Wagging Tales: Every Animal Has a Tale

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Our local animal rescue shelter had a family of four cats that were adopted by one family. This is not typical. Usually, one cat is adopted or possibly two at the same time, but rarely more. Because these cats had been residents of the shelter for more than two years and it was the only home they had ever known, everyone at the shelter thought it would be best to keep them together when it came time for them to be adopted. When the cats arrived at their new home, Special and Marmy seemed to adapt easily. Cupid and Tawny, however, were very leery about their new surroundings and spent most of the time hiding.

The family contacted me and asked if I could speak with all four cats. They wanted me to tell the cats that there was no reason for them to be afraid and that this was going to be their forever home. In addition, the family asked me to communicate specifically with Special to help correct a behavioral issue they were having with her.

I began the session with Tawny by asking her if I had permission to speak with her. She agreed. I asked her why she was hiding under the couch. She said, "Noises, different noises." She gave me a vision of a television and the sounds she heard from the television. Their new human companions said the television was never turned up loud and was located in another room. However, since Tawny's only home up to this point had been the shelter, she was not familiar with the sounds of a television, the occasional loud cries of her human companions' grandchildren, or some of the other household noises. I explained to Tawny that her new home had different noises from the shelter but that she shouldn't be afraid. She reluctantly accepted my advice and explained that she was hiding because she still felt unsure of her new surroundings and new family. However, she agreed to come out more often, but only when she was ready. As she put it, "My time." About five minutes later, she came out to join Marmy and Special.

During our conversation, Tawny stressed that she likes "High." She showed me a vision of a carpeted, tan cat condo (climbing post with a high perch) that she would like to have in a separate room or quiet place in the new home.

I then spoke with Cupid about why he was hiding from everyone. He said, "What Tawny does, I do." So, I told the family to watch for Cupid to start exploring more once Tawny felt more comfortable. Cupid didn't have much else to say.

Next, I asked Marmy how she was and she said, "Fine." I asked if she liked her new home and family, and she said, "Yes, I rule." She indicated to me that she felt like the leader of the group. I asked if she knew why Tawny and Cupid were hiding. She said, "Those cats? They're always hiding ... still scared." I asked her if she would talk to them and show them that there was nothing to be scared of. She said, "Yes, of course."

I then spoke to Special, and she was the most talkative of the bunch. She showed me a tree inside the house and said, "Tree different." I asked her how the tree was different and different compared to what. She showed me the couch that Tawny and Cupid were hiding under. She showed me the tan, brown, and burgundy colors of the couch. I tried to confirm the colors with the family, but they told me the couch upholstery didn't have any of those colors in it and that it was currently covered with quilts, which one of the cats had recently urinated on. (Needless to say, none of the cats admitted to that deed.) I asked Special again about the colors of the couch, and she insisted that the couch was tan, brown, and burgundy. After further thought, the family member I was speaking with recalled that the couch had flowers that were those same colors. Special then showed me a picture window behind the couch.

I confirmed the existence of the window with the family and asked if Special or any of the cats had been up in the window or on the back of the couch. I was told that they couldn't get up in the window, and that they hadn't been seen on the back of the couch, but there was no guarantee that they hadn't been there. Special then showed me a small tree near the window and said, "Tree different." I asked again if there was a tree in the house or perhaps a banana tree. After more thought, the family member stated that there was a fake tree in the house. I asked if the tree was in the same room as the couch and if it was located in the corner of the room. She answered yes to both questions. Special then stated that she liked the different tree.

I then asked Special about the behavioral issue that the family was having with her. They did not want her to get up on the kitchen counters and dining room table. The family was afraid that Special would hurt herself or knock something off and hurt one of the other cats. I reminded her that she had already knocked some noodles off the counter and onto the floor. I asked her if she would please stay off the counters and table. She told me it was "Fun." I told her that I understood it was fun, but she needed to stay down because she might hurt herself or one of the other cats.

Special then stated, "Did before." She was referring to having free reign of her room at the shelter where she was able to climb on any of the shelves that she wanted. I explained to her that this was not her room at the shelter, and she would have to abide by the wishes of her new family. However, she could have free reign of the entire house otherwise. Special reluctantly agreed to stay down by saying in a very sarcastic tone, "Okay." I conveyed to the family that I couldn't guarantee that Special would keep to her word immediately and that she may need to be reminded to stay down. However, over time, I felt that she would comply with their wishes.

Special then showed me that she likes to look up on top of things to see what is located in the highest places. She showed me the top of the refrigerator, and she was wondering what, if anything, was on top. I asked if there were items on top of the refrigerator, and a family member said that there were three boxes with items in them. Special was interested in seeing the boxes, but she was not necessarily interested in seeing what was inside them. She then showed me that there were a lot of things on the front of the refrigerator, and conveyed that she was interested in them. It was confirmed that there were magnets and other items posted on the front of the refrigerator.

Special then showed me a picture of a cat or cats on the refrigerator; I couldn't determine whether there were one or more cats in the picture. I asked the woman if they had previously had a cat and was told that they hadn't, but that her boyfriend had. I asked if he had a picture of his previous cat on display, and she said no. After some more thought, I realized what Special was trying to tell me. She wanted her picture to be posted high up on the front of the refrigerator.

The family then told me about something they were experiencing in their house that was totally unrelated to any of the four cats. Though the house was newly built and they were the first owners, they believed they had a ghost, because they had felt the presence of a child in the attic. On more than one occasion, they felt that they had had supernatural experiences: They had found one of the upstairs doors open, even though they always keep the doors closed. The television channels had changed without anyone touching the television or the remote control. And once, one of the grandchildren had been walking up the stairs, and as she approached the landing, they heard her say, "Hello," as if she had seen someone. When they asked the grandchild whom she had been talking to, she said, "The little girl." They believe the ghost is a little girl, and they have named her Sarah. Fortunately, the ghost seems to want to play and not cause any trouble.

After they told me this story, they asked if I had the ability to communicate with ghosts. I replied that I had not had the opportunity to use my gift to communicate with humans on the other side. At that point, I had only communicated with living animals or animals that had transitioned out of our physical world. One family member asked if I could ask one of the cats if they had seen the ghost. I wasn't sure what kind of response I would get, but I decided to try. I first asked Marmy if she had seen the little girl. Marmy said, "I haven't," so then I turned to Tawny, and she stated, "Not there." At first, I wasn't sure if Tawny meant that there wasn't a little girl ghost in the house or that the ghost wasn't there at the moment. The woman then told me that Tawny had walked up the stairs, briefly looked around, and then turned around and came back down at the precise moment I was communicating with her.

I will leave you to your own conclusions as to whether or not a little girl's ghostly presence exists in the house. However, I have heard many times that children under the age of six and animals are more aware of unseen presences. Unfortunately, after the age of six, most children are usually taught to suppress their natural intuitive abilities due to the social pressures to be "normal."

I finished our conversation by asking each of the cats if they had anything else to ask or tell me. They declined any further conversation at that time.

I told the family I hoped that I had helped them and the kitties. They said I had helped and that they were pleased with what they had learned.

I suggested they consider adding more toys, a few kitty condos, and other items to stimulate the cats and to keep them active. I also suggested separate feeding dishes and litter boxes since animals typically like to have their own things.

I later found out that Tawny and Cupid were returned to the shelter a couple of weeks later because they had not adapted readily enough to their new home, and the family didn't think they were happy being there. It is my belief, after rescuing several animals during my lifetime, that it takes time, support, and a lot of love for animals to get used to their new environment. The good news is that the two cats are doing better since being returned to the shelter. This may be due in part to the familiarity of their surroundings.

Chapter Two What's That Smell?

Gabby is one of the cats being cared for at our local rescue shelter. She is a spirited golden tabby with gorgeous light green eyes.

Recently Gabby was acting a little peculiar and less responsive than usual. Staff at the shelter asked me to have a conversation with her. I began by asking Gabby if I could speak with her. She said, "Of course. I remember you from your last visit."

I asked Gabby, "What's wrong? Are you feeling all right?" Gabby said, "Different room," "It smells," and "Cats looking at me." I asked Gabby if she had been moved to a different room and she said, "Yes." I asked, "Which room do you like the best?" She showed me a room that had pink walls. I later confirmed that the room with pink walls was the room that Gabby had lived in first. I asked Gabby if she would like to be moved back to the pink room and she said, "Yes."

I told the volunteer this information, and she promptly moved Gabby to a different room, but not the pink one. I visited Gabby at the shelter a week later. She was back to her spirited self and climbing the screened doors that are located at the entrance of each of the cat rooms. I asked, "How are you doing, Gabby?" She replied, "Much better, but the pink room is better."

The shelter volunteers also uncovered the "smell" that Gabby was referring to. The shelter had recently switched the type of litter being used in the litter boxes. The litter did not absorb or clump like the previous litter. Thus, the urine settled in the bottom of each tray, making it smell worse.

I have visited the shelter numerous times and have sat in each of the four cat rooms. However, I had never noticed that each room has a specific color. Animals are definitely more in tune with their environments and surroundings compared to us humans. Perhaps you can also blame my lack of noticing these types of details on my being a guy!

Chapter Three Chasing Shady

Shady, a beautiful, solid-white cat, had been found as a stray in a local neighborhood, where a resident had been feeding him for a few weeks. The resident noticed Shady was getting thinner and had a serious neck injury from a fight with another animal. The resident called the local rescue shelter and, upon his capture, Shady was taken to the vet for a checkup. It was immediately obvious that his condition was serious enough that he would not have survived much longer on his own. Through testing, the vet discovered that Shady had FIV, a feline form of the HIV virus found in humans. FIV can be fatal for cats, but if it's treated, the cat can live a long life.

One evening when I visited the foster home where Shady had been taken to recover from his injuries, I was told that Shady had been acting timid and that he wasn't eating very much. The foster asked me to communicate with Shady to find out what he could tell me about where he came from, how he got sick, and if he needed anything.

I asked Shady if I could speak with him, and he very openly said, "Yes." I asked him if he felt okay and why was he being so timid. He said, "I'm fine, but I'm not sure where I am." I let Shady know what had happened and why he was staying in this particular home. I assured him that he was going to be okay and that we were working on finding him a good forever home. He seemed to accept my comments and immediately began to eat his food.

I next asked Shady if he would share his prior history with me and if he could tell me how he got sick. Specifically, I asked how he ended up as a stray in the neighborhood where he was found and why he had chosen the particular lady who had been feeding him. He explained that his previous family had recently moved from that neighborhood and had decided to leave him behind. He then got sick and had nowhere to go. He did not seem upset because he said, "It's fine ... it was time." He felt that his mission had been accomplished with that family and that it was time for him to help a new family. He said he had chosen the lady from his original neighborhood to feed him because, "She is supposed to adopt me."

Interestingly enough, the lady did express to the foster that she had an interest in adopting Shady and his roommate, Mellow, another rescued cat that was sharing the same room. Ironically, the cat that she had previously owned was also FIV positive. This seemed at first to be a great match for both Shady and Mellow. However, she also said she would be declawing both cats because she didn't want them to tear up her furniture. In light of this, the foster decided not to allow the lady to adopt either cat because declawing cats went against the rescue shelter's policies for adoption.

I always enjoy my conversations with animals. I find them quite exciting, intriguing, and fun. Little did I know, the fun with Shady had just begun.

While I continued to communicate with Shady that evening, the door to his crate was left open in order for the foster to clean up his litter box, which was inside the crate. After our conversation, Shady became more comfortable with the new people in his life and his new temporary home located in one of the basement rooms of the house. Perhaps Shady had become a little too comfortable. While no one was looking, he jumped from the table where his crate was located, took a little stroll around the room, and met Mellow face-to-face. Of course, if you know cats like I do, a leisurely stroll can turn into an all-night affair.

After a short time allowing him to explore his new environment and meet Mellow, we decided it was time for him to get back into his crate. Should be easy, right? Wrong! Have you ever tried to get a cat to do something on your terms? We spent two hours chasing, cornering, and coaxing Shady back into his crate, which was not an easy task in a basement full of crawl spaces, ductwork, and fabulous hiding spaces. A word to the wise: always close the door to the crate when you don't want the animal wandering around at will unless you have a couple of hours to kill.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Shady about a month later at the same foster home. He looked really healthy and was adjusting well to his surroundings. He immediately ran over to me, no longer timid and unsure. He and Mellow had free reign of their section of the basement. I asked him how he was, and he said, "Much better." He was definitely in a very happy place and feeling really good. It just goes to show you that love cures all. Never give up on these beautiful creatures.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Wagging Tales by Tim Link Copyright © 2009 by Tim Link. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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