Do Animals See Ghosts and What About Our Ghost Pets?

TL;DR

You may notice your cat or dog intently watching a space in the home where you felt you detected a spirit presence, and that’s because dogs and cats seeing ghosts are just as normal as human beings seeing them! You may also wonder if you will ever see the spirit of your departed pets again, and believe that you can see them and other ghost animals. That’s because you do and they are just as spiritually involved in our lives as human beings are!

Can Cats and Dogs Detect Ghosts?

Dogs and cats seeing spirits has been attested to for as long as we can remember. One story was told by an individual that they detected a ghost’s presence through their own psychic abilities in the house, and exactly where it was. Their dog and the ghost did not get along, as the dog was positively terrified. The individual said hello to the ghost and told it that since it upset their dog, the ghost had to leave. Do dogs see ghosts? Can cats see ghosts? This individual would certainly attest that they do!

Animals are just as psychic as people are and they detect spirits all the time. So well understood was this in Romania many years ago, that they used horses to help them find what they believed to be vampires! The trick was to sit a seven-year-old boy wearing all white on a pure white horse at midday and let the horse loose in the graveyard. The grave it stopped closest to was believed to contain the dreaded vampire!

Why wouldn’t pets be able to see spirits? After all, animals have spirits too. It was said by French theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin “We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.” So are our brothers and sisters who are not human but have wings, fins and scales, fur, and fangs. Like us, the animals have spirits, and the ability to sense and communicate with spiritual beings. Not only do they detect ghosts while they are living, but they manifest as ghosts when they die.

How to Know When Your Pet Sees Ghosts

“Is my dog seeing a ghost when it barks at seemingly nothing?” Your dog may be, but it’s also possible they aren’t. Keeping in mind that cats and dogs have stronger senses of smell, vision, and hearing than humans, they may be reacting to noises from the neighbor’s, a bug you can’t see, or even the smell another animal is putting off as it walks past your house. Don’t be so fast to write off every reaction as something mundane though. Can cats see ghosts? Yes, they can, and they may be picking up on a ghost that has not yet revealed itself to you. Some signs it’s a spirit presence, and not just their mundane senses pricking up something human senses have not picked up include:

1. You can sense a spirit too, and your animal is also reacting. Your pet may be friendly with the spirit, or distressed, but if you sense it also, and the pet is reacting to seemingly thin air as if another person is there and you feel it too? Chances are your pet sees a ghost.

2. They are behaving as if a human being is there, but nobody is. Some people’s pets react when the presence of a deceased loved one walks in the room as if the loved one has returned in the flesh. The pet may exhibit the excited behaviors they did when that person got home, running for their toys to bring back to the loved one, for example.

3. They act terrified, and protective although no human beings are there. Not all spirit presences are desirable ones, and if your pet goes into defense mode, protecting you or the home, they are probably seeing a malevolent spirit, and you can ask that spirit to leave immediately.

4. They may play with or follow something unseen. If, upon looking closer, you don’t see a fly- aka “sky raisin” or something similar- your pet is following around, there is a good chance it’s a spirit. Yes, spirits play with pets as well. They might not have bodies anymore, but they still experience the joy of playing chase with Fifi or Spot!

5. Your pet may run to you and try to get you to follow them back to said spirit presence. This can be alerting you if the spirit is an intruder but they can also be excitedly showing you when a good spirit presence enters, and they want to share their friend with you.

Animals don’t exhibit the inhibitions and lack of belief humans do. When they instinctively sense something, they don’t deny it as an overactive imagination the way human beings do sometimes. Pay attention to your pet’s signals they are picking up on a spirit. You will be surprised how strong psychic gifts are in our pets.

Are Dogs and Cats Protectors from Spirits?

They can be. Not every pet will drive a spirit off, but some have been known to do so. Both cats and dogs have been protectors of humanity for centuries. The domestic cat has protected grain, and homes from vermin that eat human’s food supplies and carry disease. Cats kill and eat these creatures, protecting hearth and home. Dogs have served as protection as guard dogs, and attack dogs, protecting property and the personal safety of their humans. Some dogs like Yorkies, Jack Russell Terriers, and dachshunds were bred to hunt and kill vermin, reducing the threats of disease the critters can carry. It makes sense that some cats and dogs will drive off malevolent spirits as well.

Reflecting this is some ancient lore. The goddess Bastet, depicted as a cat was shown battling a serpent that was the enemy of the god Ra, and she was seen as the protector of the kings. Similar to dogs, jackals, depicted as the god Anubis guarded the graves and he also helped safely deliver souls to the afterlife. Some say Anubis was wolf or dog, not jackal, and dogs in ancient Egypt served as guards to military and police and one king even dubbed his dog his personal protector.

Also, your pet may not be sleeping at the foot of your bed just because the bed is comfortable. Some parents place the pet dogs in the children’s rooms to sleep at night for protection, and they do more than just bark if a burglar is trying to climb in the window. Dogs and cats naturally sense that in our sleep, we are vulnerable, and while they love us and want to be near us, they also want to protect us from bad dreams, and nasty spirits.

One tribal people in India even believe that a marriage between a human and a dog can ward off evil, and so strong is the belief in the loyal dog’s ability to fight malevolent spirits, these solemn ceremonies are taken very seriously. Of course, the people can marry another person in time, but this is done to have the animal help with spiritual matters human beings simply can’t handle on their own. Read on;

Woman in India Marries Dog to Ward Off Evil (yahoo.com)

My “Pet Ghost”

“Will My Dog or Cats Spirit Visit Me?” Of course they will, and sometimes, they stick even around! The way this happens if the pet chooses to stay with you. The ghost of your dog might decide to cross into the afterlife instead of staying, but that doesn’t mean the dog loved you any less. Your ghost cat might even be in and out and you won’t even know it, but you catch a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of your eye in the cat’s favorite section of the garden every so often, and can feel a loving presence where the cat used to sleep. Dog ghosts, cat ghosts, and the spirit of any pets you have been lucky enough to share life with are said by some to be waiting for you nearby a place called “the Rainbow Bridge”.

In the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s, several authors including Edna Clyne-Recky, William N. Britton, and Paul C. Dahm wrote about a meadow beside heaven where pets spirits go after death. They are free of all illness, pain, and injuries, and play in this beautiful meadow until the day their human family members join them after their own deaths. Reunited, they cross a Rainbow Bridge to heaven together. In a 1998 version of The Rainbow Bridge written by Steve and Diane Bodofsky, they write:

“The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.”

One woman had a very sick, elderly cat who she took to the Veterinarian to have it put to sleep. The Vet techs allowed her a few minutes to say her goodbyes before they gave the cat the shot, and the woman told the cat “ I know you don’t understand why I’m doing this, but you are so sick, and this way you don’t have to be in pain anymore. Don’t worry, you can come home with me anyhow when your soul leaves your body. You can always stay with me. “ After the cat was put to sleep, the woman said the cat’s spirit went home with her and after three days, left. She says from time to time, the cat checks in on her and it kept extra close watch on her when another of her cats went missing.

Another woman was telling people at a Meetup about her pet horse whose spirit went with her everywhere she would go. She carried its photograph with her and spoke aloud to it as if speaking to a living animal. Yet another individual told the story about the spirit of a cat they had loved that would jump into bed with them every so often, and yet another individual spoke of their cat’s spirit sleeping at the foot of their bed often.

Ghost cats won’t scratch your couch or meow at three A.M. for kibble and ghost dogs won’t have fleas, or need a walk in the morning to go potty, but their loving presences are felt regardless.

Animal Spirit Guides

Your “pet ghosts” and animal spirit guides are not the same thing. A spirit guide animal is an animal who is part of our lives from birth until death, and I’m not speaking of ONE living creature, but the energy, guidance, protection, and strengths of the spirit and essence of this animal is with you in general.

If dogs seeing ghosts happens, your cat’s spirit can comfort you when another of your cats goes missing, and horses' psychic gifts can be trusted to help protect the people from vampires, imagine how much more a relationship with your black cat spirit guide and your dog spirit animal can do for you! Mysticsense has explored spirit animals and you can read more here:

A Guide To Spirit Animals (mysticsense.com)

How To Establish Contact with Cat and Dog Spirits After Death

“How do I reach out to my ghost dog and my ghost cat?” you may be asking right now. While it’s not the same as having them with you when they are living, maintaining communication with them for as long as you can will help alleviate some of the grief you feel when they pass away. Sometimes, your pet’s spirit shows up on its own, pleasantly surprising you. Sometimes, you need to do a little work of your own, reaching out, trying to get them to respond. Some things you can try are:

Build an Altar

 On it, place toys, bedding, their collar and name tags, pictures, or any physical things they were attached to at all. Some people even keep their pets’ ashes or clippings of their fur. Place all these things in a designated space, and sit out food, water, and treats they loved. Then speak aloud to them, telling you how sorry you are that they are gone, how much you miss them, and how much you would love for them to return to visit. Make it very clear you are asking them to come of their own avail, and do not try to trap their spirit. Let them come and go freely and talk to them often. Soon they may be talking back!

Plant Something Special in their Honor

If you have a garden, you can plant a tree, shrub, or special plant in their honor can serve as a focus point for them to visit. Cats love catmint and trees to climb, and dogs enjoy herbs like thyme, dill and lemon balm to munch on. Some people would tell you their dogs eat nearly anything, however! Nobody knows your cats and dogs better than you do, and you will know just the right thing to plant for them. Talk aloud to them while you are planting and caring for this plant, and ask them to visit you, showing them this is a gift for them. Soon, their little spirits may be showing up, enjoying their gift and you get to enjoy their presence.

Adopt or Foster in Their Honor

Some pets know you miss them, and appreciate you rescuing other animals to care for since they no longer need you to care for their physical needs. They know other animals are suffering, hungry, scared, or alone, and they would want you to help their brothers and sisters. Introduce the new fur kid to your beloved pet who visits you in spirit, and you may be surprised when the new pet behaves as if another animal is present when you don’t see one. This could be your deceased pet getting to know their new sibling!

Nothing compares to the pain and grief of losing a pet, and nothing compares to the joyous surprise you feel when you find out your pet can sense ghosts the same as you can because pets are spiritual creatures just like people are. They will love and protect you all the days of their lives, giving more than we are ever capable of giving to them. If we are lucky, our ghost sensing pets will still be with us after they have passed on. May they meet you beside the Rainbow Bridge and spend all of time with you.