"The notch in Cedric's ear told me he was feral. I'd notice him hanging around my front garden in the afternoons. When I came home from work, he'd often be lounging on the driveway or sitting snoozing under the porch. He was still keeping his distance, but apparently getting more and more comfortable until one day, I realized he had actually moved in!

Things were going fine until I started to realize a recurring bad smell as if someone had missed the litter box. Eventually, I realized it wasn't coming from the boxes, but from the leather sofa. Some little bugger had peed the back of the sofa!! By a process of elimination, I determined that Cedric was the culprit. I cleaned the sofa thoroughly and deodorized it, which took considerable effort, but just when I thought I'd finally eradicated the smell, he did it again . . . it was driving me nuts!! I begged him to please stop and I put up barricades around the sofa to prevent him from climbing up there, covered it with blankets, cushions, magazines, plastic bags . . . but he was determined to make it his new bathroom.

I felt sorry for him of course, he was such a sad little soul, and he'd chosen my house because he felt safe there, but the smell was becoming dreadful and I was rapidly running out of patience. I've worked hard to keep the house odor free which isn't easy with multiple cats, but Cedric was making it impossible. Apart from ruining my sofa, he was making it impossible for me to invite guests into my home because of the lingering smell. I started to think I might have to take him to a shelter, but felt sure he would never be adopted, he was so pathetic, so I consulted my friend Donna who told me about a pet communicator called Lauren McCall, who might be able to help. All I needed to do was send her a picture of Cedric.

This sounded completely bizarre and I must admit, slightly ridiculous. How could she possibly help when she was thousands of miles away?! But I was desperate and willing to try anything, so I took a snapshot of Cedric and e-mailed it to her. A couple of days later, Donna told me that Lauren had spoken with Cedric and asked him a few questions such as 'Are you happy' (he wasn't sure - he was just OK, neither happy nor sad) and the she asked him why he was going to the bathroom on my sofa. Apparently he was a little confused about where exactly he was supposed to go. Perhaps with the other cats using the litter boxes, he was afraid to go there. She also said he had mentioned he felt as if he'd been abandoned, and this behavior might be in protest to that. Anyway, she explained to Cedric that he was living in my house now, which was fine, but that if he wanted to stay, he must obey the rules and learn to respect my stuff, which meant he was not to poop and pee on the sofa.

I was at work when Donna called me to relay the Lauren's conversation with Cedric. She told me that their conversation should have cleared up any misunderstandings and that from now on; Cedric would respect my things and go to the bathroom in the designated area. She suggested a set up a litter box especially for him and tell him it was for him. I went home that evening with this on my mind and when I opened the door, the strangest thing happened. Cedric, who would normally be cowering under the bed while the other cats clamored for my attention, was actually sitting up on the kitchen counter right by the entrance and as I stepped inside, he leaned forward and gave me a bit Meow!! I had never heard him make a sound before and he rarely came that close to me, unless by accident. But it was if he wanted to talk to me and tell me all about his conversation with Lauren.

I greeted him and asked if he was trying to tell me about the chat he'd had with the nice lady earlier that day. I fed all the cats, then immediately went a placed a new litter box in the room where Cedric spent most of his time. As I was setting it down, I told him it was for him to use and I would very much appreciate it of he would go to the bathroom there instead of on the sofa. And yes, you've guessed it, from that day till now, he has been using the litter box. He's still very timid and keeps himself to himself most of the time, but he ventures out to other parts of the house now, usually under the dining room table but more recently, he seems to enjoy lounging on the sofa, even while I'm sitting there.

I doubt he will ever be friendly, but thanks to Lauren, he is co-habiting with the rest of us and behaving himself, so I don't have to spend hours scrubbing the sofa or spraying it with Zero, and won't have to make that trip to the shelter, so for that, I can't thank her enough . . . and neither can Cedric!!"

- Julie Belton, FL

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