It all started a few weeks ago when I posted on a local Facebook group to see if there were any local venue owners who might be interested in booking me for a tarot reading session. The owner of a local pet supplies store asked me if I did tarot readings for pets. Despite being a pet lover myself (I have pretty much always had a dog, and we also have had several birds), I’ve never even thought of attempting to read for animals. That’s what I told her, but I did say I would do a little research on the subject.

Apart from doing a few searches on the web and Facebook, I didn’t give it that much more thought, until someone attending one of my local sessions recently asked me if I could do a reading about her horse. I mentioned to her that somebody else had recently asked me about reading for animals and told her the story above. I told her that because her horse wasn’t with us, I couldn’t exactly read for the horse, but I could probably give her some information about her relationship with the animal; so I would actually be reading for her. I warned her that this was a first for me, so it was really an experiment. She agreed, and it really went rather well, giving her some important insight.

Our Love Affair With Animals

More people have pets than ever before, according to the ASPCA, quoting a 2015-2016 survey by The American Pet Products Association. At that time, approximately 44% of American households had a dog and 35% had a cat. Thankfully, an increasing number of these pets come from shelters and pet adoption programs. That doesn’t take into account the number of birds, reptiles and other animals (including horses) that are under our care.

Pets become an integral part of our families. They give us comfort when we are feeling bad or stressed. Studies have concluded that pets make us happier and healthier. They also have an uncanny knack of reading their owners. Some people may believe their pets may be psychic; others put it down to them being very astute observers. I know that in our house when there is stress or conflict, our family dog Mary will sometimes relieve herself indoors or chew up something belonging to one of us humans.

Pet Health and Behavior

According to the ASPCA article mentioned above, “pet problems are the most common reason that owners rehome their pet, accounting for 47% of rehomed dogs and 42% of rehomed cats.  Pet problems were defined as problematic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, grew larger than expected, or health problems owner couldn’t handle.”

When it comes to pets’ health problems, the first thing to do is to contact your vet. Just as many of us don’t particularly relish going to see a Doctor, dogs, cats, and other pets mostly have a strong dislike of that person in a white coat who prods and pokes them. Having said that, I was at the vet just yesterday with my dog, who didn’t want to go in and when she was in, wanted to be out as soon as possible, and yet another huge dog arrived as we were leaving, and rushed behind the counter in reception to be petted by the staff.

I tell people who come to me for tarot readings that I can only read through the lens of my own experiences. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t give them reliable advice about their health; it would be irresponsible of me to attempt to do so. Likewise, I’m not a vet, so while I might detect certain things in a reading, my lack of medical experience would not allow me to make any kind of medical diagnosis. If you have concerns about your animals’ health, please go to see a vet. I know from personal experience that vet visits can be expensive; however, there are cheap or even free options for those who feel they cannot afford medical care for their beloved companion. It’s worth searching on the Web – here’s a CBS article on the subject, for example.

In addition to health issues, our pets can display behavioral problems. Many of us have seen shows on television, such as The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan, or My Cat From Hell with Jackson Galaxy. They often deal with extreme behavioral issues, but many of us have pets who do something that we think is a little odd. Again, there are options, from training classes to books and websites with advice.

Animals and Tarot

As I started to research, both for this article and to find out whether I could read tarot for animals, I found a few people who offer such services. I found a few articles on the web about the subject, but not many with what I felt was reliable information. I found a fun tarot card spread for pets (incidentally, the person who wrote that article does offer various holistic pet healing services, etc., as well as reading tarot).

There are also quite a few beautiful tarot decks with an animal theme, such as The Animal Tarot and the Tarot of Pagan Cats (both of these links earn me a small amount of money if you purchase through them, via an associates link).

So How Does Reading Tarot for Pets Work?

Just as you might get a wide range of answers for any “How does tarot work?” type of question, depending on who you asked, I have my theories. Personally, I don’t like to analyze it too much, because I have a logical side that can interfere with my intuitive side if I let it. When I did the reading for the person with the horse, the horse was not there and I felt (and explained) that I would be reading based on that person’s relationship with the horse. It would be based on her perceptions. I suspect that with the animal present, I’d probably get a better reading of the human-animal dynamics.

I’m definitely going to explore this avenue further. I love learning new things and developing new skills and I find the prospect of this type of reading to be very exciting. I plan to seek out some opportunities to read for some people with their animals present – or is that read for some animals with their people present?

Give your furry, feathery or scaly companion a little extra love and attention for me.