Category animals

Two hands and a paw

When humans mistreat one another, animals feel it

Nancy Crowe Leave a comment

When people are cruel to one another, animals feel it. This happens when they experience trauma – such as witnessing the fatal shooting of one of their humans, as Renee Good’s dog did.

I would tell you it also happens when they sense the grief and pain their humans feel over such events, even far away. A horse told me last week he knew human cruelty was “out there” and that it made his beloved person feel angry and discouraged. Then he showed me an image of himself with all four feet planted firmly on the ground: “There is good.”

A few days later, after I read about the killing of Alex Pretti, one of our cats climbed into my lap and gently kneaded my chest, looking into my eyes and purring. This face-to-face kneading was a departure from her usual facing-out, turning-around-a-few- times kneading. Of course she had no idea who Alex Pretti was, what ICE is or what immigration means. No doubt she picked up on the energy and images I carried away from that news story. She knew it was something happening in the human world, and she was there providing evidence of what is good in said world.

I don’t know much about policy or politics, but I know that treating people as if they don’t matter is not only wrong but unnecessary. We can be fair to strangers of all stripes. We can ask better questions. We can, and must, create a kinder world for animals and ourselves.

(Photo by Anastasiya Lobanovskaya/Pexels)

‘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. 

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)