A few years back, my brother Morgan was in town and staying at our house. My mother hadn't been well and he'd been spending a few nights in our guest room. I went into the room during the course of his stay and while fluffing his pillows noticed a slight spell of cat pee coming from them. Yep, my beloved cat Maui who at that point was about 14 and had never had an accident in her life had peed on his pillow. I'm pretty sure the pee wasn't fresh either. While I may not always be the world's best hostess, I do try to give my visitors the luxury of a clean bed and fresh smelling room. Mortified, I asked my brother why he hadn't said anything about the smell of the pillows. His response was that he had just been staying at my sister's house recently and while he was there their cat had peed in his suitcase as well as on the bed. He just assumed that if you had a cat, things were supposed to smell like that. He had decided that's what cats do and probably therefore would forgo ever having his own cat (note: I'm pretty sure he has a cat now). Not being a complainer, he had just gone ahead and slept on the pee-scented pillow. I explained to my brother that cats peeing on the bed wasn't a normal phenomenon and in future visits he could feel free to ask for a clean pillow. I'm happy to report that the rest of my brother's stay and on subsequent visits, we have provided him with a cat-pee-free bed.
Reflecting back on this later, I was both amused and horrified that my brother would sleep on a pillow that smelled of cat pee and think it totally normal. It made me think about how many times we ignore something dreadfully wrong and just accept it as what's to be expected. And while I love my brother's uncomplaining style, sometimes things need some attention and it really is okay to say, "hey, my pillow smells like cat pee. Could I have a fresh one?"
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Not Maui. This is Jewel, the replacement
cat. A fine cat as cats go, but no Maui. |
So, this morning, I ask you, is there anything you should be speaking up about?
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3 comments:
Ahhh! This really happened? Poor Uncle Mo. We had a great visit with him and the kids over Christmas and missed you all!
I might point out that said cat at "the sister's house" went to that big Kitty Litter in the sky not long afterwards when all the kids were away at camp. (they said they would never leave all together again...never fear though Gus!)
Maui joined Meowie (or was that Tigerlily?) at the great litterbox. Perhaps, that's the sign of the end in the feline world.
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