As a professional animal communicator, I am privy to a plethora of information, opinions, complaints, musings and commentaries from a wide variety of animal companions including dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, fish, iguanas, hedgehogs, chinchillas, etc. You get the picture! Interestingly enough I have found the animals themselves to be the best providers of information concerning their needs, both physical and emotional. Therefore, I have chosen to interview some of my animal clients and friends to get tips from them directly on how best to keep them healthy and happy. (Of course I needed to begin with commentary from my own cats or I would be paying the price for that transgression for many days to come!)
From Cara, my 10 year old, five-pound Siamese cat:
"Play with us and not just absentmindedly, for two minutes while you’re on the phone."
From Cha, my 17-year-old Tabby who looks to be around 10:
"Stop worrying about us all the time! Your worry makes the atmosphere at home so heavy and can actually make us sicker!" (Oops!)
From Rosie, the Queen Tabby who is the life of every party:
"Feed us better quality food, preferably the raw meat diet. I don’t want to have to steal it from the dogs anymore!"
Now that I have received an earful from my own family here are some care and life notes from animal clients and friends:
From Angel, an adolescent Guinea Pig:
"Animals will learn to get along with each other if you just let us sort it out without so much interference. Who said Guinea Pigs, dogs, and cats can’t be friends?!"
From Teddy, Angel’s dog friend:
"It was love at first sight! There’s something about her eyes… And her nose never stops moving!"
From Angel’s cat friends:
"I never thought I would live with such an animal and not eat it! But it was made very clear to us that she is to be considered a member of our family so none of us even considered hurting her. Besides that, she makes a great back warmer!"
From Wolf, a beautiful old soul living in a dog’s body:
"Many of us value our independence, so please don’t interpret that as a lack of love. We are merely preserving our dignity as beings sharing the earth."
From Gonzales, a terrier mix I rescued near downtown St. Paul on the river:
"Finding the right home for a rescue requires patience. I needed a few months to find my perfect place. Lucky for me, my rescue mom could wait and we found my dream home together. With patience, the right animals and people are always united in a magical way."
From Greta, the tiniest "big boss" you’ve ever met:
"With animals, like with people, you need to pick your battles. Is it really that bad to let me eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and to basically do whatever I want whenever?! I mean, I do come when you call me once in a while. Does that count for anything?!"
From Sverre, a champion Norwegian Forest show cat:
"Being at cat shows is one of my favorite things. I love to be examined and told how beautiful I am. My mom is so proud of me and we get these funny rosette things if I do well. Every animal has a purpose or a mission and it’s so good for people to know what that is for their animals and honor it."
From Dude, a stunning all-black cat who passed away three years ago:
"Don’t worry about us when we die. It’s a lot easier for us than it is for you. We still hang around in spirit and try to make you feel or sense our presence. We do not leave. We merely change form."
From Sam, an orange Tabby who is somewhat physically disabled:
"A little handicap just makes us more interesting people!"
From an Iguana adopted from an elementary classroom situation:
"I used to live in a classroom where people loved me but didn’t take care of me very well. The kids and the teachers were too busy. What did they learn? They learned that it’s OK to not really take good care of animals if you’re busy. Did everyone learn that in school?"
From Chico, a handsome, totally blind Husky mix:
"I’m blind because I used to live in a place where the people hurt each other. Then one day they hurt me. If you’re living in a place like that, get out before they hurt the animals."
And finally, a longer dissertation from my female Golden Retriever rescue named Naca Na Cha (a nickname for "leader" in Lakota):
"People need to follow and copy our life patterns more closely. We go with the flow on things and don’t get upset about all the little things. We have simple desires, and as long as they are met, we’re content. What human is content with simple desires being fulfilled?! You are always making things so complicated – much more complicated than they need to be. When you can slow down, let more things roll off your back, and see what really is important in life, then this is the best health tip for your animals. When you become more calm and content our lives and health will improve as well."
I couldn’t say it any better!
