Pet psychics see dead animals

Australian animal lovers are seeking the services of animal psychics to understand their pets' behaviour and even make contact with their beloved Moggie or Rex from beyond the grave.

From the tale of Dr Doolittle to the 1998 movie The Horse Whisperer, starring Robert Redford, the idea of "talking to the animals" has held a special place in the popular imagination.

A "whale whisperer" was even called upon to come to the assistance of Collette, the orphaned humpback whale stuck in Sydney's Pittwater last year.

Melita, a medium and clairvoyant from Western Australia, has been "reading animals" for four years. She says she gets about four calls a week for her animal psychic skills.

Melita says most people ask her to act as a medium between themselves and their pets.

One client called about a dog that had attacked a kangaroo, asking her to shed light on its aggression issues.

A reading revealed the dog was "like a teenager" and needed boundaries, Melita says.

Melita says pets are more than "just blobs on four legs", but admits some people find the idea of reading an animal a bit weird.

"I do know that people are more sceptical about animals than human beings because animals can't talk and so they find it a bit scary," says Melita.

"Animals feel just like people, at least that's what I feel when I tune into them."

With just the name, breed and age of a pet, Melita says she can "read" the creature -- though she can't explain how she does it.

"I don't have a clue, you just have it or you don't have it," she said in a telephone interview with AAP.

"I just connect, I suppose, on a different level."

Leonora, a Tasmanian based psychic, has been reading animals for six years. She mostly reads pets and has channelled the odd horse.

She says she goes into a "dream-like" state when she channels animals.

"People are starting to understand that animals have souls," she says.

"Animals are just being recognised for their place in the world."

Kersti Seksel, a Sydney-based veterinary specialist in animal behaviour, says she is sceptical about animal psychics.

But she says there is no harm if they can provide comfort for pet owners who are concerned about their pet's behaviour or mourning the loss of a companion.

"(If) it makes the relationship between the owner and the animal happy then I'm very comfortable with that."

However, psychics shouldn't replace a vet if an animal has serious health or behavioural problems, she says.

Dr Seksel says animals suffer the same behavioural problems as humans, like phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety.

She treats them in a similar was to a psychiatrist would a human -- by finding the underlying cause, implementing a behaviour modification program and using medication.

"I would like to see scientific proof that it works," Dr Seksel says of animal psychics.

"I'm a trained scientist so I have to be sceptical."

BREAKOUT:

Sydney cat lover Helen Timms* contacted an animal psychic after losing her champagne-coloured Burmese cat Max.

"He had been my best buddy since he came to live with us when he was about two years old," she says.

"He had been found on the side of the road suffering from severe neglect and it was touch and go whether he would survive. It took him six months to fully recover."

Ten years later Timms found Max, now aged 12, at the back of the garden, hurt and unable to walk properly.

"Max's tail had been fractured and he had nerve damage to the lower abdominal organs. After two agonising days, it was decided to have him put down.

"It was one of the saddest moments of my life."

After Max was gone Timms says she contacted an animal psychic, who told her the cat had had a peaceful energy, and had been placid and easy to please.

"The psychic was right about his chilled out personality," she says, adding this was uncharacteristic for a Burmese cat.

Max also had a message, the psychic said.

"He told her, `I didn't have anything not to be peaceful about. I had a complete life'.

"He told her `When I was hurt, I was helped right away'."

Timms, who believes there is a "distinct possibility" the psychic really did make contact with Max, says the experience helped her cope with the loss of her companion.

*Name has been changed.