We all know that all species – cats included, believe it or not, LOL – are governed by the same laws of nature.

But few realize, aside from scientists, that each individual in each animal species is born with a unique purpose to fulfill beyond that of survival and reproduction.

The chickens and pigs roasted in our ovens and the dogs and cats boiled alive elsewhere as dinner–we seldom think that each had his/her own mission to accomplish aside from dreams of being free. Every bite into their flesh was a missed opportunity to love. Theirs, as well as our own.

Cats. Who would ever think that cats came into this world with their own personal growth issues to work on? We’re supposed to be the personal growth species, right? Especially if we’re American…yeah right.

According to paleontologists, even dinosaurs were on their own personal growth walk on the path of love, walking side by side with their mates, resigning themselves to stay the winters in frigid, formidable places because their kids were too young to travel.

Back to the cat I communed with a few days ago in a session.  He’s a master of personal growth in his own right. Yet, my quick impression of him was that he was a scared-of-his-own shadow kind of cat.

But probing beneath his scaredy-cat surface, I met someone else. I met a cat on a mission to live, and let live.

His strength was in expressing the power of love his way, regardless of how wimpy it made him seem.

We thought he was scared of Bo, the tough, always in his face, cat, when in fact, he was lovingly giving Bo his space to eventually grow into his tender, loving skin…in Bo’s own mega testosterone-like  way.

Love is a journey of personal growth. Reverence for all life, the destination. It’s encoded in Life’s DNA, in the genes of every known species going back to the dinosaurs.

The beat, beat, beat of the universal (one verse) heart, regardless of what species of drummer, is love, love, love, reverence for all life. Leave it to a cat, to drum this into me. Though we all know deep in our hearts that love is the answer, hearing it from him made it feel fresh and new to me.

I could have questioned him about his dietary choices, and could have even suggested that he care about the individuals he ate everyday, but it didn’t seem like the right time in his physical evolution to ask him. Besides, the thought had not occurred to me until now.

Turns out this post is not so much about the cat.

It’s about upholding the power of love and the freedom to love that every individual in every species is encoded with the nature-given birthright to express. It’s what veganism basically is about.