I’m Lost! Or Am I?

Your cat, who is allowed outside when you’re home and never goes far, goes out the door one day and doesn’t come back. Your dog slips its collar and runs after a squirrel. He’s so speedy you quickly lose sight of him. No amount of calling brings him back, even when he’s usually good about responding.

Uh oh.

The first thing a pet caretaker thinks is that it’s their fault. “I didn’t watch Misty close enough. How could I have left her outside for so long (probably no longer than usual)?” 

Our animal friends, just like us, come into this life with a plan. We often don’t know what our plan is for ourselves, but I think our pets are more clued into their plan. 

Our pets deserve the best we can give them

Let’s talk about a cat named Mel. Mel found us when I traveled to a vet miles from our house. I forget why I was there, but they had been our vet when we lived in that part of the world, so it wasn’t a totally random visit. Mel was waiting for me. I walked in the door and immediately felt from him “It’s about TIME.” He had only been there a few days. I adopted him and brought him home. (I DID consult with Glenn before making this big step.)

He loved being inside, he loved our other cats, he fit in great. 

At the time, I was very focused on “my best cat,” Isis. Isis was my muse, and always came first. I made sure he got more of my attention than the other pets. We were joined at the hip. There was no balance of love. Keep that in mind.

Isis

We would occasionally let our cats out if we were home, and we kept a pretty close eye on them. Once Mel had been around for a month or so and knew where he lived, he joined the parade, and he was very good about coming back - until he didn’t.

I was really upset, and called my mentor, Joy. This was before I was an official animal communicator myself, and I was really lousy at understanding my own animals. Joy could feel him out there. He was hanging around, having an adventure. He made it very clear that all of the animals deserved my love, not just Isis. What was he, chopped liver? Why didn’t I love him as much as Isis? Why did the other cats, and the dogs, have to take a backseat to one admittedly handsome cat?

We went around about this for weeks, while Mel stayed just out of range. I finally got the point, and adjusted my behavior. There is always more than enough love for everyone, and they all deserve that love. This was a big lesson for me.

Mel, satisfied, didn’t come back in that body. He had completed his mission (get me to see the error of my ways), and let go of his body. He did promise to come back (I think to check on me), and he did, about a year later, as our boy Aloysius (and that is a story that deserves its own blog, so stay tuned.)

Even though I didn’t like the outcome, Mel had a mission and he fulfilled it. He taught me a lot about how I was limiting myself, and how everything, and everybody, deserves to be loved. I owe him a lot.

Mel as Aloysius

So when your cat or dog runs off or “gets lost”, they may have another mission they’re on. Perhaps their time with you is complete, and now they need to move on to another family, for a lesson there. Maybe they have something to learn by being “lost”. We don’t really know, and when we do find out (like I did with Mel), it’s up to us to accept what they’re telling us. Sometimes they come back. “Well,  that was a fun time, but now I want to be back with you!” Sometimes they don’t.

Know that whatever the outcome, it truly is what they desire, and it’s our job to accept their decision like we would a decision we make for ourselves. We are not really their parents. We are their partners, and while they’re in our lives we take care of them. But when they leave, they have a reason. We have to respect that they know what’s good for them. It’s sometimes hard, but to have that level of relationship with your animal friend is fulfilling and special.