Category Archive

THE OVERLY INQUISITIVE PET

BY WARREN ECKSTEIN

Pets that go through the wastebasket, open drawers, and paw through your files need more than just stimulation. Their inquisitiveness can also do damage, but I must stress that this is strictly unintentional delinquency. Typically, the overly inquisitive pet isn’t destructive at all, but just very intelligent. He isn’t satisfied with run-of-the-mill toys, he learns quickly, and he demands novelty. This syndrome occurs more commonly in the pet who previously has had company during the day, one that has been encouraged to have an active mind and a lively personality but is now alone, either because both owners are working or the kids have gone off to college. The pet’s routine hasn’t changed yet, though, and he paces the house, looking for involvement with people or events.

I once knew a poodle whose owner didn’t believe in banks. The dog ate close to three thousand dollars she left in her bedroom drawer while she was at work. This very bright poodle, like other inquisitive but bored pets, already knew all of the basic commands backward and forward and needed some mind expansion. The solution to his problem was advanced education. Without it, he might have continued to direct his energy toward more destructive outlets.

An advanced program may involve learning a difficult trick, a new command, or a new exercise. Backyard hurdles and high jumps are wonderful for expending energy, and they offer a terrific challenge to any pet. A variety of cardboard boxes and paper brown paper bags might be just the thing to pique your cat’s interest.

There are many deterrents on the market that work well; even some of the methods I recommend on the radio show are great in terms of correcting the behavior. But remember deterrents and corrections are only a temporary solution. Any real improvements must come from your understanding of why he’s getting into things and from the application of an appropriate therapy that will present him with an alternative.

Most dogs (with the exception of the larger breeds) are small creatures living in a world that’s so much larger than they are. Unless they’re encouraged to make eye contact, they may never know that your eyes and face are five or six feet up in the air. To prove my point, try this: Lie flat on the floor and have someone stand over you. Strange feeling, isn’t it? This gives you an idea of what your pet sees from his perspective. People who are upset, possibly scolding him, look like tall, overwhelming ogres, scaring him like nothing he’s ever seen before. Even people who are friendly look something like the Jolly Green Giant. No wonder your dog, especially if he’s a smaller breed, is constantly jumping up on you and visitors to your home…He’s trying to make contact with a world that towers over him.

I don’t think our pet dogs feel as threatened by direct eye contact as they feel uncomfortable. Most of their world revolves around things close to the ground—things that don’t include human faces…..unless you make your face more accessible to your pet.

FUNDAMENTALS OF PROPER DOG TRAINING

BY WARREN ECKSTEIN

The first and most important lesson in dog training is the one the trainer must learn themselves. That is self-control. The work of hours and even days of patient training can be wholly undone and the dog’s confidence in his trainer entirely shattered in one foolish burst of temper. Patience is the first virtue in dog training, and remember that a light hand, a soft voice, and a big heart are all part of the equipment to be a successful trainer.

A practical knowledge of training is most essential if the best results are to be obtained. Know exactly what you want to accomplish. Study your pupil carefully. Adopt a method or methods best suited for his personality and temperament. Then put into effect through patience and persistence. By proceeding carefully and slowly, exercising self-control at all times, there is no reason why any intelligent person, cannot accomplish any reasonable end desired in training their dog.

Entertain Your Cat
Set up some Kitty entertainment! People need to get out of the house and make a night of it at the local comedy club or take an exotic trip to Club Med. Well, Kitty can’t go wind surfing, but owners can certainly make her life more interesting. The first step is easy yet it’s the one most often overlooked. How many playthings does your cat have? Right now, look up from where you’re sitting. Scan the room. Better yet, get on your hands and knees and crawl around so you can see it from Kitty’s perspective. I bet that, at most, there are a few old toys around. Their novelty probably wore off months ago. Boring!

No cheating, now. Don’t even think about telling me there’s plenty of stuff around but it all happens to be under the chair or the sofa. The bottom line is that is they’re not in the room now they don’t count. If you can’t see the playthings, then you’re part of the problem. Be part of the solution instead.

Be sure Kitty has a bundle of toys. That goes for all the owners who say, “But my cat doesn’t like any toys. She won’t even play with anything.” To this is say, “pooh-pooh.” I’ve yet to find a cat that won’t play with something. For all the doubting Thomases, there are cats who turn up a disinterested nose at a lot of different playthings, but keep at it. Try everything that is commercially available or anything you can create. I guarantee, in almost every single case, you will come across something the furball enjoys. No matter how aloof or detached you think your cat may be, more than likely there are toys and activities she’ll enjoy. However, sometimes you need to be clever in how you present them.

Rotate Those Toys
Whatever Kitty’s choice of playthings just be sure you have plenty of them. And remember to rotate them, which means there should be at least two large batches of toys on hand at all times. Leave the first batch on the floor for two days while the second batch is stored in a closet. After two days, rotate them. Take the ones from the closet and place them on the floor, then take the ones from the floor and put them in the closet. Repeat this procedure every two days and you’ll create a fresh and interesting environment for Kitty. Clever cat kitties, just like human kiddies, become bored with the same old toys. Without toy rotation it would be like playing Scrabble every day for the year. It might be fun at first but it gets to the point where enough is enough. If you take away those toys and then return them a few days later, they’ll seem like brand-new play things all over again. I kind of hate to admit it, but I guess you could say we’re faking out our feline friends.

What a Sport! You Have Kitty One Scratching Post
Most cat owners supply their cats with one scratching post. Big deal. As I’ve explained before, I believe cats are very intelligent animals, more intelligent than many experts and some owners think they are. This intelligent creature is bored to death with only one scratching post. If those telltale pieces of furniture stuffing are still stuck to Kitty’s paws or the carpet fringe is missing, then your cat is in the inquisitive, curious “I’m-too-bright-to-be-content-with-one-scratching-post” category. These cats need more, more, more.

Make Your Own Scratching Posts
If you’re independently wealthy, then by all means save yourself some trouble and go out and buy a bunch of scratching posts, poles, pads, and all the variations currently on the market. Rotate and change them frequently as I suggested you do with the toys. But if the thought of spending hundred of dollars on scratching posts, poles and the like is not appealing to you, or if you’ve decided you simply won’t get a second job to support Kitty’s habit, take advantage of the freebies at the supermarket. Try using cardboard boxes and brown paper bags (never use plastic bags or any bag with handles-they’re dangerous and could suffocate the cat). I thing everyone on the planet knows that is you put a paper bag or box on the floor, Kitty will be sniffing and smelling and wandering in and out of it within minutes, because the items are brand-new to her environment and are full of interesting and exciting odors. Cats have a grand old time exploring what supermarkets give away at no charge. She’ll think it’s kitty heaven.

Kitty Condos
Don’t be timid. Take the use of those cardboard boxes one step further-build a kitty condo or duplex apartment. Place together several strong cardboard boxes, cutting out a few holes in each so Kitty can climb in, out, and around her new co-op. Don’t be afraid to be a little creative, particularly if you want to save money. Save your old carpet remnants or get friendly with the local carpet distributor or installer. Grab those odd-sized, leftover, small pieces that get thrown out. Glue them to the sides of the boxes and voila!-a cheap, instant scratching post. What’s best about these do-it-yourself posts is, because they cost you nothing but five minutes of labor, you can change them all the time, keeping Kitty on her toes-literally.

If you’re the reserves type and find it difficult to hustle the local merchants for scrap carpet remnants, it’s still cheaper to buy some inexpensive doormats than it is to buy most scratching posts. Wait for a sale and buy a bunch.

Be Creative
Don’t fall into the old trap of using all the carpet with the nap side facing out. Many owners who swear their cats don’t like scratching posts are amazed to learn their kitty simply prefers to scratch on the rougher surfaces, including the underside of the carpet. Some cat owners know this already. They spend a lifetime smoothing out the ends of the area rugs after kitty has taken it upon herself to flip over the edges and scratch on the carpet’s underside.

I once had a client who was not particularly wealthy and believed that the best investment she could make for her future were Persian and Oriental rugs. She purchased them whenever she could and thought of them as her savings account and retirement fund all rolled into one. She believed they would increase in value more than anything else her money could buy, or any yield from the bank. She kept the carpets properly stored in an unused bedroom in her home and rarely went in to check on them. But one day she did and got the shock of her life. Upon her inspection she found that each and everyone had been clawed and scratched on the underside. Her cat had reached the ends of each rolled carpet and had a ball clawing and kneading away to her hearts content. Fortunately, the damage was on the carpet backing, so while it has made the carpets less than perfect and therefore less valuable, nothing was visible from the carpet top so it wasn’t a total loss. What could have been a terrible disaster has bearable negative results.

Try a Log
Try a what? Yup, a log or a piece of wood about the size used for a large wood-burning stove or fireplace. Some cats just love to do their stretching and scratching on wood so that no matter what you try, nothing else will do. After checking it first for bugs, bring the wood into the house and place it where Kitty likes to do her scratching. If she’s a wood clawer she’ll be delighted at the new addition to her inventory. What’s best is if you can replace the piece every few days with another piece. If you don’t have a wood source of your own, make a deal with someone you know who has a fireplace or wood-burning stove. Gung-ho owners can even bring larger pieces into the house. It’s a thrill when you see Kitty’s eyes light up. Yes, it is a bit of extra work but it may be the easiest step you can take to protect your belongings.

Massage is as wonderful and therapeutic for an animal as it is for a human. The experience of being touched, rubbed, and stroked is not just reassuring; it’s also physically beneficial. Massage for pets is a relatively new development in pet health care, but it’s a growing phenomenon, one that every pet owner should get involved in. After a long hard day playing ball, running, or swimming, every pet can profit from a gentle massage-it relaxes him, it soothes his muscles, and it makes him aware of the fact that his owner knows and appreciates just how hard he’s been working.

Who Needs Massage?
Every pet, regardless of age, size or activity level, can benefit from a massage every once in a while. A very active animal often suffers from muscle aches and strains, just as a person does, and a rubdown can ease the discomfort he can’t express to you in words. You’ll be able to tell when your dog or cat is asking for some tender loving care by certain stiffness in his hind legs, or a slower-than-usual response when you tell him to get up after an exercise break. He attentive to your pet’s body language and do what he’s clearly asking you to do. A brief massage can work wonders and make that soreness or stiffness vanish.

Arthritic and geriatric pets are particularly good candidates for massage. Animals who suffer a variety of ailments from hip dysplasia to panosteitis to back problems are often afflicted with chronic pain, and the thoughtful owner should be more sensitive than usual to his pet’s special physical needs. The stroking and plying of old or arthritic muscles can really make a difference. Even the worst cases seem to perk up and move more fluidly after a good massage. This is only partly due to the manual manipulation of muscles and joints. It’s true that kind touch means, more than anything else, that the pet’s owner cares about him and recognizes his pain. You can communicate your understanding and your love through the comfort of touch more clearly than you can express your feelings with words. Massage is another form of praise for your pet, one he truly cherishes.

How to Give a Complete Massage
Begin the massage with two or three minutes of general rubbing and stroking as you talk quietly to your pet. This should be a time for the two of you to wind down, to forget the frenzy of the day, and to relax totally. Just stroking the animal, beginning with the back of the neck and working your way down to the tail, should set the mood. With your gentle touch, you’re telling your pet that you want him to trust you and to deliver himself into your care.

Stroke the back of the neck first and then the spine and back, working your way down with your hands moving along the sides of the pet. When you get to the hip area, be extremely gentle. Even pets who have never suffered from any actual disorder tend to be sensitive around the hip joints. Keep talking as you touch, reassuring the animals that everything is all right.

From the hips, stroke down the rear of the legs to the paws, and then release the pressure as you move back up to your pet’s front. Start under the neck, down the chest, along the front legs to the front paws. By the time you’ve covered the whole body with these light, gentle strokes, your dog or cat should be calm and contented, ready for more. Now you can begin the real massage, using the circular motion of the fingers. Begin just behind the head and do the neck area with your hands open, your fingers pressing steadily, massaging the area in circles. Keep rotating your fingers, and don’t let them break contact with your animal’s skin and fur. Just move them along, down the shoulders and then the side muscles. Continue down the back, working the spine lightly with your thumbs while the four other fingers of each hand massage the pet’s sides. Complete the course all the way down the spinal column of the tail.

Go back up to the shoulders and switch your hands around, with the fingers on the spine and the thumbs down along the sides of the pet. Talk softly as you let your fingers make small circles on the animal’s flanks. At this point, you may hear a few happy sighs or some heavy purring. If so, you’re doing your job.

Next, spend some time on the hind legs, kneading them like bread dough. Don’t make the pressure too hard-this is a sensitive area. You can massage each leg keeping all your fingers on one side and then moving to the other, or you can work with open hands, letting your thumbs and fingers wrap around the leg. This way, the inside and the outside of the leg receive attention simultaneously. Keep your technique varied. All muscles get the most benefit from different kinds of stimulation, so if you did it one way yesterday, use another method today.

Finish both rear legs before moving on to the pet’s front. Then begin on the underside of the neck with the softest, most delicate touch. Slowly massage your pet down the chest and increase the pressure as you get into a less-vulnerable region of the body. From here, work down and in between the front legs, gently manipulating the joints, tendons, and muscles as you did in the rear. You can stroke, rub, and scratch the stomach and groin area-most pets are crazy about this kind of stimulation, and will let you know how well you’re doing by sighing, groaning, or purring loudly.

After you’ve finished the stomach area, go back to the chest and again work slowly down the front legs to the paws. Even the most suspicious holdout should be a quivering pool of jelly by now, and every muscle, every joint will have had a wonderful treat.

At the end of the massage, a good scratch all over is certainly in order. If your pet craves more, he may try to nudge your hands back on him and encourage you to start all over again. If you have the time and inclination by all means do so.

The statistics tell it all – half the marriages in the U.S. today end in divorce. It goes without saying that this is hard on all parties involved, particularly those who had nothing to do with the decision to divorce. Warren Eckstein says the children and pets of those families are the innocent victims of often bitter and long-drawn-out struggles.

BECAUSE PETS ARE part of over 50 percent of all American households, clearly there are many animals who have been and will be forced to deal with the stress of being torn between two beloved people, and they consequently will suffer from broken-homes syndrome. While these situations are never easy, here are some measures that can be taken to relieve a little of the heartache involved – for the pets and the couple.

STRESS IN THE HOUSEHOLD

Anxiety travels from one end of the leash to the other. This means that a dog or cat is aware instantly when something is wrong with their owners – detecting it from the voice and body signals they manifest. The arguing and hostility that inevitably comes before and during a divorce can be terribly traumatic for a dog or cat, for a variety of reasons.

First, of course, the animal’s schedule is generally turned upside-down. Who’s going to walk the pet if one owner is there one night, but gone the next? When will the feedings and play periods (if any) take place? Will anyone be giving the pet his regular exercise periods, or will he be forced to lie around the house all the time, building up energy that would otherwise have been channeled to his regular run or ball game? The kind of upheaval that takes place in a divorcing household necessarily means that things just aren’t the way they used to be.

The house may seem deserted and isolated, or it may be filled with well-meaning friends and relatives, all offering advice. If, for example the woman’s mother moves in with her as soon as her husband moves out, then all the relationships in the household have suddenly changed at once. The previously independent woman may be treated like a child by her mother, who wants to pamper her and make everything all right. The husband who may appear on various occasions (or not at all) has suddenly changed from the man of the house to the villain on the scene. Surely, all of this must confuse and confound a pet.

WHY DO THEY DO THAT?

The consequences of the family’s upheaval may take several different forms. In one instance, the owner who remains in the house may decide that the pet is his or her only friend, and thus may become overly dependent on the companionship of the dog or cat.

But male or female, the owner that the pet is left with may also be a tearful person who is lonely and depressed a great deal of the time, and who demands the pet’s undivided attention – and not necessarily in a positive, healthful way. Pets need privacy, just as we do, and it is impossibly for them to provide the sympathy and understanding that some severely unhappy people require of them. Some of this anxiety is bound to rub off on the pet, and they may begin to react negatively to the desperate clinging by becoming clingy themselves, losing their individuality or picking up some nervous characteristics.

The second scenario is often worse, however. In some households, the pet is blamed for the divorce. The couple (or one member of the couple) needs a scapegoat for his or her anger and frustration, and takes it all out on the dog or cat. The owner is no necessarily in a logical or coherent state, and probably can’t stop to consider how the pet is reacting to these unnecessary accusations. It is difficult to think about someone else when you are going through bad times, and it’s very easy to blame your troubles on the first thing you see.

A PET IS DEFENSELESS

The non-demanding relationship he offers his owner may put him in jeopardy when things are very bad, and he can react only with confusion and hurt. In the midst of a divorce, when both parties are living in the house but there’s a great deal of yelling and screaming, alternating with dead silence, a pet may begin to manifest signs of regression. He may become very nervous and fretful, and may even retreat to another room during arguments or may become sufficiently paranoid to feel the need to protect himself and some aggressive behavior may even be seen. The couple, unfortunately, probably will disagree on everything he’s doing, thereby making it virtually impossible to correct his behavior consistently.

PETS AND KIDS

The relationship of children and pets can be either wonderful or terrible when the parents are going through a divorce. In most divorce cases, the kids will develop a solid relationship with the pet. After all, this is the only member of the household not asking them to take sides or see a psychiatrist or get lost – the dog or cat may be the only constant in a very topsy-turvy existence.

In other cases, the child may take out all his hostility on the animal. Instead of showing his parents how angry he is that they are doing this, he may kick the dog or pull the cat’s tail. It’s up to the parents, of course, to see that no major friction continues, because a bad relationship between pet and child will only add to the hostility already in the household.

Having personally worked with over 40,000 pets and their owners, it finally hit me that our pets know more about our needs than we do. I’ve worked with some of Fortune 500’s most successful CEOs and major Politicians — you know, the stressed- out, always on the run type. By spending time in their offices and at their homes, I observed that when they were with their pets or even just talking about them — they slowed down and entered the NOW. I believe that our pets have saved many individuals from heart attacks just by forcing them into a calmer state of being. Not that I’m one of those spiritual people — I’m from Long Island, N.Y. and to me aromatherapy was Lysol!

I truly believe that our pets read us well and force us to make changes for the better. For example: Let’s say that I’ve had a bad day with the sales department at the radio station and I come home all anxious and fidgety. Many people would head for a cocktail — but I de-escalate just by hugging my dogs Skyler and Cisko, then watching the welcome home dance that they’ve been practicing all day. They are able to read my moods and somehow mystically know exactly what to do give me the serenity I need.

Many of my clients are current & former well-known celebrities; with all of the pressures of paparazzi, entourages and TMZ following them around all day – they’re never able to just be themselves are often overwhelmed, e.g., Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan. I’ve seen personalities and their moods go from psychotic to mellow just after they’ve spent a few moments with their pet — the one thing in their life that has no demands or criticism. Somehow our pets know how to make us laugh when we need to, and feel as stupid as we want around them. I bet there is not a pet owner reading this that doesn’t have those special silly times with their pets.

As eccentric as this may sound and heaven forbid that I should ever be called eccentric, our pets know when we are not feeling well even before we do. Even when our pets may not be close with certain family members, when those family members are not feeling well — somehow they know and hang around that person. For example, my grandfather (who was not an animal lover and thought I perhaps needed psychiatric help) became very ill. Towards the end, the dogs and cats living at my mom’s house that had never spent anytime near him until the day before he died slept in his room. The bonds they build with special needs children and adults, the bond between seniors and their senior pets all of this is their ability to read us, physically, mentally and spiritually and anticipating our needs before we even know what those needs are.

Celebrity Pet Psychic Melissa Bacelar and Healer Gabriela Castillo have always been passionate about animals and their well being. Both admit to having natural abilities from childhood in animal communication and healing that were clearly seen by others. Throughout their formative years they both pursued learning about their gifts and how to use them; however, it wasn’t until their adulthood that they really “came out of the closet,” applying their talents and committing themselves to professionally helping both animals and their people. Using their respective skills in animal communication and energetic healing, Melissa Bacelar and Gabriela Castillo now team up on a regular basis to help animals and their people live better lives together.

Celebrity Pet Psychic, Melissa Bacelar on Animal Communication…

I have always been “animal obsessed” and over the past few years my obsession has grown into a blatant lifestyle. I don’t care who knows it. I talk about dogs, read about cats, brush horses and cows, and now I am at a whole new level: instead of talking dogs, I talk to dogs!

About three years ago I adopted a little black Cocker Spaniel off of Petfinder.com. He was about four years old and emaciated. His caretaker brought him to my house, but she didn’t tell him goodbye. I stood there with my husband, my pit mix, and my two other cocker spaniels and thought, I guess we have a fourth dog.

His tag said Camenbert. We tried calling him that and Cammie and Bert, but none of these worked, and he stood at our front door looking so sad. After a while my dogs gave up on him and went to bed. My husband told me the dog would be fine and I should come to bed too, but I had an ache in my heart knowing that the dog was confused. I knew that even though his previous owner was not as nice to him as I was going to be, he still longed for that person.

So I sat next to him and just started mentally picturing all of the fun things we would soon be doing together. I showed him toys, and beds, and car rides and then finally I said (telepathically), “You will never be away from me. I am going to love you for the rest of your life. What do you want me to call you?” I got his answer loud and clear: “Joey.” Then this tiny, bony, smelly Cocker Spaniel moved away from the door and walked into my bedroom. I watched him walking and he turned to me as if to say, “Well? Show me my bed!”

And that was it. I thought I was making up the dialogue at the time. We all look at our dogs and think we know what they want and think, but I started studying and slowly realized that I can telepathically pick up on animals’ real feelings, emotions, wants, and thoughts.

Here’s the tricky part: Animals don’t talk like we do. They have a few words here and there, but generally they show you things. So you have to learn to think like a dog. The other night my friend rescued a dog from the shelter, and when he got him home, the dog escaped. I have never been to this friend’s house, so when he asked me to talk to the dog and tell him to come home, I was frantic. It was late and I could feel the dog was looking for the people who originally owned him. The dog kept showing me cars in the distance, lots of cars. He was seeing the cars through bushes. He also showed me tons of shrubs and leaves and an orange—over and over, an orange.

I told my friend this and he explained that the 405 freeway was behind his house, through fences and bushes. This made sense, but still the dog could be anywhere. I then asked the dog how far he was, and he showed me that he was now resting and that he only went a short distance. This, of course, was not helping so we started calling the police and animal shelters. Sure enough, someone had reported a dog on my friend’s street! They said they cornered him in their yard and he was lying under an orange tree. So this dog was telling me the right things, but solving the case took some help.

Now that you get a general idea of what I can see, let me tell you what I’m going to do. Each issue, I’m going to answer 5 questions about your pets, living or passed. I’ll need a photo and a name, and if your photo is 300 dpi or larger, your dog will be considered for inclusion in the next issue of this magazine, along with your answers! I’m here to answer anything. Just remember, my answers are what your animal wants you to hear; I just talk to them. So if you ask them what they want to eat and they show me a big steak, it doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy them a steak! Just think of me as a Dear Abby. Only instead of human relationship issues, I deal in dogs, cats, pigs, or whatever other furry creature you have.

I’m really looking forward to getting to know your animal companions. Please email your questions to animalsrstars@gmail.com and put “American Dog” in the subject line. Talk to you and your pets soon!

Healer, Gabriela Castillo (HEALERtv.com) on Energetic Healing …

Animals are, and always have been, my passion. But guess what? People are animals too! My practice is based on distance energetic healing, which allows me to work with clients from all over the world and with animals big and small, wild and domestic. I have dedicated my work to helping transform how we, their human partners, perceive, communicate with and treat them. Every day my work is an adventure as I help animals and their people to transform their behavioral issues, which are commonly caused by physical illness and injury as well as emotional trauma. My work compliments that of other professionals like veterinarians, trainers, behaviorists, nutritionists and other holistic practitioners.

Mainstream science understands and believes that everything, including humans, is made up of energy and vibrates at different frequencies. Energy therapy helps modify the frequencies of a person, animal and/or a geographical place back to a state of balance. A client’s mind, body and soul resonate with the therapy and thus allows for transformational healing on all levels. Working with me does not require that you necessarily believe in energy healing or are even aware of the therapy session. When energy is facilitated through a healer toward a person, animal, plant or even a place (yes, energy healing can help reset the energy of a house and aid in paranormal disturbances which sometimes also causes problems for animal companions too), it positively affects that which it is aimed at on a core level. In some cases the process takes a bit of time to be noticed. In other cases, the transformation into a state of balance happens instantly – what some would call a miracle.

I also teach clients about Emotional Literacy For Animals or E.L.A. What surprises them is that this also helps them to have better skills in their relationships with other people. This “by-product” of the work is often a happy surprise for my clients. I think that probably the best way to illustrate what I do, and the results of the work, is to share a recent client case.

A client, whom I’ll call Pat, contacted me. She had two cats who were not getting along, thus creating an unhappy home environment. One cat is a senior male Pat had rescued and been living with for a while and the other cat, a rather quirky mature female, was brought in later, when a relative of Pat’s passed away, leaving the cat behind. Even before I got the names of the cats I got clear information about their personalities and what was going on. They both appeared to me in my mind and I knew they were listening to our conversation. Pat wanted to do the three sessions I recommend doing in order to help bring resolution to a situation. Keep in mind I never got to meet Pat or go to her home, as I do distance work. That evening when Pat got home from work after our initial phone conversation, she was greeted at her door by both cats sitting together starting at her. She felt (and I knew) that this was a signal from the cats: they had got the message and were ready to begin to work out their issues.

Over the course of the three sessions there were glimmers of behavioral change and resolution. However, as the sessions progressed I picked up a crucial bit of information: the male cat’s behavior served as a mirror for what Pat’s relationships looked like with people. In the de-briefs Pat confirmed the “hit” I got that all her partners had always isolated her, not giving her room to see her friends or do things on her own, and the male cat was behaving that way toward the female cat, not allowing her to be a part of the family. It was a big “ah-ha” moment for Pat. The female cat was a bit of a quirky nut. I told Pat that if this female cat were a person, she would be a shut-in with a major OCD issue, to which Pat laughed out loud in confirmation. Her male cat found the female cat ridiculous and refused to “like” her. Some of the information came from the cats (through words, as Melissa describes, or through feelings and pictures, while some information came through psychically). In my energy sessions, I also communicated with the male telling him, “I agree she’s weird and yes, you don’t have to like her! But you have to make room for her in this new family. There is enough room and love to go around. “

Let’s just say he was very reluctant to change his behavior at first. You can tell an animal or a person what the right thing to do is, but accepting this and doing it is a whole other ball game. That is where the energy work comes in: the energy work helps to transform problems like this. Pat’s “ah-ha” moment about her relationships created a conscious energetic shift in her about what and whom she wanted in her life. This also helped the cats to shift their way of being. It actually allowed them to be the best of themselves, rather than acting out on negative emotions and behaviors.

Not long after, Pat sent me a wonderful gift: a photo of the two cats sleeping together on the bed when she woke up one morning after the three sessions were complete. Previously, the male had always made sure the female was not allowed on the bed. The energy work, the communication work and Pat’s shift all contributed to allowing these two cats to have a kinder and more compassionate way of being with each other and therefore giving Pat peace and happiness in her home. In a nutshell, this is an example of how energetic healing can help people and their animal companions to live the best lives possible together! Find out more at HEALERtv.com

Melissa and Gabriela both know that animal communication and healing come in many forms. They work hand in hand to create the best harmony that can be achieved between other species and the humans who love them. Their websites and fees can be found here –

for Melissa Bacelar https://www.celebritypetcommunicator.com/

for Gabriela Castillo https://www.healertv.com

Some of you may need to work with both of them and some may only feel the need to work with one or the other. You’ll know what’s best for you. Go with your instincts, love your animals and know they are a blessing every day you have them in your lives!