Category Animal Wise

‘How to Speak Cat’ cards help decipher feline behavior

Nancy Crowe Leave a comment
A sampling from the “How to Speak Cat” card deck.

This 100-card deck, given to me for Christmas by someone dear, is a treasure trove of tips about twitching tails, different meows and more. Animal communication has many facets, especially where cats are concerned. Though cats have a reputation for being mysterious, they’re actually not if you learn what to look for.

While I’m no stranger to cat language of all types, I found new info here. For example, when a cat lies on his back and rolls from side to side, that is called “the social roll.” It has a name and indicates a willingness to interact. “It’s safe to pick up the cat, just don’t go for the belly!” the caption explains. 

According to another card, a stretch means the cat has been stressed but is now relieved. I’m less sure about this one, as most of my cats’ stretches follow naps. There’s always that one cat who does things differently. Like my calico, who this morning did a stretch followed by a social roll. Then she declined to play with the dangle toy I offered. When I asked what she actually wanted, she went to get a drink of water. 

As a proponent of indoor cat living, I disagree with the card that suggests letting your cat out. Double ditto for the one that suggests searching after she’s been gone for three days. (Um, try three hours. Max.)

The record for the loudest cat purr, by the way, is held by a cat named Merlin who could purr at 67.8 decibels. That’s about as loud as a shower.

Lovers of cats and fun facts will find this a great conversation piece to keep on a bookshelf or coffee table. You can pull one a day to see what new insight you might find about your feline friend. It might be spot on, or it might make you wonder if only their creator truly has cats figured out. 

Study finds Reiki helps with pain relief in dogs

Nancy Crowe
St. Bernard and black German Shepherd

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association has published a blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical study on how distant Reiki affects the quality of life and well-being in dogs. Reiki, as you may know, is a Japanese stress relief modality. I practice a specialized, meditation-based form of Reiki called Let Animals Lead.®

All dogs in the Reiki group (vs. the placebo group) showed owner-assessed pain improvement, with 70.6 percent showing an “excellent” or “moderate” improvement. Here’s the abstract with link to the full article by Claudia Ruga Barbieri, DVM, MS, MBA. 

Bernadette, left, and Jack both dealt with pain of various sorts and not only benefited from Reiki but taught me a great deal as well. Being leaned or sat on by a St. Bernard, especially in the sunshine, is a great reminder about staying present on the animal’s terms. Jack would let me throw the ball (even though I throw badly) several times before he stopped for a meditation session.

They’re on my mind more lately because two years ago this month, they died in a plane crash with their beloved humans, Allison Wheaton and Randy Strebig. May their memory be a blessing, and may we all continue to learn about healing. 

(Photos by Nancy Crowe)

When traveling with animals, get there together (and safely)

Nancy Crowe
Pepper and I outside my apartment at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Photo by Charlie Castner)

The day Pepper and I moved to Louisville was stupid hot. My parents helped me load the last few things into my 1986 Mazda in Columbus, Indiana and we were off.

Sweat trickled down my face and chest despite the air conditioning being on full tilt. I was excited about starting my degree program at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, but for the moment I just wanted to get myself and my dog there safely.

As we chugged down I-65 in the searing sun, I glanced over at Pepper. I’d never allowed her in the passenger seat, but with every inch of the back stuffed with stuff, there was nowhere else for her to be. The 13-year-old rescued schnauzer mix sat facing me, panting. No car seat, no harness, no nothing.

I’d communicated with Pepper for weeks and days as I packed for the move. But if there was ever a “Tell me again. Where the hell are we going, and WHY?” expression, she wore it that day.

Dogs riding loose in cars might have been standard practice in 1993, but it wasn’t and still isn’t safe. If special harnesses, car seats or other devices were available then, I didn’t know about them. Pepper and I traveled many miles over our 15 years together and I am grateful we both emerged unscathed.

Today we have travel crates, crash-tested harnesses and awareness, though you still see many pets bouncing around in back seats and truck beds. Wirecutter offers this guide not only to tested top picks but best practices (“Would you let a kid do it?”).