Why does cuddly, litter trained cat become such a difficult companion?
The cat that peed and pooed an inch outside the litter box
A gentleman who contacted me for his newly adopted cat during the Covid Lockdown. He said, he had got a cat that poops and pees anywhere and he did not know what to do. According to the rescuers who re-homed her, she was the cuddliest most trained animal.
If he could not train her then he was going to return her. But, he did not want to leave any stone unturned. And that's why he wanted someone to communicate with her.
Now this was a video call so you have to understand that, it's not an immediate free flow of information between me and the animal. As I am also listening to the human.
While the human was talking to me, the cat started to throw a lot of visuals my way. I could see villa-style independent homes with green sloping roofs. I could see a lot of greens around. So I asked if he lived in an apartment or a house. The cat said I want the house and the human said he lived in an apartment. He swung the camera towards his windows. The view was the exact same houses that the cat had shown me.
I asked the cat again, “But you live in an apartment, do you mean that you would like to go outdoors?”
She replied, who would want to live here, in this cloud of smoke." And as she was speaking, a big cloud of smoke came up on my screen. Of course the point was moot! How can you say she doesn't like smoke, when it was already on my screen? But I still tried. I told him that she doesn't like the cigarette smoke was it was bothering her. And therefore, she was doing things that irritated him. That was her way to stop him from smoking!
This was a hard case as both the human and the cat were pretty set in their ways. As we kept talking, he explained that he lived alone and during the lock-down he decided to get a cat as he was feeling really lonely. He said this cat was not cuddly and he wanted a cuddly cat.
In my mind, I could see the cat sneering at the human. Both had extreme contempt for each other. Their expectations were never going to be fulfilled.
As a natural peace-maker, I tried to explain the differing points of view to both of them. But I was worried about them. I requested the human to take her outdoors, so she could see that he was making an effort.
The human messaged me later in the day that he took her down to the park but she didn't leave the crate...he spent half-hour with her downstairs.
I was overjoyed and was hoping the initial hiccups would settle down.
I checked in a couple of days and he said, she didn't fit into what he wanted. She still peed and pooped in inappropriate places. And, and she tried to scratch him when he tried to cuddle her. So he had returned her to the couple from whom he had adopted this cat from.
I checked in with the cat, she was absolutely elated to be back with her original humans. She was in the yard and climbing a tree. She was all smiles and her seemed happy and a totally different cat.
I asked the human to give me the rescuer's number so I could tell them that there was no point in having this cat adopted as she was going to create circumstances to return to them. She loved her rescuers and her purpose was with them. And she did not want to leave them at all.
I have a feeling that she was the cuddliest cat that they had and so her rescuers thought that she would make the perfect pet for this lovely man.
He wanted a cuddly cat. Who would have thought their sweetheart-of-a-cat would become the most difficult pet for him!
When I said this to the cat, she just smiled cunningly, flicked her tail and took off!
This whole situation was created so that we can understand their point of view and take appropriate action. Or they will continue to create circumstances until we do what they want us to do. And, for rescuers, to understand that the sweetest animal can play up, if its the wrong home for them.