What do you do when you realize your dog ate something toxic or dangerous, or that your cat got seriously injured in a fight with an alley cat? Your first instinct is probably to call the veterinarian—and that’s as it should be. But Catholics often have another instinctive reaction in times of need: we pray.
Of course, an Our Father or a Hail Mary might be the first thing that comes to mind. However, we also turn to saints who are known to help with specific needs. And in fact, there are patron saints of different kinds of animals!
To help you know to whom to pray when your pet is in danger—or just when you want to ask God’s blessing to keep them safe and healthy—here are some patron saints of common domestic animals.
Dogs: St. Roch
St. Roch was a French nobleman who lived in the 13th-14th centuries (there’s some debate about the dates). After his parents died when he was about 20 years old, he gave away his possessions to the poor and ceded his inherited position as governor of Montpellier to his uncle. He then became a mendicant pilgrim and a Third Order Franciscan.
While in Italy, he attended to victims of an epidemic. According to tradition, he miraculously healed many people. He carried out this healing ministry in various towns in Italy, but then fell sick himself.
He retreated to the woods, where he recovered slowly. Tradition says that he was helped by a dog who brought him bread and licked his sores. This is the origin of his patronage of dogs!
Cats: St. Gertrude of Nivelles
St. Gertrude was a 7th-century nun from Belgium. Like St. Roch, she was from a noble family. As was common at the time, a marriage was arranged for her. However, she refused. Instead, with her mother’s help, she founded a monastery for nuns, alongside another for monks. She died at the age of 33.
During the Middle Ages, she was invoked to ward off plague-carrying mice and rats. This led to her association with the best-known natural enemy of rodents: cats!
Fish: St. Neot
St. Neot was an English monk at Glastonbury Abbey, who lived in the 9th century. Eventually he chose a more solitary life as a hermit in Cornwall. According to legend, there was a pond or well nearby in which three fish lived. An angel is said to have told him that if he ate only one fish a day, there would be three again the next day.
One day, the saint fell ill. His assistant (apparently ignorant of the conditions of the miracle) cooked two of the fish instead of one. St. Neot asked God to forgive him and had the cooked fish put back in the well; at that moment, they miraculously came back to life.
It’s not surprising, then, that he became the patron saint of fish—and fish fries!
Birds: St. Milburga
Although St. Francis of Assisi is often mentioned as the patron saint of birds, he is the patron saint of many things, so we’ll highlight St. Milburga instead.
This English saint lived in the 8th century, and her mother and sisters are also venerated as saints. They were from a royal family, and used their position to help the sick and the poor, and supported local convents, monasteries, and churches. Milburga became a nun in a convent founded by her father, and was known for obtaining miraculous graces even during her lifetime.
Once, a large flock of birds flew down onto the fields of local farmers. They began to eat the grain, which was ready for harvesting. St. Milburga saw the farmers’ plight, and prayed that the crop be saved. Suddenly, all the birds flew away. And thus, St. Milburga became the patron saint of birds.
Reptiles: St. Francis of Assisi
There is no saint specifically considered the patron saint of reptiles. On the contrary, there’s a saint known for getting rid of snakes: St. Patrick, who (according to legend) expelled all the snakes from Ireland. This is probably because of the symbolic connection in Christianity between reptiles and evil (just think of the snake in Genesis or the dragon in Revelation).
So if your bearded dragon, gecko, or python needs some divine intervention, you can turn to St. Francis of Assisi, who is a patron saint of animals in general. His “Canticle of the Sun” reflects his appreciation of all creatures. Also, there are various legends about his encounters with animals of various kinds. He’s most famous for accounts of his preaching to birds and taming a wild wolf. However, other stories about the saint include his interacting with rabbits and fish, saving them from hunters or fishermen or preaching to them.
Rabbits, hares, and other small animals: St. Melangell
This Irish saint went to Wales and lived as a hermit in a valley. According to tradition, a local prince was hunting a hare, which hid itself under the saint’s habit, seeking refuge. The prince was impressed by St. Melangell, and granted her the valley as a place of sanctuary.
She is considered the patron saint of hares, rabbits, and other small animals.
Horses: St. Hippolytus
This 3rd-century saint’s name means “he who frees horses” in Greek, but reportedly that’s not why he’s the patron saint of these noble animals! Hippolytus was a theologian in Rome before Christianity was legalized. He was involved in theological conflicts and reportedly accepted election as a schismatic pope, an “antipope” to two valid popes, Pope Urban I and Pope Pontian.
However, he reconciled with the Church before he was martyred during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Maximinus Thrax. He died a martyr; his legs were tied to wild horses that dragged him to his death. That final encounter with horses is the reason for his patronage.
Did we miss your pet or favorite animal?
Fear not! You can always turn to St. Anthony the Great, who is the patron saint of domestic animals in general, or St. Francis of Assisi, as mentioned above. St. Martin de Porres is also invoked as a patron saint of abandoned and sick animals. Lastly, online resources can help you find patron saints of a variety of other animals less commonly kept as pets.
