'My cat had a psychic reading and his list of demands was outrageous'

Irish Daily Mirror

6 days ago

Animal psychic Jackie Weaver is renowned for being able to read the minds of pets around the world, and my cat seems to have a sixth sense too. Five minutes before Jackie arrives at my home, the normally laid back British Blue Shorthair is on high alert. Usually to be found hanging out by his food bowl or snoozing in his favourite cat carrier, Humphrey has scarpered by the time the psychic knocks on my door.
With animal psychic readings said to be increasing in popularity - particularly on social media platforms like TikTok - Mirror UK Online decided to give it a whirl and sought out the creme de la creme of experts. Jackie is a celebrity psychic who has done readings for Coronation Street legend Bill Roache's (Ken Barlow) dogs and Welsh actor Matthew Rhys' horses - but can she accurately analyse my pride and joy?
Luckily Humphrey's nosey side wins out and by the time I've learned all about the psychic's incredible career, he has reappeared - just in time for his reading. It's fair to say Humphrey wasn't too keen on having his thoughts read at first. When he met Jackie, he jumped onto the kitchen table, rolled onto his side looking at her enticingly to lure her in and then, when she stroked him, to my horror he went in for the kill.
First came the warning bite before he gave the psychic's hand several whacks with his paw, with his tail lashing away furiously in the background. "You told me you weren't mean," laughed Jackie, as my angry cat turned upside down and much to my mortification, attacked her with his paws once again. Bumpy introduction over and soon they're soon 'chatting away'.
"I'm going to ask him to tell me about himself and see what he comes up with," she says, laughingly telling me the first thing Humphrey tells her is: "I do lazy really well". Spot on! Humphrey says he often gets under my feet too which is also correct as he's forever trying to kill me on the stairs.
My cat tells Jackie he enjoys it when my young daughter covers him with a blanket and draws pictures of him. He confesses to naughtily tapping her on the head with his paws occasionally too.
I urge Jackie to ask Humphrey why he won't sleep in my daughter's bedroom, something she's keen to make happen and he says she'll need to be less hands on and stop talking in her sleep. "He's saying: 'I'm just looking'," says Jackie of the approach he wants her to take when it comes to her endless cuddles. "That's his advice to her." Humphrey opened up to Jackie on a wide variety of subjects
Humphrey says the word "biscuits" to Jackie too, which stuns me because my daughter used to sneak cat biscuits upstairs to try and tempt him into her room, at least until I put a stop to it. Humphrey is childlike himself, Jackie says, picking up on the fact he sleeps in my bed and likes to switch between the top and bottom ends of it.
He tells her about his cat pals in the neighbourhood - a "small, cute tabby" who fits the description of my neighbour's cat and a "black and white tuxedo" moggie who pops in occasionally.
So how would Humphrey describe his life? "Very easy indeed". His only complaint seems to be about the vet - he's keen to tell me his teeth and ears are absolutely fine and don't need examining anymore. His only ailment, he tells Jackie, is coughing up the occasional furball.
The most surprising request Humphrey makes concerns the outdoors, with Jackie accurately picking up on the fact he spends most of his time in the back garden and rarely ventures out front. "Cat mint," Humphrey tells me through the psychic. Our cat used to have this plant in the garden of our old house and it seems he'd like it in our new one too.
"I had no idea I was psychic for a long time," says Jackie of how she got started in the business. "I got to my early 40s and got stage four cancer, they only gave me four weeks to live. That was in 2005 and it wasn't my time to go, I had loads of chemotherapy. At that point I had no physical strength. We had horses and dogs and I booked an animal communicator as a treat to come and talk to them.
"She talked to my rescue dog who told her I could communicate too and the penny dropped. She showed me how to do it - when it comes into your head it often sounds like your own thoughts and you have to learn to distinguish between the two."
Jackie is busier than ever, with her clients ranging from everyday people to high-flyers and famous faces. She focuses on spirit work and end of life, saying it's most rewarding and most needed. "Animals are so accepting of going to heaven," she says, detailing how she often passes on a dying pet's last request.
Jackie has worked with a wide range of animals including horses, dogs, ferrets and even a kangaroo. She recently did a reading for her first bearded dragon. "It said to me: 'My skin's actually soft'," she said. "He looked very spiky on the picture but his owner confirmed the skin on his belly was very soft."
Another client was a guide dog who became unusually stressed when his blind owner, who rode horses, took her wheelbarrow over to the manure heap at the stables. "She pulled the wheelbarrow behind her and the dog told me: 'She's not got a guide'," said Jackie. "I suggested she started pushing the wheelbarrow in front of her and her dog was fine watching her from then on."
The psychic, who declined to say how much she charges and asked for a donation to an animal charity in lieu of a fee from Mirror UK Online, works around the world mainly by phone. She is able to work from a picture of description or even just a description of an animal and is particularly sought after in the United States and Australia.
While I tried to keep an open mind about Humphrey's reading I am a natural cynic, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned. Jackie's analysis was pretty accurate and while there were no huge revelations there were takeaways I will put into practice.
Above all, by the time Jackie had left I was reassured I have a very happy cat. I can definitely see how her readings bring comfort to people whose pets have recently passed away and with a nation full of pet lovers, can only see the popularity of animal psychics increasing.
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