By Esther Averill
Copyright 1960
Revisiting favorite old books from childhood is always fun.
Upon opening up The Fire Cat, memories came flooding back of sitting in an
armchair next to my mother while she read this books to me over and over again.
I clearly remembered the illustrations of Pickles the cat and his escapades.
When the story opens, Pickles is living in a barrel near an
apartment house, bullying all the other neighborhood cats. Mrs. Goodkind lives
in the house. She believes that Pickles is not all bad. He just needs a loving
home. Unfortunately, Pickles had a hard time adjusting to his easy new life
with Mrs. Goodkind and ended up escaping back to his barrel, chasing and
teasing all the little cats. One day, he chased a cat up a tree and would not
let her down. When a storm blew in, Mrs. Goodkind ended up calling the fire
department when she noticed Pickles was stuck. The fireman that climbed the
ladder to get to Pickles not only saved his life, but also gave him a new
purpose.
Pickles should not be a house cat – he should be a fire cat!
His great big paws are meant for big things.
Pickles rode back to the fire house and began training with
the fire fighters. He worked hard day after day, and learned to slide down the
pole, ride the fire truck, help with the hose, and even save a little cat that
became stuck in a tree. Brave Pickles not only learned the job, but he also
learned how to be kind.
It turns out that a lack of purpose in life made Pickles
into a grumpy bully. He found no satisfaction in being a pet and so, due to
boredom, he teased the other cats. Once he found his passion and had a goal, his
energy was directed towards fulfilling that goal.
Everyone – and every cat – needs a purpose in life!
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