Our Passing Pets

This blog was inspired by a beautiful friend of mine and the unexpected passing of her beloved fur baby. As someone who grew up with animals and pets, I understand how some people regard their fur babies as children and family members. I am right there with you, and I thought this would be a good time to talk about our fur babies and their passing.

I'm going to leave you with a nice little thought at the end of this. It may sit with you. It may not, but it's okay; please know that it's coming from a genuine place of support and love.

Can you connect with a deceased pet?

I am a professional medium, which means connecting to the other side with the energy. So, a very common question I get asked is, "Hey Pete, can our pets come through?" The answer to that is yes. Pure and simple. Yes, they can.

If the animal or your fur baby makes himself known, I will bring them through. Our pets have a beautiful conscious state, and while they may not have the same level of consciousness as humans, they have their own experiences. But the beautiful thing is that they take on and feel all of the emotions as well. And that's why they can come through because they live and experience life no different from the way we do.

In my experience, dogs and cats come through regularly. I have had birds come through, and probably the strangest one that I've had was a horse! That one did spin me out. I've never forgotten it because it's not every day you get to speak to a horse, and not only a horse, but a horse in spirit. No. I'm not pulling your leg; it actually did happen. And even for me at the time, I have to confess, it was really hard to get Mr. Ed out of my head (who remembers the old TV show?). But what made it even more memorable was that the horse that connected that night belonged to an usher who was standing in the room.

I've even had clients where it's actually been more important to connect them with their fur baby than their human family.

I remember having a session with a lovely lady, I connected with her first loved one, a human loved one, connecting through the information, how they passed, what they looked like, and the usual details. What was noteworthy was how she leaned back in the chair. Now they were tub chairs, so you couldn't really lean back in them, but her posture and demeanour suggested otherwise. There was a lack of engagement, and all I could do was keep passing on the information I was receiving.

Then, a man comes through. Same thing: date, passing, work through it. But again, she didn't change her posture or demeanour other than a gentle little nod.

The words that came to my mind were... This is a tough customer, and I believed now that she is here to hear from one specific person. That is always a difficult scenario, and it's not a good one to bring to a session because that's an expectation. I tend to find that with a high level of expectation, if you don't meet that expectation, all that remains is disappointment. And this happens more frequently than you might expect. Regardless of who comes through, what they say and any additional information you verify may be correct. It is not meeting that expectation.

So, after the man, I had another lady come through, and we worked through it. I then asked her if she had any questions, to which she replied, "That was good. But do you have any animals over there?

Straight away, I said, "Well, as a matter of fact, yes, there is."

“There is a blue healer; it was a fatty liver and liver function issue that then affected the kidneys. They passed about 12, 12 and a half years, and they passed in the month of May." And all of a sudden, her whole demeanour changed.

And she said to me, "You're good."

Ultimately, she just wanted to hear from her fur baby.

Pets can often relay information more effectively than humans!

The other thing I want to mention about your fur babies on the other side is that, believe it or not, when they come through, your fur babies can converse and pass on information and messages about you and your life far more effectively than your human family. They see, feel, and know what's going on much more than your actual human family does.

I want you to pause and think about this for a second.

Imagine you're in a relationship, and let's say you're about to have a big blue and get narky with each other and have one of those moments, or on the other end, it could be really loving or lovey-dovey, and you're about to have one of those moments.

These are the times when, if there are children present, we say, "Out of the room, kids, go outside and play, or it's bedtime." We usher and move our beautiful youngsters out of the way. However, when you are in those moments, you probably don’t usher out your fur babies. Your fur babies usually remain in that space.

Animals have come through and explained situations when there have been heated discussions, as well as the nature of the argument. And they've also witnessed what happens when you've been lovey-dovey too. (Sometimes a little too much detail describing, very specifically, a certain manoeuvre or a position that you might prefer.) So, just remember, if you're moving the children on, it might be a good thing to move your fur babies on as well; it's just a simple little thing that so many people overlook.

Do pets cross over the same as humans?

Have you ever wondered if pets cross over in the same way as us? The answer is yes, very much so. They receive support; it is a welcome home party for them as well. They connect with loved ones and family on the other side, as well as souls that they might have had multiple lifetimes with.

You may have seen the movie A Dog's Purpose; it is both a terrific and a sad film, but I highly recommend it if you haven't watched it. It sums up how animals serve a purpose and form connections.

Will I be reunited with my pet in the afterlife?

Losing our pets is like losing a loved one. If you're wondering, "Will I ever get to see them again?" The answer is yes. You will see them again when it is your turn to pass, and they will also be waiting to welcome you home.

Before I go any further, let me clarify that, while I have had numerous pets come through over the years, and I do acknowledge them when they come through, this is not my forte. I don't specialise in this area; there are some incredible animal mediums and readers out there who can connect directly with animals. So, if you're looking for a connection with your deceased pet, that's the path you'd venture down. The simplest way to describe it is like going to the doctor. There are numerous types of doctors or specialists, and the same holds true in this amazing, energetic, and spiritual world. We all have a special talent, skill, or natural area that we gravitate toward.

Pets can fill a significant void in your life. And then, when you lose that pet, it feels as if the void has returned or even increased. And it's simply gut-wrenching; the grief can be profound and overwhelming.

My personal story…

I'll quickly share with you a personal story that will bring me back to the thought I was going to leave you with.

I was 12 years old when I relocated with my mum and dad from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, where I began high school. I didn't have any friends because I was in a whole other city and school. It was a difficult time. My father was immersed in his line of work, and my mother was also working but had little support or social network around her. So, it was just her and me looking after each other while we adjusted to our new lives in a new city.

We stayed in a very old holiday house that we rented through friends for six months while we looked for our new home. Picture an old 1970s holiday house with vinyl floors, shaggy carpet, and a shower downstairs, underneath the house. There was a large Norfolk pine in front of the house. And it stood taller than the two-story house itself.

About three months into our stay, Mum and I heard this meow, followed by another meow, meow, meow. And there, stuck up at the top of the Norfolk pine, was a snow-white cat. We both pondered how we'd get this thing down. We attempted to encourage it, but it wouldn't come down. It remained at the top of the tree, meowing for 48 hours straight. All night and all day. We called for assistance, but the tree was so tall that no one could climb it securely. Eventually, with the encouragement of opening a can of food, it began to make its way down the tree very slowly. It reached halfway down, and one of the welfare league members had to climb halfway up the tree and then lower it the rest of the way. They thanked us for assisting in getting the cat down, but they had no idea what to do with it, where it came from, or who it belonged to; nonetheless, the most beautiful thing is that this cat adopted us.

And that's the way I describe it. It adopted us. We didn't adopt it. It adopted us.

My father, who grew up in a farming family, was rigid about not having pets inside; they had to stay outside. We already had pets, a cat and a dog that were being looked after up in Brisbane and were coming down. But we had found ourselves with this white cat.

It was extremely cute, and ended up sleeping in a baking dish in the garage. It loved this baking dish; this cat was so affectionate. When we did allow it inside to feed it, it just wanted love. And it was so beautiful. My mum and I fell in love with it. And of course, guess what? We named it Casper.

Our other cat, Megsy, was very, bitchy, for lack of a better term. She wanted affection when she wanted it, but if she didn't, she'd scratch or bite you. She was very hot and cold. Casper was a male cat; he just wanted love and attention and would curl up on your lap. But my dad didn't like it. “No, get it out. Get it out.”

When Dad returned home one day, Casper was sitting on the kitchen bench, staring at a pot plant. This cat was mesmerised by this pot plant. Don't ask me why, but he would stare at it for minutes on end. This was a massive no-no for my dad. If there were animals in the house, he might let it go, but on the kitchen bench where you prepare food. No, never!!!

Dad came up behind Casper and thumped the bench right behind the cat to scare it. It was so loud that my mum and I jumped out of our skins. Then, to our amazement, Casper did not move a muscle. Still wagging his tail, looking up at the pot plant. My dad dropped all of his defences and said, "Holy crap, it's a true white cat." And I was like, "What do you mean?" He responded, "It's deaf. This cat is deaf." So, because Casper had been meowing for so long, it was sad to say he had become deaf and mute; he had meowed so much that he lost his voice.

After that, my dad just didn't know what to do, so he kind of gave up, which was really nice because later that night, he sat down in his chair after dinner. We were watching TV when Casper jumped up and curled up on his lap. My dad sat patting this beautiful white cat on his lap. Now I'm 12 years old, I have never seen my dad have an animal on his lap like that in my entire life. I was gobsmacked. It was amazing because I could see my dad enjoying that moment. And it was because this cat was not scared or intimidated by my dad. So he started really loving Casper, and it was this beautiful friendship.

It was absolutely, without a doubt, what my mum and I needed at that time. I genuinely believe with 100% of my heart that Casper was sent to us. This cat adopted us, it just loved us, and we loved it.

But... my dad, being my dad, insisted Casper still had to sleep outside because he didn't want him to go to the bathroom inside. So Casper slept outside on the veranda on the second floor, just outside our front door. I woke up one morning with my mum in tears. My dad was visibly upset as well. And they told me that Casper had died.

It was probably only two or three months after he had adopted us. I was completely gutted. My dad said two of the neighbours dogs had come up onto the veranda, and because Casper was deaf, he couldn't hear them coming.

It was absolutely gut-wrenching because we had such a beautiful spirit of an animal that blessed us and gave us so much love. It was something we desperately needed, and we're forever grateful for that.

The final message

And this is the message I'm going to leave you with. If there's one solace I can offer from their passing, it is that it's no different for people in our lives. Pets and animals will come into our lives for a reason. Passion, love, and purpose.

But what happens is that when they pass, it will be sad and painful. But the beautiful thing that you can take from it is that when your pet passes, it's their way of saying thank you, but now I know you are strong enough to continue on your own. I know you're ready for the next chapter. You are capable and ready for the next chapter without me. My time here with you has come to an end. As much as it might be sad, it's their way of saying - You are ready.

That might take a little bit for some of you to process. You might have a friend who needs to hear that. But when you really think about the beautiful gifts, times, and memories that your pet and your fur babies give you, when it's their time to move on, it's also our time to move on too.

So I'm going to leave you with that. And just remember, they will still be waiting for you on the other side. Never forget that. That love, even from your pet or fur baby, never dies. And I just really hope this helps you or someone you know in some shape or form.

Listen here for the podcast episode on this same topic: