With lots of food, decorations, visitors and icy weather this time of year, it’s important to keep your critters safe so that all can have a happy holiday season. Here are a few tips and reminders to help:

• Poinsettas, while beautiful, are toxic to dogs and cats.

• Tinsel on trees is a tempting toy, especially for young animals. If swallowed, however, tinsel can cause serious internal injuries.

• Chocolate, a holiday favorite for people, is toxic to dogs. Read this article for more details.

• Dogs are attracted to the taste of antifreeze. If consumed, the results may be fatal. Stow containers out of reach and check vehicles to ensure there are no leaks.

• Products that melt ice on walkways and driveways irritate paws and if licked can injure animals. Choose a safe alternative available at many healthy food stores or online.

• Check with your vet for a change in hours of operation over the holidays. It’s always a good idea to have an emergency animal hospital phone number programmed in your cell phone, just in case.

• While some animals may love the extra visitors to their home this holiday, some may not. Commotion and loud noises can be very disturbing to some animals. Consider creating a safe, quiet area or room where animals can retreat to if they need a place of refuge.

Wishing you and your human and animal family a safe and happy holiday!

DeeDee (photo courtesy of Linda)

Flower essences can be powerful healing remedies for a wide variety of behavioral, emotional and physical concerns or issues for your animals. To name a few: grief and loss, anxiety, jealousy, spraying, abandonment, digestive issues, separation, and many others.

One source I recommend is Green Hope Farm. To view their animal wellness collections, go to: www.greenhopeessences.com. Click on “Our Collections”, “Animal Wellness Collections” and then click on the name of the remedy that best suits the condition. Or, give them a call for assistance in selecting the best remedy for your animal companion.

Many of my clients have used these remedies with great success. Here is Linda’s story about her dog DeeDee who benefited from flower essences for severe night terrors.

Well folks, this story is not the usual type that I post, but it was just too funny not to pass along when I received it in an email from a friend. Hope it makes you laugh… and Happy Mother’s Day!

(Author unknown)

We had this great 10 year old cat named Jack who just recently died. Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom. We have 3 kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 years old and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES it. He kept asking to use my chapstick and then losing it. So finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to but he needed to put it right back in the drawer when he was done.

Last year on Mother’s Day, we were having the typical rush around and try to get ready for

At this time of year which is full of renewal and new beginnings, I wanted to share this touching and inspiring story from one of my clients. Please enjoy Lyna and Gizi’s story.

Heartfelt Lessons From My Cat

About 10 months after I moved into my cottage across from the Blue Ridge Parkway; I was walking from my back door to my workshop, when this young Tortoiseshell cat came out of nowhere, jumped into my arms and started licking me all over.

Wow- how unusual! My own 4 spoiled fur kids don’t even do that.

Needless to say, Gizi became my outdoor cat. I built a mudroom off my back door so she’d have shelter, yet could come and go as she pleased.

Well almost.

You see, all my cats through the years have stayed inside so I would always know they were safe. So when Gizi came in for her evening meal, I would lock her cat door so she’d be in for the night where the raccoons, foxes and other night wanderers couldn’t harm her.

But Gizi had other plans. She stopped coming home in the evenings and I was forced to go to bed and ”trust” that she knew what she was doing.

About a week later, I was surprised to see her back in her room, asking for her evening meal.

“Gotcha tonight” I exclaimed as I bent down to lock the cat door.

Incredible—the lock was broken—had Gizi found a way to do this?

I began to realize that this little cat had come to me to teach me, not only to trust, but to let go of control.

It’s been 8 years since Gizi became a part of my life and the bond we have is amazing. She sends me pictures of where she is when she is accidentally locked up or stuck somewhere, and has even come to me in the dreamtime, when she was missing for 4 days. Gizi has been a warrior that protects her property from other animals and has left me gifts of rodents she’s killed.

Seven months ago Gizi was shot and had to have her leg amputated.

I can’t imagine living without a leg- how will she handle this?

To my surprise, she found her balance pretty quickly and as she got stronger, she not only ran around the house, but I saw her throw her toy up in the air and jump on her 3 legs to catch it!

Very entertaining!

This amazing, beautiful creature has taught me to get balance in my life and to learn to adapt to whatever life throws my way. Although no longer a warrior, Gizi is doing just that as she is enjoying her new role as Princess of the house.

Merlin, Feb. 2011

My sweet, beloved cat Merlin crossed over to the spiritual realm yesterday.

Merlin had only shown signs of being sick over the past few weeks. He was about 13. He had slowed down somewhat in the past year or so. But, all in all, he was his big, handsome, adorable self. And then two days ago, an ultrasound showed cancer in several organs. We took him home that night. Yesterday, he was very clear in communicating that he was ready to leave his body and our vet came to our home to assist him. Merlin passed easily and peacefully, with dignity, and in a ceremonial way that was honoring of him.  

Merlin was a Buddah; a Zen kitty; a Yogi master; calm, peaceful, serene. He adored being a cat; he loved being in his body and he was a skilled and avid hunter. Merlin would sometimes position his body in the most unusual cat-yoga positions and ‘meditate’. He was gentle, kind, patient and loving to everyone. On the rare occassion when someone who was not a ‘cat person’ would visit, they fell in love with Merlin. Everyone loved Merlin. He was the embodiment of grace and compassion; a true teacher in every sense of the word. I have many stories and teachings from Merlin that I will write about in the coming weeks and months to share his medicine and wisdom with you.

For today, I share some of my favorite photos of Merlin and my gratitude for the opportunity to have been blessed to live with such an enlightened being for 12 years.

If you’re reading my blog, chances are you’re one of those wonderful people on this planet who thinks outside of the box. If ever you need help with that, just ask a cat! They usually know exactly what to do with a box.

My Merlin is always showing me new ways to laugh and live. His latest amusement is to wake me up before dawn to go outside. He’s a lovely alarm clock. However, we have not navigated a way to “set” him for a more convenient time, for me that is. Yet he is such a joy in my life and I treasure all of his adorable antics.

Today felt like a good day to just share some light humor. I hope these adorable photos bring a smile to your face.

Precious Patches

This is Bonnie’s story, a beautiful testament of the love of an animal companion and a reflection of the personal growth that can come about from a loss  I hope you enjoy this inspiring and heartfelt story. Many thanks to Bonnie for sharing her experience with us.

“On the threshold of a dream… out of death shall come life…”(The Moody Blues).  This is the best way to describe the passing of my precious Patches, my 16 year old calico cat.  She had been failing for months, but I had promised her that she would not have to tolerate a vet, unless she chose it. I had a session with Rain on Monday evening. It was at that time I was told Patches was almost ready to go, but first I had some work that I needed to do. My guides stepped in to help, giving me suggestions of what I could do. I decided to take a couple of days off from work. What unfolded was incredible and has been life altering for me.

My YouTube video is out! An Introduction to Animal Communication. I’m very excited to share this with you. Please let me know what you think. And please “Share This” with friends and family to help spread the word about the joy of understanding our animals more deeply. It’s an honor and a privilege to do this work.

Please visit and subscribe to my new YouTube channel too!

Did you know that cats lap water at a rate of four times per second — too fast for the human eye to see anything but a blur — and its tongue moves at a speed of one meter per second?

To learn more about our amazing felines, check out this New York Times article which explains the fascination of how cats drink.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/science/12cats.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a23

Looking for a challenging toy for your bright dog or clever kitty?

Some animals just don’t get enough stimulation from the standard tennis ball or feather-on-the-fishing-pole toys. Loree and her dog Kona, the beauty in the photo, have a few suggestions that have worked for them.  

Kona loves ball games and suggests the toys on this site: http://www.bestfriendsgeneralstore.com/dog_toys_pc/KJPP01072/Puzzle_Toys/Junior+IQube+Puzzle+with+Balls/

Hide the treat, give the puzzle a spin and see if your dog can find them. Check out this link for challenging puzzle toys: http://www.pawlickers.com/products/manufacturers/nina-ottosson. There are some neat cat toys here too.

Are there any special toys your animal companion really likes? Please let me know so we can share the info with other readers.

Have a ball!

Photo and links courtesy of Loree in North Carolina