Maybe someday every family will have at least one person who can communicate with your animal. Here are some of my own stories, so you can imagine communicating telepathically with your animals.

1. Tell your cat to stop wailing and come to bed because you’re not going to play fetch at 3 a.m.—but you promise to play with him the next day while the dogs are on their walk.

My cat Mac loved chasing balls and toys I would toss to him.  But one night at 3 a.m., he howled, “Meow, meow, meow. Come play, Mom.” I yelled out to him (he’s downstairs, I’m upstairs), “I’m not playing now. It’s 3 in the morning; come to bed! I’ll play with you when Charlie takes the dogs out!” He quieted down and came upstairs to sleep with me.

In the morning, Charlie took the dogs out. I sat at my desk working on, well, work. Mac clearly understood me the night before because he brought a toy over and stared with accusing eyes. “You said you were going to play. They’re out, let’s go.” We threw and chased balls. My other cat, Shadow, joined in. We had great fun.

2. Explain that visits to the veterinarian or groomer are not alien abductions.

Do you ever wonder why animals get nervous about going to the vet or the groomer?

I think our animals feel like they’re experiencing some kind of “alien abduction” when we take them to the vet or groomer—terror, the anticipation of pain, and not knowing what is really going to happen.

They end up in a place that has a weird vibe. They sense nervous, scared, and uncertain animals! Even their own people are a bit nervous, hoping for a good outcome but knowing there are no guarantees.

These “aliens” sometimes take them from their people. The animals wonder, “Will it be for a few minutes or hours? Will I get to go home?”

These beings might poke them, prod them, hold them tightly, wearing weird gloves.  Maybe these beings stick things (thermometers) in places the animals don’t expect or like. Or put strange vibrating things on them.

They wonder, “Oh my gosh, I don’t know when I’m going home. Am I going home? What will they do to me this time? Will they hurt me?”

Ta da! Now you can explain stuff!

I tell my animals, “We’re just going in, yes, you’re going to get stuck— a sharp pinch- or they’re going to look in your ears, nose, and eyes. I know it’s not pleasant, but then we’re going to go home.”

I’ve also told people’s cats and dogs about surgery. I share what’s going to happen from the animal’s point of view. Their people report the animals being more relaxed and recovering quicker. You could do this yourself.

3. Tell them about people or animals coming into or leaving the family.

Maybe you’ve broken up or your child goes off to college. I’ve met animals that are grieving the loss of your – and their  – “significant other.” They don’t know what happened. Just like kids after a divorce, our pets sometimes blame themselves.

It’s amazing how much it helps to just say, “It wasn’t working for Henry and me, kitty. Henry’s leaving. But he’s going to say goodbye, and tell you how much he loves you, and you’re going to be in his heart forever.”

Or a new cat comes into the family, and you want the other animals to love her!

I worked with my kitty Bunnie to be nice to Shadow. I keep saying, “Bunnie, she (Shadow) is part of the family. You’ve got to be nice to this one.” We finally had a major breakthrough. All three cats have slept together on the bed.  It’s not purrfect, but it’s definitely better.

4. Permit them to party while you’re on vacation.

Tell them who’s watching them, how long you’ll be gone. Remind them to chill – They don’t need to stress out to show they love you. They can enjoy their food and play. And they should definitely enjoy being with the person who’s caring for them. If they do, it will make you very happy!

You can connect with them while you’re gone, too. Send them love and tell them when you’ll be home.

I do this for my clients with Postcards from Your Pet, but you could do this yourself!

5. Ask them to change a behavior.

Find out what’s causing the behavior from their point of view. As you do, consider what you might also change that might help the situation. Then ask them to do something different that makes you happy.

Most times, they’ll make the change because NOW they understand what you want and they want to be a good family member. If they don’t change, you now know you should check for physical causes with your veterinarian.

Learn about The Journey Begins!

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What else would you love to tell or ask your animals? Would love to hear about them in the comments.