‘The Great Pet Awakening’: Theologians Say Bonding With Animals Can Be A ‘Religious Experience’

A new story from CNN examines how friendship with animals can enhance our spiritual lives.

If you ask Bud, I’m sure he’d agree that merely having the privilege of being friends with him is akin to a transcendental experience.

“Yes, human, by stroking my fur, you are brushing up against the divine!” he’d probably say. “Now make a proper offering, and don’t skimp out on me. I want the good snacks!”

The massive ego of my cat aside, some theologians and spiritualists say we’re in the midst of a “Great Pet Awakening,” with more people than ever welcoming animals into their homes, treating them like family, and coming to profound realizations by bonding with them.

Our pets can help us come to grips with our own mortality, amplify our own spiritual lives and even help us heal, they say. Some of it’s nebulous, including a Pew poll that found most Americans believe pets are imbued with some sort of vague supernatural energy, and some of it’s tangible, like studies that have found cat purring has a calming effect on people as well as cats.

If you’re interested in reading more, CNN’s story on the “awakening” quotes a Canadian theologian and author, a Buddhist, and, tragically, a “psychic medium.” In true grief vampire style, the latter says “pet psychics” can offer people “a chance to hear personalized messages from their pets in the Great Beyond.”

“Now leave the snack, bow, and retreat until I call for you again. That’s a good human.”

I don’t like thinking about a time when Bud will be gone, but when that day comes, if I encounter a “pet psychic” who tells me Bud sends his love and appreciation from the afterlife, it’ll reinforce my dim view of self-proclaimed mediums. If, however, the “psychic” tells me that Bud is still miffed about the times dinner was late, or he’s annoyed that I’ve adopted another cat who has inherited his toys, I’ll change my tune!

In any case, I think there’s one hugely important thing the CNN story does not touch on. It focuses on the way pets benefit people, but perhaps the most profound gift our animals give us — if we’re open to it — is a new appreciation for them, and what a miracle they are.

It’s 2025, but surprisingly, there are lots of people who are still stuck in a pre-cognitive revolution mindset, viewing animals as little more than biological automatons. They deny animal cognition, emotions and agency, as if B.F. Skinner and behaviorism remain the credible model. To do that, you’d have to ignore more than sixty years’ worth of research proving our furry friends have their own rich internal lives, their own thoughts and feelings.

Buddy’s ego may be slightly inflated.

That, to me, is one of the great things about cats. If I was a merely adequate servant, the Budster would take the free meals, the shelter and the warm bed, and ignore me until he wants something. Instead, he’s rarely more than three feet from me, he spends much of his day sitting on me or in direct physical contact, he can’t abide any barrier between us, and he expresses his love by marching up to me, purring up a storm, and rubbing his head against my face.

He chooses to do that, and it tells me that for all the boneheaded mistakes I’ve made, I must be doing a pretty decent job. He’s not my property, he’s my Buddy.

18 thoughts on “‘The Great Pet Awakening’: Theologians Say Bonding With Animals Can Be A ‘Religious Experience’”

    1. Yeah they’re awful, and people under their spell don’t want to even consider the fact that the “mediums” are disrespecting the memories of their loved ones by lying about contacting them, pretending to speak for them, and doing it to make a buck.

      The hot/cold reading stuff is so lame, and I’m amazed by how many people think their departed loved ones are supposedly interested in “validating” the “medium” by providing inane details.

      “You don’t understand. The psychic knew I carry I mass card of my late father in my wallet, and knew my dad used to always hang his keys up by the door when he came home!”

      One woman I know was absolutely insistent that a psychic really spoke to her deceased husband because she related an anecdote about ironing.

      So you mean to tell me that this “psychic” pierced the veil between worlds, communicated across the achromatic abyss that separates the living from the dead, and the important message she needs to convey to you is that your husband ironed his pants on Wednesday nights? Really? Nothing about the wonders of the afterlife, no regrets about important things left unsaid before death, just a message about ironing pants?

      Sure.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Hm. Sounds like everyday life to me. Ironing pants. Hanging keys, etc. If a medium said to me YOUR CAT SAYS YOU WERE CHEAP WITH THE CHURROS CAT TREATS then i will change my mind. But the thing is a medium can maybe hack into my Chewy orders and see Churro treats!

        Like

      2. That’s the whole point. If a “medium” knows someone is an Italian-American New Yorker of a certain age, then there’s probably something like an 80%+ chance that they’re carrying a mass card of a departed loved one.

        If they strike out on that detail, they rapidly move on to the next informed guess, and thanks to confirmation bias, the person receiving the reading vividly remembers the hits but often forgets about all the misses.

        Like

      3. Yes. And who knows. Maybe animals do come back as ghosts. Like i mentioned one time i could of sworn i had seen ghost in basement of feral cat who died from rat poison years ago. But i highly doubt it.

        Like

  2. Brilliant article!, I fully acknowledge our fellow earthlings sentience, especially our feline overlords. I am jealous that Buddy is in contact with you and sits on you easily, Bella will do this but very rarely ( I of course end up in pain as I won’t move so i get the maximum time…) Love the “pet psychic” part – I also would only believe if they told me Bella says “keep Simba out of my Garden”. Great piece by the Big Buddy

    Like

    Reply

  3. I think you already know how I feel about the subject. Many believe that cats straddle the Veil – I am one of them. Purrhaps that is why humans want to destroy them. They know this because they see it in a cat’s eyes…and it terrifies them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I agree with you M. I think it’s true of animals, but people, not so much. Thanks for speaking my thoughts exactly 🫶🏼🐾🐾 I felt your words…🫂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  4. I still miss Kommando Kitty who’s been gone for 1.5 years. However, I couldn’t understand what she was saying while she was here. I doubt that has changed. However, I do think cats are cognitive creatures. We have Team Snoops (downstairs cuddlers Snoops and Angel) and Team Sarge (upstairs cuddlers Sgt Stripes and Gypsy). Onyx is the independent one. She only comes to me when my daughter is gone overnight. And all of them know exactly how to get what they want from me.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Which one was Kommando Kitty? Google shows me video game stuff, but not a real cat.

      Well, you know how I feel. Your cats are all beautiful and have such big personalities, but me and Bud are big fans of your Upstairs Team Sarge Cats, Stripes and Gypsy.

      Sarge is like the natural leader, and Gypsy has such a unique coat color, almost like a faded version of a calico. I feel like Sarge needs an army helmet.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. I’m so sorry, for some reason I thought you meant one of those internet famous cats like Grumpy Cat. I hope I didn’t come off as insensitive.

        She was so beautiful, which is apparent from just those few photos.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Thank you. Kommando was the one cat who actually was mine. I was her favorite human. She was a gentle kitty. We’re pretty sure her sister stayed feral and Sarge was one of her kittens. He has the same gentle personality

        Like

      4. Oh, and thank you, I didn’t know “dilute calico” was a thing. I just googled the term and found lots of great photos, as well as a page claiming people pay thousands for them because of their rarity.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. I didn’t either until I met Gypsy. I thought all calico cats looked like Snoops (more or less). Snoops disparagingly called her diluted. I typed it into Google to find the real name for that pattern, and discovered I’d stumbled onto it. Gypsy seems to be a particularly attractive member of the group

        Like

Leave a comment