"Old Man" George, who peed on that expensive rug...
Meet this “old man” George. George doesn’t have a unique problem, but he does have a big problem. How many cats do you know of who pee on expensive rugs? It’s like they know what is most valuable, and then pee on it! Probably quite a few, right?
George’s big problem is that if he doesn’t stop peeing on the rug, his human mom (abbreviated to HM) is considering euthanizing him. This beautiful cat is 12 years old and has lived with her since 5 months old. I was not going to let that happen.
A mutual friend of ours informed George’s HM that I might be able to help her. When one is desperate for a solution, you are willing to try "that lady who can hear animals". Once I heard the above information and saw George’s picture (and nothing more), I immediately went to work. This is the exact type of situation that tugs at my heartstrings and what I am developing my skills in.
I meditated to Beethoven and Mozart, said a prayer and then searched for George through my heart. Immediately, I was hit with the following feelings: Desperation. Raging Anger. Stubborn. Passionate. Exhausted from fighting. Desire to live.
Does your human confuse you, George? I asked. I visualized him shedding a tear. Our animals often find our behavior confusing, which I can understand since a lot of humans find animal behavior confusing as well. Lost in translation, right? Let’s fix that.
George stated a few facts, to get us started.
“My house is 1 story. Long time. Indoor. Only cat. I used to have a job as a lap cat. I liked it. My litter box is full of clay litter and it is covered. Closet. Purple front door. Heated blanket.
Free fed dry food. I would like moist food occasionally. Yum! Fish is my favorite.
Blue eyes. Rocking recliner. Baby boy grandson, cute, I really like him. Trinkets everywhere. White bedspread was so soft.
Gabby’s gone.
House for sale.”
HM confirmed she has lived in a 1 story home for many years, he was an only indoor cat, he used to sit on her lap a lot, does free-feed dry food, he does have covered litter box quite full of clay litter and it sits near a closet. The front door has a dark stain, so I suppose it looked purple to George and me! HM also said she was about to purchase a heated blanket this coming week, and found it shocking that George knew! My response, what cat wouldn't be excited when they catch wind of a heated blanket?! :-)
HM confirmed that George had blue eyes, she used to have a rocking recliner, she has many trinkets andshe does indeed have a 2 year old grandson! She said the two get along wonderfully. She also had a white bedspread, that was replaced just recently. George noticed!
Gabby was one of HM's previous cats, who passed away. I heard it originally as "Daddy". HM had been talking on the phone with her son about their home renovations, hence why George thought the house was for sale.
“Mom mirrored her issues on me. She needs healing. Organ left side near her stomach. She’s on wrong meds. I’ll heal when she heals. Diabetes.
Mom spends a lot of time fussing with her friends.”
HM confirmed she has Diabetes and switched medications very recently. Yes, animals know when we are sick and can often identify what it is. HM confirms that she spends only about 3 days out a week with friends. I suppose George thinks that's too much!
“When Mom comes home, call my name. Give me 5 minutes of pets. Tell me about your day. Say I love you. Sit by the bay window with me. Talk about the birds. I will live about 2 more years. She needs me. I will always love her. I have given her everything, why should she cut it short?”
HM confirmed that her home has a bay window overlooking birds outside. Yes, some animals know how long they will live. Some do not.
Boy, George had a lot to share when I asked about the rug.
“I’m not peeing on rug in order to protect territory. I pee on the rug because it is soft and it makes Mom mad. She cares more about the rug than me. It was a test. She failed! I lose! How sad.
Mom is not listening. Pay attention! No one cares because I’m an old man. I feel dead already. I might as well be. *huff, eye roll*
I feel given up on. What did I do? No one cares or listens.”
George had quite a bit to share about his HM, too.
“Mom hides herself. She can’t be still. Thinking hurts her. Her emotions are raw. No love anymore. Why not love me? I’m still here! I wait patiently at her feet but I am ignored. What do I need to do to earn her love? Why am I not enough? I give up. Why care anymore?!
Mom needs to smile more. I used to make her laugh. She never laughs now.
I just want love and affection. No more games. It’s tiring. Time is short. I found you, didn’t I? That was exhausting to find you. Now, I care, because we talked. I’m finally heard. I want to live and bring joy. I’m an old man. Let’s truce and move on! Tell Mom I will make a very loud purr when I am happy.”
George's HM said that he sits at her feet quite often, but she never really noticed before. She also confirmed that she doesn't laugh often, either.
At this point, it was quite obvious that George felt severely unappreciated and ignored. He was mad, and decided the only way to get attention was to pee on something valuable! After speaking with his HM in depth, it became clear that she had a lot going on in her life. She also used to have more cats, all of whom have since passed. Unknowingly, George simply was the lonely caboose to a long list of priorities. Once his HM realized this, she quickly admitted that she hadn’t been giving George much attention. She even mentioned that he had been crying at night. A lightbulb went off, and George’s HM decided that she could change this situation quickly by changing her actions.
So, the question is what do we do? How do we stop George from eliminating on the rug?
Here are the suggestions that I gave to George’s HM. I wanted to address George as an instinct-driven cat, as well as a spiritual being. In order to stop George from peeing on the rug, we need to address both sides of the spectrum.
- Put a litter box right over the place he pees on rug. Slowly move litter box towards original litter box, only once no accidents occurred. During this time period, make sure to pet him a lot, say “I love you.”, greet him when you come home, pay attention when he stands at your feet, etc.
- Take him to the vet to check for Diabetes. Have his liver and intestines thoroughly checked.
- Listen, honor and act upon his feelings:
- give pets when greeted for 5 minutes when you come home
- verbally tell him “I love you.” much more
- verbally tell him about your day
- encourage him to sit in your lap, as a “lap cat"
- sit by bay window with him and talk about the birds
- stroke him more
- look him in the eyes and smile at him often
The result? An email like this from George's mom the next day. A happy home again. Success!
“Thank you so much. It took him awhile last night but he finally responded. Hadn’t gotten into my lap yet BUT slept with me last night for first time in forever. We’ve talked few times today. Purring. Also not crying anymore...Put some cat nip in his bed that he’s ignored for months & he’s cuddled up in it a lot today.
Thanks again. We’re on our way to being happy again.”
“He’s playing with his carrot (toy) right now. Peeing in extra litter box that I am slowly moving toward/next to his other box. No accidents that I can tell or smell. He’s happier, for sure. Two nights ago, he did that loud meow once. I jumped to attention asap. He wanted my attention. I had been crazy busy and not given him any one on one (time). You are our Annie Sullivan! Thank you so much.”