Mo, my deep and wise Sonoran desert tortoise friend, died today, 21 May 2023. This morning, I picked 60 desert willow and ruellia flowers. He happily chomped his favorite treats. That’s the last time I saw him alive.

The four new members of our chicken family graduated from living in the garage. They were ready to move to their outdoor pen in the big chicken run when they were one month old.

Tatiana was the tiniest hen in my chicken family, a black curly-feathered/frizzle Serama, the smallest breed of chickens in the world.

People often email me their questions about animal communication or their animal friends. When I feel I can answer quickly in a helpful way, especially with people I know, I buzz off a response. Here are a few of these questions and my answers as food-for-thought.

Chickens have been part of my animal family since 1985. I’ll never forget when I got my first four chickens and released them from their carrying cages. These full-grown hens had never had their feet on the earth before. Their wonderment about the soil, plants, and other sights of the countryside from their securely fenced run was palpable.

Kathy Runnion started Planned Feralhood in 2002 to manage the burgeoning feral cat population in the area. I helped Kathy by communicating with the cats in her sanctuary as needed.

Recently, she called me to help with Zoe, a cat with a large squamous cell carcinoma in her mouth endangering her swallowing and breathing.

Val Nuttall posed a question: You recommend feeding a raw diet to a dog or cat. What about the animals who have endured suffering and abuse in factory farming or is it just cats, dogs, horses you are concerned with?

I am eternally grateful for the magical life with my ultimate dog, Belinda. She had the best traits of all my former dog companions and added some qualities and quirks of her own, as we individuals all must do. It is fitting that she departed this life on November 1st - All Saint’s Day.

As my sweet, wise canine partner, Belinda and I wend our way through the end stages of her life on Earth, I am reminded of the departure of our dearest friend, Sherman, orange tabby wonder cat. Sherman and Belinda loved each other deeply and curled up together often. With similar size, coloring, and loving energy, I called them the Butterscotch Twins.

Conscious of their spiritual nature and living fully and happily in their current animal form, animals generally do not fear a natural death. Nearing their physical demise, they often leave their bodies gradually, relatively painlessly, and peacefully if they are allowed to do so. Dying can get painful and prolonged if they feel obligated to stay in their worn-out bodies for the sake of people they love who do not want to let them go.