Consider the birds of the air, which neither sow nor reap, and your Heavenly Father feeds them. If such care is given to sparrows, will He not watch over your cat, who is far dearer to you? A few drops of bathwater, do you imagine it can dissolve the providence that orders all things? For who set the stars in their courses, who brings forth the seasons, who sustains every living creature, if not God? His hand upholds the world, and not even water landing on fur escapes His notice. Do not let a tiny accident trouble your heart, as though the Lord had withdrawn His care.
Instead, turn this moment to your soul’s profit. The true harm to be dreaded is not damp fur, but the inward wounds we inflict upon ourselves: anxiety, irritation over trifles, a mind fastened to earthly concerns. For the enemy plots against us in small things as in great, whispering that such worries are serious, when they are nothing. But if you keep your inner calm, no outward thing can harm you. Let the cat be with you, and be gentle with her, but strive after that perfection of faith which looks above these passing things. Entrust both beast and bathwater to the One who governs all, and seek a life that no accident can stain.