Everyone needs a buddy

I wonder if the Scripture saying “whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” applies to animals?
Buddy came into our lives riding in the engine block of a delivery truck to the church. When the truck left, I thought at first the kitten had been run over. I picked him up by the scruff of his neck and said, “Hey buddy, are you okay?” Fortunately, he was, and the name stuck.
I wasn’t planning to keep Buddy, but we fell in love with him. Strangest of all, however, was that my dog Pepper adopted the kitten as her own. When you give yourself for the benefit of others, your life is enriched as is theirs. So it was with Pepper and Buddy. She became his care-taker and protector. Buddy learned to fetch and beg food like his adopted mom. They still played together until we lost Buddy almost three years ago. We all miss him, but our lives are better because he was part of it.
There is truth in the prayer of St. Francis where it states, “For it is in giving that we receive.” Everyone needs a “buddy” to come into their lives. We receive a blessing when we encounter and help those in need that cross our path. We should pray for such opportunities. Be prepared, however, for God might answer our prayers in an unexpected way!
A pastor found a kitten up a tree in his backyard that was afraid to come down. The tree wasn’t sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided to tie a rope to his car and the tree, and then back up until the tree bent over enough for him to reach the kitten.
But as he backed up, the rope broke and the tree snapped back, sending the kitten sailing through the air out of sight.
The pastor felt terrible and walked the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen the kitten. Nobody had, so he prayed, "Lord, I commit this kitten to your keeping," and then went back to work.
A few days later at the grocery store, he met one of his church members and happened to look in her shopping cart. Knowing she didn’t like cats, he was surprised to see cat food in her cart, so he asked her about it.
She replied, "You won't believe this," and told him how her little girl had been begging for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her, "If God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it."
She continued, "Pastor, I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her."