ATH conversation with Dakota D’s Max

[Moderator]

We are glad you are interested in practicing talking together with an animal!

To get started, greet the animal and ask if they have time to talk with you. Remember that animals also lead busy lives even though we may not see all that they do. If they aren’t available, check back later.

Introduce yourself and explain why you are reaching out to them: that you are a member of the Animal Talk Coaching & Mastery Club and learning to better communicate with animals and would appreciate their help. You can ask them any questions you want. Typically they do provide a response. Please share your impressions of their personality, energy, how they feel and any insights they may share with you. By sharing what you get, the animal’s person can provide you with feedback and others can jump in too.

Some conversations have been lively, and we’ve learned some amazing insights, and laughed at jokes. Remember that this is a safe place to practice. This is about practice and learning, it is not about getting it perfect. The animals have much to teach us, to share with us and we with them. Enjoy!

Max

Moderator

[Shelly Chance]

4/27/24 10:35am CT (US central time): I tried to connect with Max. I didn’t feel I was connecting so I asked him to please clearly let me know yes or no if he was available to talk. A bird or something tapped on my window once. At that time I didn’t catch the obvious sign and so I just stopped trying to connect, thinking he wasn’t available.

Then it dawned on me. There is the old saying, “knock once for ___ and twice for ___”. I couldn’t remember if it was once for yes, twice for no or the other way around so I checked online. It is once for yes, twice for no. Then I realized the tap on the window was him telling me yes! He had time to talk! UGH! Can’t believe I missed that. So, I went back to my quiet place and tried reconnecting.

10:42am CT: I apologized to Max that I missed the sign and asked if I missed my chance and he was now busy or was he still available to talk. I felt he was available, so I proceeded to connect. I reintroduced myself and told him I was his momma Dakota’s classmate at the AC school.

Here is a summary of our conversation (the parts I felt I got answers to):
I asked how Max liked having Kola around, being that Kola is a doggie. I got a feeling he does love Kola but they don’t interact physically that much, but Max does like having Kola around.

I asked about the two new kitties and if Max liked having them around. He told me he likes having the kitties around. Max is showing them the ropes and how to be good cats. He said he likes to show them how to catch something that looked like a feather on a string. Max showed me how he and the two kitties kind of chase in a circle around each other. He likes showing them things.

I asked if he has a favorite spot where he likes to nap or to sleep. I got an image of him laying on the back of the sofa (above the cushions) facing a window.

I asked if he could tell me about his friend Jasper, who left to be in spirit. I asked if he missed Jasper. I immediately felt a big sense of love fill me inside and knew that Max loves Jasper. I saw a big heart in my mind too. Max said he doesn’t miss Jasper though, because Jasper checks in from time to time and talks to him often. Max showed me that Jasper isn’t really gone so he didn’t need to miss Jasper. (I am glad he showed me that because that helps in me dealing with lingering emotions from losing my pup Cubby almost 7 years ago.)

I asked if there was anything his momma Dakota does that he really likes or if he had anything he wanted me to tell you. He showed me that he really likes the cuddles now with you, even though they may be brief. He said he didn’t realize how good those cuddles could be, so he gets the right amount of love energy he needs from you and then goes off and does his thing. He also wanted to tell you thank you for getting him two kitties to play with and teach (funny how I felt he was telling me you got them for him! LOL!). He likes having them around. And lastly, he said you are a great loving mom, and he is content.

I thanked him for talking to me and helping teach me AC and we ended the call. 🙂 I don’t have any cats, just dogs, so this is so exciting to see how things are in the cat world. I can really sense the difference between the independent nature in cats compared to the more social interactions with dogs, so that is interesting. I am anxious to see how this went from Dakota. Thank you, Max and Dakota, for letting me reach out! Much love and many hugs to you both! 🙂 <3

[Dakota Duncan]

Shelly,
Wow! Just wow! Let me assure you that most of this is spot on. You are doing great!

So, I read about your conversation with Max and immediately had to share with my wife, Vicki. (We are both women. I know with a name like Dakota it is hard to know for sure.) I sat on the floor to read from my iPad and Max ran over and cuddled up to hear the story. I pet him and he purred, very interested, while I read. It was so cute. I’m fairly certain he knew I was talking about his conversation and felt proud he’d had this visit.

I think you are right about Max and Kola. They have never been close but always around each other. There have been times of hissing and growling, but Max got over his cranky period and Kola lost some of her hearing, so now if Max hissing, she doesn’t hear it so doesn’t have to react. Once we lost Jasper, they started being together more, and especially after we got Shasta and Lexi. I think they were bonding over the outsiders. 🙂

Max told you all the things I’ve told him, including that we got the cats for him. 🙂 I’ve told him we need him to teach them how to be good cats and do “cat things,” as we call the activities we never really see or know about because they do them while we are sleeping. I may have even used the phrase, “show them the ropes.” I know I have asked him to show them around but he tends to want to get away when they follow – but even that is going much better. They want to play with him and he’s been slow to accept their kindness but they are really patient with him.

Max has taken a while to get used to them, but it’s gone from him always hiding from them to him strutting around, not letting them push him away from his food, and sometimes even playing. It’s been a breakthrough weekend for that, as I was playing with all three at a time with his favorite toy – a stick with a feathery-fabric strip on the end of some fishing line.

I also believe Jasper is around a lot. I can sometimes feel and connect with him well, but it is also hard to know whether I am right since I want so much to know he is well. It’s nice to hear Max say Jasper visits and they talk. I’m happy that it is helping you with your worries about Cubby.

As for cuddling, Max has only recently started getting back up on the bed to snuggle with me. He was too concerned about where the new kitties were to be so vulnerable. He doesn’t stay for long, but he never has. You’ll like this – we have always said that Max comes by, gets his love tank filled and then he goes off to do cat things. Spot on!

Max has many favorite places to sleep. He does enjoy the back of the couch that sits at an angle to some windows. This used to be one of Jasper’s favorite spots.

The only thing I cannot confirm is really how he feels about Shasta and Lexi. I do know they are all doing much better together, so I hope it is true Max likes having them around. He does seem pretty content these days. Thank you for communicating with my Max. It was a great birthday present!

[Shelly Chance]

Hi Dakota,
I am super excited to hear how close and clear I received Max’s messages!!!! I am learning to stop second guessing myself and trust that I am getting the messages from them and not from my own mind. You would think that after my fly and lizard stories, I would be unstoppable on the confidence but quieting the old human doubting mind is a little hard sometimes. LOL!

That was so sweet to hear what Max did when you were reading the story! <3 And so cool that I heard him so well on the parts about the cuddling and teaching the kitties! I am excited to one day soon be able to communicate so clearly with my two pups. That is turning out to be a bit harder because I am so emotionally connected to them. 🙂 But it will get there, I know. Just gotta keep practicing. 🙂

Pretty soon, we are going to be like family after I get to know all your babies and you get to know mine. LOL! I’ll send you the family reunion invites soon. HAHA!!! 🙂 So nice to work with you and to meet your wonderful family (Vicki, Kola, Max, Shasta, Lexi, and you! – and Jasper in spirit!). Thanks for confirming many parts of my conversation with Max! I loved chatting with him, sweet fella! Hugs to you all! And what the heck, one more big happy birthday to you!!! 🙂

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