<![CDATA[Katherine Pettit - Animal Communicator - Blog]]>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 03:41:41 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Leo's Euthanasia]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 01:35:54 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/leos-euthanasiaAugust 20, 2026

I euthanized Leo today.

He had been declining for the last three months due to kidney failure. Two months ago, I took him to the vet because his breath smelled very bad, he seemed uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to eat. Blood work revealed that his kidneys were no longer functioning properly. I decided to try subcutaneous fluids.

It was an intense process. Twice a week, I needed someone to hold him while I inserted a needle into his back, between his shoulder blades, and syringed 100 ml of saline solution under his skin. It helped him tremendously. The fluids hydrated him and helped flush toxins that were building up in his body. Afterward, he would look content and puffed up, the fluids had restored him.

For the last five years, since my now ex-husband moved out, Leo slept with me every night. He would even bring me birds and mice to show me that he was my protector—the hunter, the man of the house.

As soon as I lay down, whether on the couch, the porch, or in my bed, he would magically find me. He would curl up beside me, firmly pressed against my right side, and sing me a song with his powerful, melodic purr.

He was healing me.

Over the last two months, he began pulling away more and more. As he became weaker in the final weeks, he no longer wanted to cuddle. He stopped coming inside at night and chose instead to sleep on the couch on the porch by himself.

Then he moved from the couch to the ping-pong table just a few feet away. Maybe the couch was too soft or too hot in the peak of summer. The ping-pong table became his new place to sleep and eat. He had a great vantage point there. He could look out over the porch railing and watch people walking by. He observed crows in the branches above and chipmunks nibbling on their acorn treasures. He could easily slip through the side banister rails to relieve himself or lie in the bushes and enjoy the cool shade.

But then he moved to the fence.

He slept and lived on the fence. He stopped coming when I called him for food, so I would go to him and carry him back to the porch to eat and drink.

A week later, he stopped living on the fence and moved into the bushes on the north side of the yard. He briefly rallied and visited me on the couch, sitting beside me and purring me a song. He went to a high spot on the porch where he could see the lake, and then he stopped coming altogether.

I watched him walk toward the bushes on the north side of the house. Thankfully, I knew where he had gone or it would have been hard to find him. Every morning and every night, I would carry him to the porch to eat and drink. He would take a few bites and then abruptly dash away to his hiding place beneath the red currant bush by the apple tree.

He was losing weight every day and had stopped socializing entirely. He was hiding in the bushes to die. It was clear that it was his time. I made an appointment with my trusted veterinarian, whom I have known for more than a decade. Our children are similar ages, and over the years, she has become someone I deeply trust.

I so appreciate Leo’s slow transition—from cuddling in bed with me every night, to moving outside to the porch but still remaining close, to the fence, and finally to beneath the red currant bush. An abrupt loss would have been shocking for me. Instead, Leo guided us through his slow transition with love and care.

My friends are part of a Threshold Choir. They sing to people who are dying. They offered to sing to us.

Yesterday, we walked to Leo at his preferred spot beneath the red currant bush. I lit four candles to acknowledge the four directions. I fanned a large turkey feather above him to clear his spirit. I burned incense to purify the air and offered him water. I prayed to the Angels to assist him with an easy passage as he crossed over.

And my friends sang: “Leo, you are so loved.”

I cried.

I told stories about him and the last sixteen years we had shared. He had been the guardian of our home and family. We brought him home soon after we moved into our heritage house, which needed extensive renovations. He was the middle child. My daughter was one year old when we adopted him, and they even share the same birthday. My son was born a year later. He was the kitten I had been envisioning when I went to visit his litter at eight weeks old. And now his time was ending. It felt right to celebrate his life and to have my love for him witnessed by my friends—to have our bond honoured and cherished.

This morning, I sat with him beneath the red currant bush. I scratched his neck and chin, and he purred his mighty purr. We sat together, present with one another, enjoying our love and connection, our memories and our stories, silently.

I cried as I loaded his carrier into the truck to drive him to the vet’s office. I placed him next to Atlas in the back seat so they could say goodbye. I cried as I carried him into the back room of the veterinary clinic. I cried as I held him and my vet explained the process.

Peacefully and slowly, we began the first step. He let go in my arms as the sedation took hold. I felt his body become heavy. His head slumped onto my left elbow. He could finally relax and be free from pain.

For the final injection, my friend sang to him. I told him that I loved him and asked the Angels to guide him. I stroked him as he slipped away silently, easily, peacefully.

I held his body and connected to his Spirit. I heard his voice in a very masculine, deep tone say: “I’m happy now.”

I saw him in a field of wildflowers. He blinked at me,  thanking me for letting him go.
Then he turned to walk away. I asked him if he would come back to me. For now, he gestured that he wanted to be free. And I accepted his response. I watched him walk away into the field of wildflowers, swishing his tail, happy, light, and easy.

I woke up to a dream about him.

I was walking around my old neighbourhood in Dunbar. I was with the kids, and they wanted to see my childhood home. As I walked around and looked at all the houses, I noticed one across the street with a ceramic cast of Meryl Streep on the front door. It was kind of odd, but also kind of fun. She was wearing a hat, laughing and throwing her head back.

I continued walking until I reached the corner of 39th and Alma Street and saw my old house.  As I walked around it, Leo confidently emerged from the bushes to greet me. He walked toward me and meowed. I thought he was hungry. He didn’t look the way he had when he was young and strong. He was skinnier and frailer, but he was social. I was so happy that he had come to greet me.

I continued toward the driveway, opened the gate, and walked through the backyard to the sliding glass door leading into the kitchen. I looked inside. Everything looked the same.
It was as though nothing had changed in the last twenty-five years.

The place where Leo greeted me in the dream is the same place where my cat Cordy died in my arms twenty-eight years ago. Cordy was a very special cat. He was my first cat, and we were exactly the same age. My family adopted him when we were both two years old.  His name was actually Courtenay, but I couldn’t say such a long name as a toddler. I could say Cordy, and the name stuck. He died in my arms when we were both twenty-three years old.

I interpret this dream as a healing gift through oneness and connection. There is a reason the dream placed Leo and I in the same location where Cordy died, on the very day Leo died. Leo spent time beneath the red currant bush during his dying process, and in the dream, he emerges from the bushes. He is comfortable and at home in Nature. Nature is where we are healed—in grief, in loss, and in death. This is the landscape of unconditional love and intimate relationship, where time becomes fluid between past, present and future. Mystery and memory become one.

Cordy and Leo are connected. Leo will come back to me, and Cordy never really left me. They have simply left for a while. The image of Meryl Streep confirms this fluidity of Oneness—with its celebration of happiness, laughter, and freedom.

Leo walked away into the field of wildflowers, light and free. And, I know that love continues.

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]]><![CDATA[Dynamarked Six]]>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:44:38 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/dynamarked-six We bought a new horse last week. His race name is Dynamarked Six. He is a five-year-old dark bay Thoroughbred from a racetrack in Red Deer, Alberta. He was purchased by a First Nations man to race in the Indigenous Relay Races at the Calgary Stampede.

Have you ever seen these races? They are the final equestrian event of the day, and for good reason—they are spectacular. Riders mount their horses directly from the ground, bareback, and gallop away at astonishing speed. After completing a lap around the track, the rider dismounts while the horse is still moving and leaps onto a fresh horse for another lap. The combination of bareback riding, top speed, and seamless dismounts and remounts makes for an unforgettable display of horsemanship and athleticism.

But Six had one problem: he was considered "lazy" and lacked the drive to race. That was why he was for sale.

When we asked more questions about him, the young First Nations owner gave us an impressive demonstration. He hopped on Six bareback from the ground, trotted a few strides, and then calmly cantered away from home. There were no silly antics, no resistance—just a horse willingly doing what was asked of him without any tack at all.

The situation for Dynamarked Six was simple. His owner had eight horses actively training for the relay races, and Six was the ninth horse—too slow to make the team. The other horses had already been trailered away for training as the Calgary Stampede approached. Six was left alone in the field, except for a band of wild horses across the fence that came and went as they pleased. Considering he had been left behind, he was remarkably quiet and calm.
Upon closer inspection, Debbie noticed a swelling in his groin area. She asked whether he had been gelded, and the owner explained that he had not. Six is a certified ridgling—a cryptorchid—with one descended testicle and one retained internally. According to the owner, he is sterile because he lacks a functioning semen gland. On the racetrack, cryptorchids are often favoured because they are thought to benefit from the additional testosterone produced by the retained testicle, resulting in greater muscle development, while generally lacking the strong stallion behaviours associated with intact males.
Six is fortunate that his previous owner cared about him. Otherwise, he might simply have been left in the field to join the wild horses. His feet are typical Thoroughbred feet, prone to cracking and in need of shoes. He has thin skin, a soft coat, and a gentle temperament. He is not a particularly rugged horse, and it is doubtful he would have lasted long on his own in the wild.
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Now Six has joined the rest of our herd at the acreage. His introduction was effortless. He is mellow, sweet, and easygoing. We are putting some weight on him because he is a little ribby, and we have started working on his ground manners, as he tends to crowd his handler rather than respect personal space. Over the coming months, he will be gelded and he will receive some light training under saddle. When he is ready, we will look for a good home where he can begin the next chapter of his life. Photo credit: Debra Easton
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]]><![CDATA[Celebrating Teddy]]>Fri, 29 May 2026 15:32:49 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/celebrating-teddyWe are celebrating 10 years with Teddy this month. It's amazing how we have all grown, together, over the last 10 years. 
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]]><![CDATA[The Mammalian]]>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 23:57:23 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/the-mammalianThe Mammalian
Happy Holidays! First of all, I am naming this newsletter. I realized I have sent out simple communications in the past, but it really is better to have a more official newsletter with a name. I hope you like The Mammalian. 

Inspiration
I have been enjoying the podcast Getting Psychic. Suki, the host, uses herself to test the theory that anyone can 'Get Psychic'. She has a range of guests on her show. I was very intrigued with Dana Kippel and her conceptualization about Plasma. She defines Plasma as the Fifth Element. She calls it God’s clay and it makes up 99.9% of invisible matter. It can be: The Sun, Lightning, the Northing Lights, neon signs, and even Fire is a weak Plasma. Finer Plasma could be considered: Aether, Sophia, Mana, Qi, Animal Magnetism, Indra’s Net, The Field, and Dark Matter. I find these examples help visualize the ambiguous concept of Plasma. 
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Holding the concept of the existence of Plasma in my daily life is revealing magical outcomes! A couple of weeks ago, I was riding Jasper in an indoor arena that he doesn’t know very well. It had been many weeks since I had ridden him because has been off with soundness issues. So, there were some fear thoughts in my mind: What if he spooks? What if I fall off? What if I look like an idiot? So I visualized Plasma all around me, like a transparent and friendly goop. And then I felt calm. I felt held. I felt CONNECTED. The key feeling for me is the feeling of connection. I wasn’t going to fall off because the Plasma was holding me. Jasper wasn’t going to spook because we were both connected and felt safe. It didn’t matter if I looked like an idiot because I felt content and secure with my beautiful horse. So I encourage you to experiment with this concept of Plasma in your daily life. 
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If you want to enhance your reality, here are four key points Dana mentions. Plasma is co-creating with you so you can directly influence your reality. 
-Emotional coherence.  Processing emotions rather than suppressing them. Let emotions move through you like a wave, with awareness. 
-Play and imagination. Go through your day with a childlike awe. This allows magic to happen. 
-Trust in the unseen cause and effect. We may not always get our way because the universe has a bigger and better plan, it may just not be known yet. 
-Letting go of validation from the outer world.  Be your authentic true self, by letting go of conditioning and people pleasing.

If you want to learn more, she has a book entitled: “New Force: Plasma, Consciousness and the New Human Potential.”  I think you will find her work very fresh, inspiring and original. 
Publicity
​The 2026 Canadian Horse Annual has be published with an article on Animal Communicators across Canada. Charlie Fiset  interviewed 6 animal communicators and I was one of them! She summarized the essence of our conversation with truth and detail. The article offers a comprehensive taste of the field with its variety and similarities across different practitioners. Here is the my piece and if you want to read the full article, you can get the magazine at national newsstands, tack shops, trade shows, major retail chains (Chapters, Indigo, Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Safeway, IGA, Co-OP, Loblaws, London Drugs), and local farm supply stores. 


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Gift Cards
As it is the holiday season, I am offering Gift Cards. It is the perfect gift for animal lovers because it is original, different and tailored specifically to the recipient. The gift cards can be used anytime in 2026. You will see the gift card offering on the STORE page of my website and here is the direct link to the gift card.  If you need a last minute gift idea for someone who has everything and loves animals, an animal communication session is a thoughtful and unique gift. 

Classes
I am offering classes in the New Year. Starting in February I will be offering the Beginner Animal Communication Class series which includes Beginner Animal Communication, Talking to Your Own Animal, and Death and Beyond. In March I will offer Talking With Nature, Lost Animals,  and Advanced Animal Communication. 

I will offer a new class: Animals As Teachers and Guides. The date is TBA. If you are interested, please let me know because it helps me put it in the schedule. I will be offering new classes too: Medical Intuition, Counselling Animals and their People, Manifesting for Ourselves and Our World.  I plan to offer an Animal Communication Masters Program for students wanting to be Professional Animal Communicators.  

Rates
My rates will be going up slightly in the New Year. But you can book sessions now for 2026 to get the 2025 rates. 
Animal Update
​Leo just had major dental surgery. He had 6 teeth extracted.  About 3 years ago he had an appointment with a feline dentist to have two root canals for cracked canines. But under anesthesia he had a heart murmur, so they didn’t go further. Now he is 15 and I actually had a failed root canal earlier this year which led to an extraction. So I consulted with a very kind vet in my town, and we decided to extract the teeth despite the risk of the jaw cracking. And Leo did great! He didn’t show any signs of heart murmur and his jaw is intact. He is feeling so much better now.
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Teddy is back in the Kootenay with us after his sojourn in Alberta. I know he misses the sanctuary vibe of the acreage but he will return. He has an important job now, to work with my daughter through the official Equine Canada rider levels. She will receive high school credits for going through the various levels,  demonstrating her abilities and knowledge of stable management and riding. Teddy is so well schooled and safe that he will help build my daughter’s confidence when she has to demonstrate the jumping phase. We are very grateful to our coach Brandy Saunders to offer this level of testing in our area. And she took this amazing photo of my daughter with Teddy. 
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Toby is getting the winter off at the acreage. He has been working consistently for 10 years. When he arrived a few weeks ago, It was a little overwhelming for him to have so much open space to himself. Debbie tried putting him with the two mares but the threesome dynamic didn’t work for him. So we bought him a friend, a pinto gelding, named Luke. They are very sweet together.  He came from a feed lot so he is in a much better place now. He will be Toby’s companion and we will educate him so he can have a good life.
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Jasper has two wonderful leasers in Cochrane. He couldn’t stay on the acreage because he kept loosing a shoe on his one challenging foot. It is better for him to be in a paddock and be consistently exercised. I hope to bring him back to the Kootenays in the Spring. He is very loved by all who work with him, as he is such an old kind soul, and a true gentleman. 
Atlas is always with me, my loyal best friend. Many of you know him as he sits behind me on the antique couch during sessions. He holds space, so grounding and joyful. He reminds me every day that play, love and connection are the truest and purist experiences on this wild ride on Earth. 
Gratitude
Most of the beautiful photos were taken by Debra Easton. It adds so much value to visually show my life with animals through stunning photography. I am also very grateful to Debra and Eileen Easton for welcoming my horses to the acreage. The horses love it and can just be horses, playing with friends, running in open spaces and foraging for food as well as having huge hay bales to eat from. It is a magical place for animals and I feel touched every time I go there. 

​Happy Holidays from my family to yours. Atlas and I especially hope you enjoy warm cozy snuggles with your animals. 
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]]><![CDATA[Training with teddy]]>Sat, 22 Nov 2025 20:23:04 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/training-with-teddyI am so happy Teddy is back. He has been back for about a week and a half from his sojourn in Alberta. Emily is having so much fun on him, feeling bold and brave, working on transitions, cantering, and riding bareback too. She deserves this so much, to feel safe and comfortable and practice her skills. He is a great horse for her to achieve her Rider Levels for high school credits. 
I am practicing and expanding my training, too. I have been taking Teddy in the back forest behind the barn, the 150 acre park land. We start out in an easy walk to warm up. After ten minutes of walking, we warm up doing trot circles around a tree. There is a significant hill at the back of the property so it gives us a chance to warm up until we get there. I have been trotting and cantering him up the hill to get him using his hind quarters. It is both strength and cardio training. We extend the distance every time we go. When we get to the top, we slow down, turn around and walk down the hill so he uses his core to support himself. We turn around and canter up again. We repeat this interval training with hill work 3-4 times.   After hill work, we do intervals of walk and trot home. We have Atlas with us and Teddy likes to race him so we have to practice WHOA or he will gallop at full speed all the way home to win the race. It’s so much fun to use natural obstacles and features to work on interval training and transitions. It feels like a natural progression from where we left off a year ago, I am feeling engaged by the new challenge of working in wild terrain and it’s keeping him fit so he can do some jumping with Emily in the Spring. 
]]><![CDATA[Trees]]>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 21:59:38 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/treesI have noticed that the trees have been very present for me as I walk the dog through the woods in the back of the barn where I board my horses. Sometimes I put my hand on a tree to feel grounded and calm. Sometimes I look up to the trees for help and guidance. 
When I was really sad one day last year, the trees answered my call. I felt that my divorce was a failure for my children. That I didn’t protect them from the hardships and grit of human life. I wanted a happy, loving family. My vision was that they would be protected in a bubble of love and nurtured to grow to be their best. My vision popped, I was so disappointed for my children. I looked up at the trees and saw tall, strong trees and sad trees  and dead, decaying trees. I got the message that this is the change of life, there is vibrancy and love and there is death and decay. A shielded life of love and protection is not a perfect or realistic life, it is a fantasy. Death, decay and rot comes with life, growth and strength. 
So today I connected with the trees to ask more focused, specific questions, like I do in my animal communication sessions. 
I looked up at the tall canopy and heard them say: “We are one.”
I picked a tree. I felt her name began with an A as I approached her. I leaned my hand on her trunk and closed my eyes. I saw a vibrant and strong life force, red and gold colours running up her trunk from the roots of the Earth. I saw her curl her tip towards me to embrace me and nurture me. My first impressions: she is female, she is nurturing, she is old, she is strong and she is generous. 
So I asked her some questions:
How do I get through my divorce that his been going on for five years? 
~Be strong. 
How do I manage Jasper? He is in Cochrane and I am in Nelson, it’s hard to be apart from him. 
~Be patient. 
How do I navigate being in Nelson when I want to be in Cochrane?
~You are in both places, you are not limited to being in one place or the other. 
I felt so calm and resolved after. I felt I got the advice I needed. I felt supported and guided by a generous, wise old soul. I was happy. 
]]><![CDATA[Saving a baby moose]]>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 02:24:06 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/saving-a-baby-mooseDebra Easton and I had a big adventure on May 18 with a momma and baby moose! It began on Debbie’s birthday, May 14, when we arrived at the acreage to see a female moose 25 feet from the house. She slowly walked on to reveal a newborn baby in tow. The mother moved along and we didn’t see the pair for a few days until late Sunday afternoon. We were walking the perimeter checking the fencing and removing fallen trees. As we walked east we heard a strange sound and the crunching of breaking branches. There was the momma moose! We noticed a strange movement on the ground and looked closer. The baby was caught up in the fence. Debbie walked towards the baby to free her while I kept watch. I verbalized to the momma that we are here to help, she is beautiful, her baby is beautiful and we come in peace. I radiated love from my heart with immense intention and expansion. The momma stayed near and kept an eye on us but was not hostile towards us. We freed the baby’s leg but she didn’t walk or run away. The momma left and baby couldn’t walk. We were concerned about the baby being vulnerable to predators. So we moved closer and she let us pick her up! We drove her to the Alberta Institute of Wildlife Conservation. We are hoping her injuries are minor so she can be brought back to the acreage soon and reunite with her momma.
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]]><![CDATA[Lynda Ramsay clinic]]>Sun, 04 May 2025 18:57:47 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/lynda-ramsay-clinicWe had a great time at the Lynda Ramsay Clinic last weekend at our barn. We are very lucky to have this offering as she is FEI level 2 Eventing judge, EC level 3 eventing judge, and EC dressage b judge. We worked on my body position, sitting back and not tipping forward as that puts weight on the horse's forehand. We want the horse to be back on his hind quarters, using his engine from behind. We worked on suppling exercises so Jasper is relaxed in his back and not holding tension. We learned many new exercises which inspires me for when I ride on my own. ​Thank you to my daughter for documenting, Debra Easton for helping with the warm up, Brandy and Liz Saunders for organizing and hosting. ​
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]]><![CDATA[Talking with Horses Class]]>Wed, 16 Apr 2025 23:20:07 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/talking-with-horses-classI am super excited to be offering Talking With Horses Animal Communication Class. The class is running at 4:30 pm Pacific Time on April 23 and 30. Sign up on the STORE page to join us!
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]]><![CDATA[BRANDY LESSON FEB 20]]>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 03:26:06 GMThttps://www.katherinepettit.us/blog/brandy-lesson-feb-20I had a great lesson on Jasper today. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because he is such different ride from Teddy. Teddy was very heavy and it took a lot to get him going. Jasper is much more responsive and reacts to leg aids so I have to re-learn how to ride, undoing muscle memory of 8.5 years of riding Teddy. 

Today we worked on leg yielding. I have sit up tall, don't lean forward because that puts him on the forehand. We focused on leg yielding to the left, moving him off my right leg. Our right side is the dominant side for both of us, so have to soften the side up. I need to be more clear with my leg aid so he doesn’t lean on my right leg. Half halt and bump with the leg. Keeping his left shoulder parallel to the fence otherwise we are not leg yielding we are doing a diagonal line. 
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