Pree's Talk-To-Me Tips: "Ask first"

Pree began her "Tips" communication today by showing me an image of a human trying to take a photo of their cat, and the cat not being very cooperative. She kept moving from the posed position, having to be retrieved and put back in place, and both cat and human were becoming very frustrated. Pree's point in the image, is that a lot of difficult tasks with animals can be made easier if the person learns how to "ask first" and explain what is going to be happening. She then shifts to an image of the same person sitting with the cat and running a peaceful, happy "movie" through her mind as she explains to her feline friend what she's going to do. She focuses totally on the animal in front of her, giving full attention to the communication process. She puts her hands gently on the cat to help with the connection. She paints very clear, colorful, and peaceful mental images of exactly what she is saying. She takes the time to explain why she'd like these special pictures ... to have and keep forever to remind her of this Holiday Season with her dear feline friend. And then Pree shows me the photo session, after the cat has been respected and the subject explained, going much more smoothly. When the cat shifts, the human is patient. If the cat jumps down, she is called back respectfully or offered a treat to appease her. Instead of an aggravating session that ends in an angry cat, an upset owner, and no photo, the picture-taking is accomplished with much less stress. Pree suggests to "try asking first", making a real effort to respect your animal friend and explain the situation. The answer may not always be yes, but you'll find you receive more coooperation this way than when attempting to force things. This is not just a better approach for picture taking, but many tasks that an animal may not wish to sit still for in her day to day life ... taking pills, clipping nails, grooming.... "Ask first" is the first step to making a pet-owner relationship into a true partnership.

[I contribute to each issue of my Mom's electronic newsletter, and I'll have her post those articles here, too. For the full newsletter, see Mom's Creature Thoughts blog, which is linked to in the sidebar.]