It was only a quick circle trip to the post office on a grey and dreary day but sometimes it’s good just to get out of the house for a little while.
As always, I went in search of Willow to tell her I was going out. She was in her new favourite place, tucked into the corner of a box in front of the fire.
.
Would it make a difference if I didn’t tell her?
Most unlikely, yet I feel unsettled if I don’t. It’s not just me, I’m sure. I think a lot of people call out to their pets when they leave the house.
But when Panther took over my heart so completely, I was always very specific with him.
.
“Panther, I’m going to the supermarket. I’ll be back in 20 minutes.”
For example.
He always paid attention and checked the clock.
Perhaps not the latter, but he was a very smart cat.
Wherever he was in that very large house, the moment I returned he arrived in a rush as I opened the door.
.
Willow did not step into Panther’s shoes, but I always had the impression he sent her to be with me.
And Blackie too. No single cat could ever occupy the space that was Panther and my two girls have their own unique personalities, while displaying Panther-like traits.
He could be quite wicked!
Panther was once a crow, I was convinced.
.
He strutted in just the same manner.
And had the same attitude!
.
There are people who communicate with animals.
There are plenty who claim to and take advantage of bereaved pet owners or people whose pets have behaviour issues. They are charlatans.
Loving animals as completely as I always have, I used to think I ought to have this ability, but it isn’t as simple as wanting it passionately.
.
The basic ability I believe is in all of us, but we have been too long separated from the natural world.
So I don’t talk to my cats expecting answers, but there are many times when I know they respond to my emotions.
And many animals have particular abilities with human beings.
.
Once, I was fortunate to encounter a few times a very special dog. He came to where I was sitting and placed his head on my knee, engaging me with his deep, very intelligent eyes. He gave me such a feeling of well-being.
Of course, I love dogs and he was beautiful, so it was natural for me to feel that way, but after I had met him several times, something happened that was rather astounding.
.
We were a small group of people, sitting side by side and as always, this dog came around to each of us.
As he turned his eyes to the woman next to me I heard, as clearly as if she had spoken:“Get away from me!”
The woman however looked down and actually said:
“Oh we all love you.”
.
My imagination? I may be daft in lots of ways, but I am really not impressionable. There was no reason for me to imagine this.
Somehow the dog had made it possible for me to hear the words in her head?
All I can say is that it happened.
That dog was very special.
……..
It’s always good to look at things the other way around, such as this farm.
We see hundreds of farms, but this one has a very nice vibe, as if it is a happy place.
It lives on Content Farm Road.
.
I have no doubt that many animals communicate with us. We may not understand them all but some are better than average in getting their thoughts and desires across. Some, of course, have no intention of interacting with us, and who can blame them!
I think we may sometimes be speaking to ourselves when we speak to the pets. As in “I’m just going out to do something necessary and, No. I won’t be tempted to do something silly and waste my time. “
Ha ha. Yes, could be.
I always spoke to Ollie. If he was to be left alone fo a while, I would say, “Just going shopping, won’t be long”. It didn’t take him long to work that out, and he would lie down and wait. Whether I was gone for 30 minutes or 4 hours, his reaction to my return was exactly the same. We also left side lamps on for him when we went out in the evening, so he wasn’t sitting in the dark. I never cared if anyone thought that was silly.
Best wishes, Pete.
You were right not to care!
I used to talk to our dogs when they were still alive and I’m sure, in their way, they answered me back. Juliet (the female) would answer in an obedient way, while Stoffel (the “firstborn”) would talk back in a cocky way … well, that’s how I imagined it in. These days I talk to the birds in our garden a lot – sometimes I “reprimanded” with them because they waste so much water in a hot sunny day and I have to fill the bowl almost about every hour.
Yes, birds love to splatter their bath water! I love to watch them.