The Cat Who Needed a Night Light
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Me and My Cat
By Susan McCullough

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
~Ambrose Redmoon

On a warm August day, a dainty little cat named Dolores was receiving a special award: the American Humane Association’s William O. Stillman award for bravery. The association gives the award to people who risk their lives to save animals from danger, and to animals who face down danger to save the lives of people. Either way, the winners are heroes, whether they’re take-charge, fearless sorts of people, or extroverted, devoted pets like Dolores.

Dolores hadn’t always been an extrovert. And she hadn’t seemed very devoted to anyone, either. In fact, she’d been what most people call the quiet type. When she first came to live with her owner, Kyle, Dolores rarely had anything to say. And most of the time, she didn’t like being touched. (Keep reading)