A cat disappears when her owners go on vacation each year, yet arrives back at the house right before they return. A man sits on the couch, his dog alseep in the next room. He thinks, "I should take Daisy for a walk," and suddenly his dog comes bounding in the room, leash in mouth.
A cat curls up next to the phone just before a family member calls, but never when anyone else is about to call. These stories are told by many pet owners from all over the world. Most dogs and cats are attuned to their owners and learn their patterns, read their body language and anticipate what's going to happen next.
But there are so many stories of pets seeming to know more than their natural senses would allow that it has been the subject of study and debate for years. Are their natural senses even greater than we ever imagined? Or do they have a sixth sense? Biologist Rupert Sheldrake, author of "Dogs That Know When Their Owner is Coming Home," believes that animals have perceptive abilities of telepathy and premonitions.
Veterinarian and author Dr. Allan Schoen says in his book, "Kindred Spirits," that people and animals are intimately connected. Pets whom we feel especially close to seem to understand our needs, read our moods, and even communicate with us on a level that transcends words or body language.
Can pets be so connected and attuned to their owners when they are far apart, even when there is no possible way they could be using their sense of smell or hearing? Physician and author Dr. Larry Dossey says there is a connection between all species, which is not limited by locality. He refers to it as a "nonlocal mind." Consciousness is not restricted to the brain or the body, or time or place. Therefore, people and animals can have an effect on each other, even when miles apart. Traditional scientists remain skeptical about psychic abilities among people -- let alone pets. They say much of the phenomenon can be explained in other ways, through pets' acute senses of hearing and smell, reading human body language, or noting other cues. Dogs and cats live mostly in a scent and sound world. It may be that when an owner thinks about taking her dog for a walk, this happy thought causes a change in her body chemistry, which the dog can smell and associate with walks. Some who swear their dog knows when their owner is coming home may find their pets are unable to do so when they come home in a different car.
A simpler explanation is that owners notice their pets' mysterious behaviors only when related events coincide. The cat may curl up by the phone now and then, but the owner doesn't notice. If the cat happens to sit by the phone when "dad" calls, the owner is more likely to take note. There is no dispute that our pets live on a sensory level that's different from our own.
Though we share the same five known senses, dogs and cats take in their world mostly through scent and sound and act on instinct. We take in our world mostly through sight and act on intellect and emotion. So it's not surprising that our pets are able to clue in on things that we can't imagine could be possible. But sometimes, hard science has no explanation for extraordinary pet perception.
have you heard about the cat that lives in the nursing home who goes and curls up with a patient only hours before they are about to die? he's never been wrong. i saw it on animal planet. look it up on you tube to see if you can watch the video or google it. very interesting. let me know what you think. melina
Please tell me that animals go to a good place when they die. I have just lost a pet that was a member of the family for 16 years. She was the sweetest kitty, and I had to put her down because of illness. Part of me thinks that I could have done a better job of caring for her, but at the end she was unable to clean herself and was lying in her own waste. I know that she was embarassed by this. She also had cancer, which made me afraid that she was in pain. Please, will someone tell me that pets go to a better place when they die? They must have souls. Looking into their eyes, I always see a soul.
ceecee, I'm so sorry that you are suffering so much over the passing of your kitty. I do believe animals have souls and we are not parted from them forever. There is a poem (free verse), widely known, that addresses this, and I do believe it pretty well sums it up. I hope you will find some comfort in reading it. Here it is.
Rainbow Bridge (author unknown)
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies, that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life, but never absent from your heart.
I do, in fact, know that animals have ESP; some more than others. We had 2 dogs that we kept in an outdoor kennel. They had separate dog houses, and a very large fenced dog run. Our upstairs dining room window gave a view of this kennel (which was a little ways from the house). The two dogs spent a lot of time looking towards a road that was at a right angle from the front of both our house and their kennel. I always thought it was so neat when the smarter of the two dogs, Andy, would have his entire head and body facing away from the window, and yet he knew when I was at the window, silently calling his name, and he would turn around and look up at me. From outside, that window looked dark and you couldn't see into it. I repeat he'd be faced away from me. I'd approach the window slowly, stopping about 2 ft before the pane and look out and down to Andy who would be standing absolutely still watching something. I'd silently call his name. Suddenly one ear would move. I'd silently call again. The other ear would immediately move...he was listening and trying to figure out where the call was coming from. I'd call a third time and then he would turn his head around and look up at me. He lived to be 14+ years and this little scenario happened hundreds of times during those years.
Angel, thank you so much for that, it is very helpful. It has been a rough week, not seeing her anymore in her little bed. If God does not reunite us with our pets then I am going to be one angry ghost! Again, thank you so much for your kind words.
Sorry, scifichic200, but I have to disagree with part of what you said. Some animals show signs of telepathy. My post about my dog knowing when I was mentally calling his name and he was totally faced away from me, out in the yard, proves to me that some animal are capable of that. I was not expressing or feeling any emotion when I called him. Yet he zeroed in on me every time. He was a family Pet. I spent less time with him than my husband or our 4 children.
I have another example of esp and animals. Years ago, I went to a big San Francisco aquarium where they had dolphins. You could watch them under the water through a glass wall, which stretched across a huge expanse. When My family and I entered the area, all the people were crowded at the extreme left hand end of the glass wall. They were 4 and 5 deep and we could only get a slight peek at the dolphins when they rose higher in the water as they were frolicing. There were about 5 dolphin and we were disappointed in not being able to get a good look at them. We stood at the opposite end, far right, of the glass wall and tried to see what we could at a distance. I decided it might be worth a try if I mentally called to them, like I did our dog. I looked their way and mentally called to them to come down where we could see them. I repeated this several times. The next thing ya know they left the crowd behind and came towards us. As they did I looked right at the lead dolphin and repeatedly mentally said things to him/her like "oh, what a pretty boy you are, come see me." They all stopped right there in front of us and were looking directly at us. The lead one that I had made eye contact with and was telling him to come and how pretty he was, stopped and laid the entire right side of his body up against the glass right in front of me (only inches away) and stared at me intently. His eyeball was almost touching the glass. Everybody came rushing up to us and were totally amazed by this. He came to me, not my husband, my children, or anyone else. Me. I was overjoyed, to say the least. I couldn't wait to go back and try this again a couple of years later on another vacation. But, they had moved the dolphins to an aquarium in Texas. Boy was I disappointed!
Last Edited by on Jan 20, 2008 8:21 PM
Are you guys serious, pets have weird mental behavior just like everyone here that thinks they see dead people. Please for my safety and those around you, take your meds daily.
wow u calling me crazy well let me tell u something. And for YOUR saftey don't say stuff like that on a freaking psychic sight. JEEZ u think you'd be THAT smart
sci-fichic300: if you have any (alleged) abilities that I or anyone else should be fearful of I am more than willing to receive any punishment you can psychically shell out. Believe me if there are spirits they know exactly who I am you won't need a name or address.
Waiting to receive my long overdue psychic beating, BatBoy
Last Edited by on Mar 14, 2008 6:05 PM
i think its funny that Batboy is a skeptic on a Paranormal/Psychic website for people that either 1) see this stuff, 2)believe in this, or 3)are interested in learning more about it. But yet in his case he wants to prove us all wrong and nuts. Ha seems interesting to me.
I find it interesting that there are many who believe in the paranormal who visit skeptical forums and are treated nine times out of ten with the utmost of respect. I cannot recall at any time referring to anyone as "nuts" I am oftentimes direct but not disrespectful. Like you BatBoy is nothing more than a collection of pixels on the screen but I do try to remember that there are humans with a real needs and real emotions behind the pixels. But since I am nothing more than a collection of pixels I can also be ignored.
While I find the odds at near zero that by its current definition the paranormal even exists unlike many of my colleagues I do understand the need for a believe in spirits I am just extremely curious why humans need this believe. In some ways a belief in spirits fills the need within the realm of the human experience the same way art, literature and music fill a void in other ways, it's just one of those things that makes us what we are and I simply wonder why.
With all that said I have been on this board for nearly 2 1/2 years (I think) as I have said in the past if anyone protests my presence on the board e-mail Bonnie and if I receive an e-mail from her asking me to no longer participate then BatBoy will gracefully disappear. Or you could start doing research and prove me wrong.
