Monday Morning Vinny

For those of you who don't know our history, I adopted Vinny from my parents' neighbors about a year and a half ago. I was never a cat person but this little guy endeared himself to me every day when I would come to visit my terminally ill father. Vinny was an outdoor cat and he would show his affection by leaving dead mice that would greet me on the doorstep on my way out of the house.

A few months after Dad passed away, I was outside petting Vinny when, Andy, the owner came home. I jokingly said, "One day I'm going to steal this cat" to which he responded, "Would you, please?"

It turned out that he and his wife were having their third child and didn't want to keep Vinny anymore. I immediately said I would take him, even though I didn't know if he would get along with Bernie and I had no clue how to take care of a cat. I knew I wanted to make him an indoor cat since I lived on a main road and would have spent all of my days worrying about whether he would get hit by a car.

We struggled a bit at first with Vinny peeing in the house in places where he shouldn't. Then he was fine. Then he developed FIC, feline idiopathic cystitis, and he started peeing all over the house again. We got that under control and it was time to move.

In the month or so that we've been in the new house,  I was thrilled with how well everyone settled in. Until about a week ago, when Vinny started peeing again. At first it was in the shower in the basement that I use and I thought, 'Well, if he's going to go, at least I can just wash it away."

Then it was in the family room. On my new carpet. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I was at my wit's end. I couldn't go through ruining my rugs and furniture again and the smell....the SMELL!!! There didn't seem to be a reason why he would be doing it so the thought crossed my mind to get rid of him. But you guys know how much I love my Vin Vin!! I decided to try one more thing.

Yesterday, Vinny spent 30 minutes talking to a pet psychic.

I know....I know....it seems a little unconventional and odd but hey, I'm unconventional and odd.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I called. Vinny was sleeping next to me and I said, "Should I put the phone next to his head?"

No, no, she responded, I will just connect to him telepathically. As she started talking, Vinny's tail started flipping up and down. She talked to him for 30 minutes. She asked him questions about why he was peeing, if he knew why we moved to a new house and what he thought of the dogs when they bark alot. His response? "I think they're stupid!" Well, that certainly sounded like something he would say.

I tried to keep an open mind but admittedly, the whole thing was more than a little strange. She did say some things that were interesting. She said that Vinny smelled another dog in the house but that there hadn't been another dog living in the house for at least 20 years. Which was completely accurate.

Then when she asked him if he had anything else to say, he said, "Tell my Mommy that I want more Friskies Party Mix, the crunchy kind." You guys! Vinny will ONLY eat the crunchy Party Mix. Coincidence that she said that? Maybe...

She asked if I wanted her to talk to the dogs and I said, "Sure, let's see what Dino has to say." I had told her nothing about either dog. She said that Dino had separation anxiety and that he was upset because he didn't have anything that was just his. It was either a hand me down or he had to share. Then she said that he was a goofy character. Um, YES!

I guess time will tell if this psychic encounter changes Vinny's behavior. Fingers crossed!