Category Animal Wise

Of course goodbyes are hard

Nancy Crowe Leave a comment

On the left is Rowdy, also known as Little Man or Little Rowdy Man. I worked with this cantankerous senior mini horse when he joined the Summit Equestrian Center herd a few years ago, as he retired to Lopin’ Along at the Farm Microsanctuary and just before he passed away last month. 

That came shortly after Maggie, Summit’s majestic (and sometimes princess-like) black Percheron, died. I’d known her since she came to Summit in 2018. Though skeptical of me at first, she decided relaxing meditation and getting her opinions heard were worth her while.  

All along the way, I was able to check in with them about how they were feeling and offer meditation to help. As their conditions and pain levels became more difficult to manage, I helped assess their readiness to cross.  

Anyone who lives with or works with animals has to deal with goodbyes. There are also hellos, I love yous, thank yous, inquiries about breakfast and other exchanges. 

Animal loss is painful. I’ve struggled mightily with it and walked clients through its dark, sweet shadows. There are no shortcuts.

The animals deserve to be remembered and the humans who love them deserve to heal in our own way. Can we offer ourselves the grace and humor our beloved animals have given us? I have found that as we do, it helps us see a much bigger picture.  

(Photos by Nancy Crowe)

Communication gets you further than compliance

Nancy Crowe
Image by Rebecca Scholz from Pixabay

Frustrated dog, cat, and horse owners will often enlist an animal communicator to get the animal to do what they want. They’ve tried and tried to get the cat to use the litter box, the dog to stop digging up the dahlias or the horse to just get on the trailer.

These are all legitimate concerns and ones I’m happy to address. However, animal communication is not about compliance. It’s about gathering information that will help animals and their humans find a way forward.

For example, a communication session can tell you:

• A noise from the water heater startles the cat in mid-pee. Moving the litter box out of the utility room, or adding one in a different spot, could make a big difference.

• Your dahlia-digging dog needs more enrichment. Which seems obvious, but he may also tell me that nose work or agility training would be even more fun than additional walks.

• The horse’s previous owner used force to get him to load. A small change — even you doing some deep breathing before you lead him to the trailer — would let him know he is safe now.

As with human brains, making the link between actions and consequences can be a work in progress. Nevertheless, knowledge is power, both for the animal knowing what the human wants and the human knowing where the animal is coming from. Why ask for compliance when communication gets you so much more?

‘How to Speak Cat’ cards help decipher feline behavior

Nancy Crowe
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.