Litter Box Aversion. No, your eyes do not deceive you. That's right. I paid $200 to have my cat diagnosed with litter box aversion. So, for any of you cat lovers out there who have experienced this...please pass along any helpful tips as to how we get over this. If Emma is not using her litter box by Friday she will be placed on an antidepressant - Elavil - to get her over this hurdle. I may borrow some of her medication to get me over the hump as well :).
So what is litter box aversion, you ask. For some reason Emma has developed some kind of anxiety when approaching her litter box. It could be as complex as small, undetectable crystals in her urine making elimination painful or as simple as she doesn't like how her litter feels or smells. Well, I know my cat and I know how finicky she can be - so I am going to put my money on the latter.
I have been thinking about this all afternoon and am just puzzled by the phenomenon. I mean, I provide food and water for Emma. Her litter box stays clean. What else could I do for a cat? Why is she not happy if her litter box is not "just right"? And to think that she may have to be on Elavil - just to have her use the bathroom. It sounds so crazy to me. But then I realize that I am not really all that different when it comes to life.
A strange correlation, I know. Stay with me on this one...
Since I turned 28 last week I have been taking some serious inventory on my life: where I am , what I have accomplished and what I feel like is missing. From the outside looking in, I have found that my life ROCKS! However, I can so easily become fixated on the few things in my life that are "just not the way that I want them" . There is a sense of entitlement to the "just right life". I can get so caught up in what I don't have that I completely destroy all of the good things in my life with my attitude.
Life is hard when God seems to be withholding any desire. Whether it be finding a husband, the perfect job, having children, keeping your family together, etc, etc - when life does not go as expected we need to be put on Elavil! I struggle with the whole "God's timing" thing. I mean - I think that it is ridiculous to not just give in and give me what I want in that very moment. But then I start to think about how a father doesn't give his child the very first beat- up car that he wants because he knows that in a few years he will get a brand new one for graduation. The father wants the child to have the car that is "just right". You get my drift. And then I think, how much more God wants to give me. He wants me to have a life that is better than "just right". He wants to exceed my expectations. All I have to do on my part is wait...and that is the HARDEST.
I was talking to my very wise friend Alicia today and she made an amazing point - God's word never says that He will remove our desires or withhold them. She said that God asks for our burdens, our anxieties, our battles, but He never asks for our desires. Let that sink in for a minute. God never asks us to sacrifice our desires. How incredible. I do believe that God will change our hearts as long as they are surrendered to Him. Even if our hearts change and put to rest an old desire, we still did not sacrifice it. We finally realize that we just don't want it any more. How freeing is that realization and how awesome is God for loving us that way?
I just need to be reminded, sometimes, that God is for me. He is not against me and my relationship is not a game to Him. My reactions and emotions do not have to be calculated like my next chess move in order to win His favor. Because of the blood of Christ and God's never-ending love, I have more favor with Him than I could ever earn on my own. If I allow myself to bask in that reality - I may never need Elavil :).
1 comment:
on my, that sounds like Emma is just up to no good. However, I do know that the crystals in the urine is true, in fact, and can cause a kitty to believe the place she tinkles is the reason it hurts. But you would then, in turn, think, well if she thinks that about her box, doesnt she realize the same is true WHEREVER she pisses?! While you are at it, give me some Elavil. She just misses her most favorite toy she was introduced to when I visited.
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