Ask Your Pet

Dear Emily,

When I connected with Lilly I immediately felt anxiety radiating from her. I asked her where the anxiety was coming from, and she said that you are acting very stressed out lately. There is a different, more agitated tone to your voice at times. Lilly believes that there is something going on in your life that is upsetting you, but she doesn’t understand what it is. This lack of understanding, coupled with the change in your demeanor, is making her feel very uncertain and nervous. She is both concerned about you and suffering from generalized anxiety.

Lilly is urinating on your bed both as a symptom of her anxiety and as a way to get your attention. Sometimes when we miss the more subtle signals our companion animals are giving us they resort to negative behaviors because they know that these are certain to gain notice. Lilly wants you to be aware of her anxiety and concern for you, and explain the cause of your stress to her. I told her that I would convey this message to you, and reassured her that you’re okay and that whatever is bothering you has nothing to do with her. I asked her to please stop urinating on the bed, as she has your full attention now.

Please know that you are not alone; I receive calls and letters about litter box problems quite frequently. The fascinating thing is that every cat seems to have a different reason for failing to use his or her litter box. While I have had a few cats instantly return to 100% litter box use after our sessions, often the behavior has become a habit that takes time to completely break. You have already done two very smart things: you had Lilly examined by a veterinarian and have multiple litter boxes that you clean frequently. Other things that are helpful in encouraging cats to use their litter box include: implementing the changes your cat suggests during a communication session, veterinary flower essences formulated to encourage litter box use or address your cat’s specific issues, Feliway spray, more playtime and affection, and positive reinforcement. To practice positive reinforcement, offer your cat treats and praise when she uses the litter, and ignore her behavior when she does not. This will be particularly helpful with Lilly, since she is urinating on the bed partly to get your attention. I hope that you and Lilly are both feeling less stressed very soon!

Many Blessings, Jennifer