Meet Katniss

She was found in the engine compartment of a car and it took hours to get her out. We were only going to foster her. We called her Cat because if you name them, you keep them. But if I just add a tiny little “niss” at the end... that’s not really naming her, right? Her family didn’t want her back. The name stuck. We are terrible at fostering. That was 8 years ago.

This girl is piss and vinegar and a badass to the core. I picture her as a rough biker chick with a soft spot for puppies. No, literally. She adored our big silly lab, Diamond, and she loves Daisy, our 2 year old Border-Husky.

She has the softest meow, which she rarely uses. (Think Isma from Emperor's New Groove: "Is that MY voice?!") She asks for my forehead and head butts me like we’re fist bumping. Her favorite joke is to flop on her back to invite unsuspecting guests to rub her belly, effectively setting her trap (IYKYK). And if she curls up on you, you are not to move. Don’t even breathe. You’ve been warned.

For years, especially when she was mad at me, she would show me an image of being grabbed by the scruff and thrown outside. I felt sad every time knowing this was a life she had experienced. I’d remind her that I would never hurt her and that she’s safe to be angry with me. In retrospect, I think she was telling me she wanted to go outside. In her previous life, she had to be mean to get what she wanted.

A few weeks ago she started showing me something different. She showed me telepathically that she wouldn’t jump the wall or squeeze through the gate. Not that she couldn’t. That she wouldn’t. We’re an indoor-only cat family for good reason. A coyote got one of our cats in our own suburban driveway in 2014. Katniss herself came home from her one escape in 2020 with an injured eye. The risk is real. But I heard her.

The next morning we let her stay out with us. She ran outside and immediately flopped over. She loved on Daisy. She loved on the lemon tree. She basked in the morning sun. She was glowing.

We’ve been letting her out mornings and evenings ever since. She never tries to leave the yard and welcomes us as the gate when we return from the dog park. She is the happiest she has ever been.

This is what animal communication looks like.

An animal communication reading can help you understand what your own animal is trying to tell you. Book a session: http://valsmithsacredarts.com/services