.

And we instinctively knew that he was good for us.

So we couldn’t say no to the stray.

Mere Male and I wondered what to call our new friend.

“What about Shady?” I asked, “seeing as he was found in the shade?”

My partner, Mere Male (as I call him) looked at the kitty. The cat was brownish-orange-ish-blackish with lots of splashes of white. This reminded Mere Male of beer and lemonade.

“How about Shandy? he asked, “because his colors are like a drink of shandy.”

One month after Shandy came to stay, on a day that I will never forget, I stood looking out the back as Shandy sat close right next to me. I looked smilingly down at Shandy.

This cat looked up at me, with the most AWESOME smile of love that I have ever received. It was unforgettable, as if an Angel was smiling at me.

Shandy grew up, and like many cats, he chased our ankles when he was a kitten, and he always wanted his own way. He loved our company but also spent a lot of time alone. Our Shandy was a real character.

Shandy trusted Mere Male so much that after he got onto the green shade-cloth over our car-port, he would hang out from a gap in the cloth. To get down, rather than climb down, Shandy would just fall into the waiting arms of my partner.

Here he is reading “Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond.

This cat was truly sent to us from Heaven.

He knew when we weren’t feeling well and would sit on our lap or lie alongside one of us when this happened, to give healing energy.

Shandy smiled at us often. I’ll never forget his beautiful, shining eyes, and amazing light. Shandy was the bravest, most stoic being that I knew of.

Here are the messages that Shandy taught us, which we are paying forward.

Shandy taught me personally that you should know what you want and go for it, and stick with it. Sometimes I would battle with him to get him off my chair so I could sit on it, but he didn’t want to give up his seat.

So I would leave him on my chair in my study and go work somewhere else.

Shandy, the Millennium Cat from Heaven, showed me that you can say “No” to others, and that you should set your boundaries.

Also, you should get your own chair, if yours was for the taking, that is, you have to be organised and assertive and claim what's yours, in order to get what you want.

I respect all animals, and in 2012 I started a blog, Fascinating Animals on WordPress. Shandy gifted us with his presence for sixteen years, from the day he was the stray that came to stay, on New Year's Eve 2000.

Shandy’s image graces this website. You can add your animal friend's story to the site, if you want to. The Millennium Cat even has his own Column there. Click on the link below to read it!

We never looked back, because Shandy, our gift from Heaven, kept to his mission to keep my partner and I together. He did this exceedingly well. Thank you Shandy cat.

He was the magical "glue" that kept us focused on a combined interest and on something to love. Our gift from Heaven helped us to push past our differences and challenges, and stay the course.

While Shandy's life was not so easy, with being traumatised after being separated at such a young age; and getting into scrapes and illnesses, and working hard to look after us; he never complained once. If ever I am lacking courage, I need only think about Shandy.

In February 2016 Shandy was 16 years old. I could tell he was tired or getting worn-out with life. He spent more and more time sleeping in his favourite place, hidden away out-doors. Our gift from Heaven returned home.

I believe that there is more to us than our physical bodies. After Shandy departed Earth, I asked him for a message for me. One month after he crossed the rainbow bridge, I woke up with a tune running through my head.

But I could not recall the words or place the song.

I knew that it was Shandy's song!

Is it "it's written in the stars?" I thought to myself and googled those words. No, it wasn't. This was frustrating because I hadn't been thinking about any songs before sleeping. The melody had popped out of the blue, from Heaven.

I hummed the tune to my partner, but he didn't recognise it.

The message brewed. The magical border between the dense physical world and the world of light and energy shimmered. Then, fuelled by love, the words percolated through from Heaven, like a heaven-sent unexpected shower of rain gracing a parched field.

"I feel it in my fingers." That was it!

The song was "Love is All Around"

Yes, Shandy our Gift from Heaven, you showed us that love is everywhere.

"You know I love you, Shandy, I always will."

And I know that you love me and always will.

Shandy had delivered his message of love from Heaven.

Shandy's universal message (for all) is that we are all-ways loved. We only need to turn to that still calm at our core, and invite in magical connections and happenings into our Lives.

Then when the opportunity turns up, like a stray sweet little calico-and-white kitten dumped outside your house, -- GRAB it with open arms.

This stray is with me to stay forever. From the moment we met, our fate was sealed. "You know I love you, I always will."

You can read the words to Shandy's song HERE if you like!

Five days before Shandy sent me his song, a spiritual friend drew some oracle cards for me. They are shown in the picture below.

"Hello from Heaven" told of loved ones doing well in Heaven.

It was a perfect spread. Shandy was telling me to use my spiritual understanding and sensitivity to keep caring for others, while looking after myself too. My friend told me that Shandy was saying hello from Heaven.

There's more to us than what we see. There's more to us than what we apparently do. We are all energy in form, with a divine or spiritual origin.

Shandy, a New Year's Eve 2000 gift from Heaven, will live on in our hearts forever. The Millennium Cat taught us to give strays a chance and to love fully and be open to being loved.

And the Millennium Cat showed us that gifts and magical messages are sent from Heaven. Rest in peace, our stray to stay. We love you.