Our beloved Norwegian Forest Cat, Hammi, is most happy when the entire monastic brotherhood is gathered together with him in our library and community room. We all consider him an important member of our community, and Hammi is the only cat I know who has his own facebook fan page, started by a woman who'd met him on a pilgrimage to the monastery (if my memory be correct).
I first met Hammi, a large male cat, as I was walking between our old trailer house (now gone) and my cell, some twelve years ago. We startled one another, but as I reached down with extended hand, he came to me. When I picked him up he began purring immediately, so of course I promptly opened a can of salmon, and he decided, then and there, to adopt us.
A month after his arrival I took him to a vet to be checked out, and was told by the veterinarian this cat had likely been dumped by someone from Seattle, as happens frequently when people want to dispose of a pet, making sure the animal can't find it's way back home (impossible from an island).
I often tell people that Hammi domesticated me, since I'd not previously been a cat fancier, being allergic to cat dander, as I am. Little did I know Hammi was a Norwegian Forest Cat, one of the few breeds that are nonallergic.
Norwegian Forest Cats have a very soft, double fur coat, large paws, sweet facial features, and a very loud purr box. They are known to be personable, for they like being around people. Hammi greets everyone who comes to the monastery, escorting them up the steps from the parking lot. Everyone who's ever met him, falls in love. I've lost count of the number of people who've stated they never liked cats, but want to get a Norwegian Forest Cat, after meeting Hammi.
Intelligent breed that they are, Hammi has learned to let us know just what he wants, be it water, food, cuddling, sleep, or just to be left alone. He is a great companion to all of us, even tagging along when one of us takes a walk into the forest on the Valaam Trail. He and I have a special game which we both enjoy. I'll head out on the trail with Hammi running ahead. He'll hide behind a large fern, and even though I know he's waiting ahead, when he jumps out he always manages to scare me. I'll then run ahead and hide behind a tree and jump out when he walks by. We play this game until the end of the trail!
He's slowing down a bit with age, just as am I. We both suffer from arthritis and like to sit by the fire on a cold winter evening, with him cuddling on the sofa, next to the old abbot. I've grown so attached to him I can't imagine what life in the monastery would be like without him.
Animals teach us so much about unconditional love. I'll never forget the day Hammi spotted our newly arrived Rhode Island Reds for the first time. He was sitting on the veranda of the trapeza with me and some guests. Hammi sat up when he spotted the hens, and started walking toward the chicken coop. I followed him, as did our guests. As we were standing by one of the hens, Hammi crouched down, ready for the kill. All that was needed was for me to say, "No, Hammi, they are our friends". He turned away and walked back to the veranda, leaving me and the guests alone with the chickens. He's never bothered them since that afternoon.
Over the years, there have been many occasions where we are all out, late at night, calling Hammi. We have Great Horned Owls, racoons, and who knows what, hunting at night, so we never allowed Hammi to be out after dark. If Hammi is not in for the night, I start praying for him.
I am the one who lets Hammi out of the library every morning, always waiting until daylight. Hammi cuddles in my arms before I take him outside, and I always give him a blessing for the day. If a priest can bless cattle and bees, he can certainly bless such a wonderful companion as our Hammi!
As a Norwegian-American, living in a monastery of Norwegian architecture, it seems clearly evident to me that God sent this Norwegian Forest Cat as a companion for His monks. We named him Hammi, because, from the start, he was a little ham.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
(taken from here http://morningoffering.blogspot.ro/)
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