Because our lives are so deeply intertwined with our animals, the healing they receive often extends to us as well. For healthy animals, communication sessions are a way to learn more about what they’re thinking and feeling. Often, a pet parent begins with a few questions, and as the conversation
unfolds, more come naturally. Sometimes, people simply want to hear what their animal wants to tell them…
Why might you hire an animal communicator? Most situations fall into three categories:
- Healthy animals — learning their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. 2
- Animals with challenges — medical issues, behavioral problems, or past trauma.
- Animals in transition — those nearing the end of life or who have recently passed.
Learn About Your Pet…and Have Some Fun
For healthy animals, communication sessions are a way to learn more about what they’re thinking and feeling. Often, a pet parent begins with a few questions, and as the conversation unfolds, more come naturally. Sometimes, people simply want to hear what their animal wants to tell them.
I act as a facilitator for a two-way dialogue between pet and parent, and these sessions can be lighthearted and joyous.
I’ve been invited into barns to connect with horses, dogs, and cats, performing intuitive medical scans and answering caretakers’ questions in a communal setting. I’ve also been hired as the surprise “entertainment” for a girls’ night out, offering readings for each participant’s pet and providing transcripts of the conversations. Sessions are also a popular gift…allowing someone to
experience the delight of hearing their beloved animal’s voice.
These encounters often bring laughter, joy, and a deeper bond between pet and human.
Find An Alternative Form of Healing
For animals facing challenges, communication offers a different kind of support.
Medical issues: When a veterinarian provides a diagnosis, I may be asked to tune in from an energetic perspective. Through an intuitive medical scan, I can often sense where the animal feels pain and how it experiences its condition. This helps the pet parent better understand their companion’s experience and can even guide treatment decisions. Energy healing is frequently requested alongside this, and I have seen remarkable improvements in animals’ comfort and vitality.
Behavioral issues: Excessive barking, aggression, scratching, or litter box problems often have roots that go deeper than what’s visible. By conversing with the animal and scanning energetically, I can provide insight into underlying causes and offer practical suggestions for resolution.
Trauma: Sometimes, trauma affects both the animal and the human. I once worked with an equine athlete and rider who had suffered a terrifying fall on a cross-country course. Both were haunted by fear. Using energy healing, I helped release the shock trauma, replacing it with love, and following up with a positive visualization of clearing the jump. The results? A renewed sense of safety and confidence, allowing them to confidently return to training together.
Repair Your Relationship
One of the greatest gifts of animal communication is repairing relationships strained by misunderstanding.
Humans often create stories about their pets’ behavior, a process known as
anthropomorphism—assigning human emotions like guilt or shame to animals. In reality, animals experience the world differently. For example, what looks like “guilt” in a dog is usually a submissive response to our anger, not the emotion of guilt as we know it. That said, animals do have feelings and can act out from them.
I once worked with a woman whose horse, Mo, had bitten her. Shaken, she began avoiding him. Through communication, I discovered the cause: Mo felt jealous when she had been giving treats to another horse, and to get her attention, he bit her. Once she understood, she adjusted how she offered treats, and their relationship was not only restored but deepened.
Sometimes, the patterns between human and animal mirror one another—such as anxiety or fear. In those cases, I work with both the animal and their person so healing can occur on both sides, creating lasting change.
Get Support Through Your Pet’s Transition
Perhaps the most tender work I do is with animals who are nearing the end of life. Pet parents often reach out when facing the heartbreaking decision of pet euthanasia, wanting to know what their animal feels.
I once connected with a dog in an oxygen chamber at an emergency vet hospital. Though struggling, he communicated clearly: he wanted to live. I provided energy healing, and the family chose to give him more time. He recovered enough to return home and enjoy several more months with his family.
In other cases, an animal has told me, with clarity, that it was ready to go. I gently convey this to the parent, helping them see their beloved companion’s suffering and recognize when release is the most loving choice.
Beyond these moments, I also serve as a medium, connecting people with their animals after they have passed. For many, hearing from their beloved pet on the other side brings profound closure and comfort. It allows grief to transform into gratitude, and helps the parent move forward with peace…knowing their bond is eternal.
This is never easy, but it is sacred work. Whether supporting an animal through its transition or helping a family reconnect after loss, the goal is always the same: to honor the love between human and animal in the most compassionate way possible.
How Animals Communicate
Animals express themselves through body language, images, feelings, and thoughts. While anyone can observe body language, an animal communicator helps uncover the subtler ways pets share what they’re experiencing.
In a session, I tune into these messages to sense how an animal is feeling physically and emotionally, and to understand what they want their person to know. I also conduct an intuitive medical scan to gain insight into what may be happening in the animal’s body energetically. Over time, I’ve learned to discern between emotional and physical issues, as well as past versus current injuries or illness.
Every session is guided by a heart-centered approach—listening deeply, setting aside assumptions, and strengthening the bond of trust and understanding between you and your animal.
Benefits of Animal Communication & Healing
Deeper understanding of your pet’s needs, feelings, and perspective.
Insight into medical or behavioral issues, supporting treatment decisions.
Healing of trauma—for both animal and human.
Repair of strained relationships caused by misunderstanding.
Comfort and clarity during an animal’s transition.
Expanded awareness of the soul connection you share with your animal.
Using an Animal Communicator – A Final Word
Thirty years ago, hiring an animal communicator might have carried a stigma. Today, people are open, curious, and ready to explore. If you feel even a spark of curiosity, I encourage you to try.
The experience of hearing your animal’s voice…of knowing what they truly feel…can be life-changing. And often, in healing them, we heal ourselves.
About The Author
Cathy Handford is a professional animal communicator and healer whose work bridges the connection between people and their beloved animals. She offers intuitive communication, energy healing, and support for pets in transition: helping families gain clarity, comfort, and deeper understanding. In addition to individual sessions, Cathy provides Spirit Animal Readings for fun and animal wisdom, and
Quantum Clearing™ for homes which clears away negative energy
(perhaps after an illness or divorce) and gives your home a fresh start
for you and your pets. Her full range of service packages is available on Petworks.
