I Object!
Orange Cats Going to Judge | Photo by Kristina Yadykina on Unsplash
Has your pet ever had a behavioral response that seemed out of the blue?
My cat was recently peeing outside the litter box, and none of the usual checks and remedies resolved the issue. This is when I reach for my team of support, and got help from a dear friend to connect with him since he was not interested in explaining to me what was going on (I was literally getting the cold shoulder!).
It turns out, after 10 years, he has decided he doesn’t really like his name. I have no idea why this has shifted for him, but our pets can changed their minds just as easily as we can, and who is to say that anyone needs to have the same name for their entire life, anyway.
I was disappointed, to say the least, but recognized that he was simply sharing how he felt, and he didn’t feel his name adequately represented him. So off we go on the search for a new name that he feels better about (still looking, but that’s another story).
This is not an uncommon situation - frequently behavior disruptions are simply our pets letting us know they don’t like something about their environment, life, connection, or what they are called.
I’ve encountered a number of pets who have nicknames that they don’t like - often names that are demeaning or childish. They don’t want to be called baby past their puppy or kitten years, it doesn’t make them feel any better than it would us.
Sometimes it’s as simple as the location of things that are important to them. A recent client was struggling with her cat peeing outside the litter box, particularly when she traveled. As we worked with the cat we discovered that she didn’t like the room the litter boxes were in: it was too dark. The client moved the litter boxes and we put in place some connection strategies when she headed out of town on her next trip, and the pet sitter had a great report at the end of their trip!
Paying attention to the subtle details in our pet relationships and life together can give you clues as to how they are feeling about their life with you. Pet behavior is always communication: that’s the only way they have to get our attention. If the subtle things don’t work, they’ll simply get louder and louder until we hear them.
If you’re experiencing struggle in your pet relationship, reach out and let’s talk about it. Animal communication is a great way to understand life from their perspective. You might discover that a simple change could make everyone that much happier! Send me a message and let’s chat about your situation and see if a session together might just give you the key to getting back to harmony together.
