Animals listening and communicating

I have had the honor this week of witnessing the variety of ways our animals try to communicate with us as well as their ability to hear what we say and respond.  Sometimes, our animals communicate so subtly that we can miss the message if we aren't paying close enough attention. Sometimes, we misinterpret the message they are trying to send us by seeing things through our own eyes and our own fears.  And sometimes, we don't trust that they can hear the things we say and respond.  In the hopes of helping you better "hear" your animals, I am going to share a few of the things I witnessed this week.

There was one animal who wouldn't eat.  Her guardian was really concerned about her, fearing the worst, that she had a major health issue.  I wasn't sensing any major health issue with her cat so I began asking the guardian some questions.  I asked her how long the lack of eating had been going on and what had changed around their house at that time.  At first she couldn't think of anything but as we continued to talk about it, the puzzle pieces began falling into place . . . her cat had stopped eating the same week she had switched to a new cat food.  

I suggested to her that her cat was letting her know that she did NOT like the new food she purchased and asked if she could get a can of the food she used to eat and give it a try.  She called me about an hour after I had left her house to report that she had picked up a can of the food she used to buy and her cat had devoured almost the entire bowl in one sitting.  I am sure animals often wish they could speak, so they could say things like "Yuck, I don't like this food, can I have something else?"  Instead, they are forced to wait for us to correctly interpret what they are showing us.

Then there was an older dog that I saw this week who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  Her parents were troubled by the fact that she walked around the house all the time, making a loop through the kitchen, then through the family room and then back through the kitchen again. They were concerned that this constant walking around was a sign she was in pain.  

When I asked her about it, she gave me a picture of her laying in her bed sleeping and her parents standing over her, trying to tell if she was still breathing.  I asked her parents if they often checked on her when she was sleeping.  They both looked at each other with a knowing smile and then confessed that they frequently stand over her in a panic, worried that she has passed away and they confessed they did it multiple times a day.  

I explained to them that their sweet girl was trying to let them know she was still alive and well by making the loop around and around the house.   She thought that if they saw her walking around and around, they wouldn't worry about her so much. Unfortunately, that wasn't the way they interpreted it, but fortunately, they now know that's what she is trying to show them.  We also asked her parents if they would give her more "space" when she is sleeping and they promised to do their best.  This is another case where I am sure the dog wished she could talk because she would have probably said "Hey, I love you and all but can you two let me sleep?"

And finally, there was a guardian who was really concerned that her cat no longer meowed.  Her cat is older and is having a lot of health issues.  She was worried the lack of meowing was a sign that her cat was unhappy or very sick.  We talked about it while I was giving Reiki to her cat, so that her cat could hear our conversation.  

The guardian confessed that the constant meowing used to get on her nerves a bit and she had told her cat more than once that she wished she didn't "talk" so much.   She said that now she really missed the sound of her cat's voice.  I checked in with her cat and asked her if she had heard everything her mom had said, and asked if she would be willing to start "talking" again because her mom really missed it.  I also told her that her mom promised she would never complain again about her "talking."

About ten minutes later, the Reiki treatment was done and the cat went down the hall to get a drink of water and use the litter box.  About a minute after she had walked down the hall, we heard her meowing.  Her mom's eyes got really big and she excitedly went down the hall to hear the meowing from a closer distance.  She was in shock that her cat had understood what we had asked of her and that she had honored the request so immediately.  From the smile on her face, I could see just how much she had missed hearing her cat talk.

The next day, I got an email from her asking a question about something we had discussed and at the end of the email she wrote "BTW, she's still talking . . . I don't think she has stopped since you left last night."   I teased her when I wrote back and reminded her that she had better honor her promise to never complain about it.  :-)  

So, I hope you'll take a moment today to stop and observe your animal.  Is there anything you think they are trying to tell you?  Any message that you may have missed? or misinterpreted? and if there is something you want from you animal, don't be shy about asking them.  If they can do what you've asked (and want to), they're always willing to oblige.