Ask Your Pet

Dear Jennifer,

My cat has recently begun waking me in the middle of the night. She jumps on me and screeches, runs around on my bed, or nudges me in the face. Her name is Missy and she is 12 years old. Would you please ask her why she’s doing this and what I can do to help her?

Thank you,

Candace

Dear Candace,

I’m so sorry to hear about this. It must be every unpleasant for both you and Missy. First, any change in behavior like this can be the sign of a medical problem, so your first step should be to take Missy to a veterinarian for a check-up if you haven’t already done so. I tend to prefer holistic veterinarians, just because they have more in their toolboxes, both in terms of diagnostic methods and treatment options.

When I connect with Missy and ask her about this behavior, she says she’s felt very anxious lately. She feels like she doesn’t know what to do with herself at times, particularly if you’re not home or asleep. She feels bad that she’s waking you and knows that she shouldn’t, but is having trouble stopping herself. She wants you to interact with her, help her, get her to not feel the way she feels.

Missy says she also becomes worried about your welfare at night. She listens closely to your breathing, and if it sounds funny or different to her, she feels like she needs to wake you to make sure you’re okay. She also becomes frightened by random noises, both outside and indoors, and can’t resist waking you for reassurance.

This really feels like a medical issue to me. So, again, I urge you to have Missy examined by a veterinarian immediately. You could try the “anxiety” flower essence remedy from www.GreenHopeEssences.com to help lessen Missy’s anxiety. But, it’s not a substitute for medical treatment, so I’d only use it as an adjunct to whatever your veterinarian recommends. Flower essence formulas are energetic, like homeopathy, so they won’t interfere with medications.

I think that once Missy’s medical issue is correctly diagnosed and addressed, these behaviors will decrease. You may find that to some degree the behaviors have become learned and don’t completely disappear. So, at that point holistic remedies (such as from a holistic veterinarian), flower essences, energetic therapy, animal communication, and other modalities can be more helpful with the lingering behavioral issues.

Many Blessings,

Jennifer Dickman

Jennifer Dickman is an Animal Communicator, Reiki Master-Teacher specializing in Animal Reiki, and Intuitive Counselor. She conducts phone and email sessions worldwide. She may be contacted at Jennifer_Dickman@ymail.com , or through her website, www.JenniferDickman.com  where her MP3s "Journey to Contact Your Animals in Spirit" and "Deep Relaxation" are also for sale. To subscribe to Jennifer’s newsletter and receive a free copy of her essay, "Five Things Your Cat or Dog Wants You to Know", please email Jennifer with the word "Newsletter" in the subject line.