One day，I found a litter of wild kittens in our woodpile.Although I had been a“dog person”all my life and had never had the privilege of sharing my life with a cat，my heart went out to these little fur balls.They were only about four weeks old，and had beautiful gray-striped bodies and large，frightened eyes.Their mother was nowhere in sight.I put them into a box and brought them inside.Jake heard the meowing and immediately began to salivate，drool，and pant.Ourveterinarian told us，“Some dogs just don’t accept cats under any condition.”
A year after the kitty experience，one day I looked outside onto the deck and saw Jake with his ears up and his head cocked sideways，staring at the ground.There at his feet was a tiny kitten，sitting very still.Using soothing words to try and keep Jake calm，I moved in closer，hoping to prevent the ugly attack I felt sure was coming.The kitten had badly infected eyes，and it probably couldn’t see where it was or what was looming over it.But Jake just looked at the little creature，then looked up at me，and then back at the kitten.I heard some meowing，and discovered another kitten under the deck.So I scooped them both up into a box that would be their temporary home.I put the box in the garage and started making calls to all the animal people I knew，telling each the same story—my dog would never allow these cats into our home，and I need to relocate them right away.
The next morning，we found three more kittens lying in a pile outside the door，huddled together for warmth.So I took them in and added them to the box.
My heart was very heavy.Now we had five little kittens，all with infected eyes，which would be sent out into a world already crowded with unwanted little creatures.I spent the day making phone calls，only to be told over and over that no one had room for more critters.I knew I’d run out of options，so with tears in my eyes，I picked up the phone to make the call to the vet that would take the kittens out of my life forever.At the same moment，my eyes fell on Jake，calmly observing everything going on around him.There was no drooling，no panting，he didn’t seem upset or anxious.I felt something was different.
So I became still and I sat.And I heard a voice in my heart telling me what to do.I called our veterinarian and made an appointment to bring the kittens in and get their eyes checked.On the way home from the doctor，I went to a pet store and bought my first litter box.I came home and brought the box of kittens back into the house.Jake was waiting.The time had come，so I carefully put the babies on the floor of the kitchen and held my breath，ready to come to the rescue if necessary.
Jake walked over and sniffed each of the kittens.Then he sat down in the middle of them and looked up at me.The kittens swarmed over him，happy to find a big，warm body of fur to curl up next to.That’s when Jake opened his heart to the five little kittens and adopted them as his own.I wondered if he remembered a time when he，too，had needed a home.I went down to thank him for his love and compassion and tell him how grateful I was he’d come into my life.But it would have to wait until later—Jake and his kittens were fast asleep.