“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi

This is the first in a series of articles I plan to write about interspecies communication. This true story occurred about twelve years ago while we were living in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico.

My family was used to having wild animals appear on, or pass across, our property. Deer, coyotes, Easter bunnies, and the usual squirrels and prairie dogs. A friendly roadrunner (beep beep) will appear in a future DOTS thoughtform.

That year delivered a particularly beautiful Spring. I happily embraced the habit of taking my work outside, easy to do as a writer.  After a couple of weeks of this, I was sitting  quietly, sipping coffee and enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. In the blink of an eye, I looked down to see that I was no longer alone.

Joining me on the sun porch were two tiny, energetic, bright-eyed kittens. At first, I thought they were domesticated cats, household pets belonging to one of our neighbors. I didn’t catch on to the truth right away; they looked like Pixie-Bobs. (A Pixie-Bob is a domestic cat that looks very similar to the North American Bobcat.)

Interestingly enough, these little kits seemed to trust me right away. They grew so comfortable with me that they often sunned themselves very near my lounge chair. A couple of times, they actually jumped onto the comfy cushions and sat next to me! (This happened while they were still quite small.)

The kittens appreciated the water and the kibbles I offered them. Their visits with me became a daily ritual, and I enjoyed their company. After a few weeks, however, it became abundantly clear that these were NOT the neighbor’s cats. These were not Pixie-Bobs. These were real bobcat kittens! This is about the time I embraced the word, “Kawabunga.”

It is also around the time that we realized an undeniable truth: that I had been hanging out with wild animals on a daily basis (for weeks!).

Soon after that, my husband met “Mama.” She was coming up the path from our backyard as he was heading down the same set of steps.  During this confrontation, Mama did not react aggressively. She and my husband held a short staring contest as he slowly backed away to the safety of our house.

Then, Mama Bobcat called her kittens to her and they all returned to the little nook where they lived, a grassy enclave under a gorgeous olive tree, located immediately behind our back fence. That area bordered a 500-year flood plain.

I believe that Mama gave birth to her kits within that private and hidden space near our home Within that velvety niche, she snuggled down to care for them . . . that is, until the time came when she was forced to leave her babies for short periods to hunt for food.

As crazy as it sounds, I also believe that Mama Bobcat “surveyed” the overall situation and instinctively understood that the energetic “vibes” my husband and I emitted were harmless, non-threatening.

On the day that her kits first came to me, Mama must have been watching, unseen, tense and alert. Mama must have registered my delight (and caring reaction) as her kittens crept up to me. Once she confirmed that, not only would I not hurt her babies, I would actually care for them, Mama left me to “babysit” while she went hunting!

AMAZING BUT TRUE. BELIEVE ME, I KNOW HOW CRAZY THIS SOUNDS.

And, like I said, this maternal “agreement” went on for weeks. A couple of mornings, I caught sight of Mama right after the kittens came to “hang with me” on the upper redwood deck of our house.

We made eye contact, Mama Bobcat and me, and sealed our unspoken (but clear) arrangement, mother-to-mother. I sent her a mental message: “I’ve got it,” I told her. “No need to worry. I’ll watch over them ’til you can come back with dinner.”

The healthy babies grew quickly. It’s astounding how fast they grew. For her safety, for our safety, and for the well-being of the community as a whole, I knew that Mama Bobcat must take her babies to a higher elevation, sooner rather than later.

When the bobcat kittens were big enough to travel with their mother to the safety of the distant mountains, I prayed and meditated about how I could convey such an urgent message to Mama Bobcat . . . that it was time to leave, posthaste.

The guidance came to me as a clear, unambiguous thought. Do what other animals do to claim or re-claim a territory. It was something that I could not easily do myself (as a female human) but my husband agreed to do the deed.

So, in the middle of the night, while our neighbors slept, my “manly-man” drank an impressive amount of water, and then urinated around the fenced perimeter surrounding our house.

While my husband took care of business, I sent Mama another mental message: “It’s no longer safe for you here. Other humans might hurt you and your babies. You must leave now.”

Mama Bobcat got the message; she took her kittens to the safety of the Sandia Mountains the next day.

The photo that appears with the title of this article is a superb stock picture from photobucket.com. HOWEVER, the following video is one that my husband took of “our” true-to-life bobcat kittens about a week before their Mama took them to the high country. This is footage of the real bobcats that I served as “nanny” to.

The kits were a little skittish of the camera (and of my husband) at first, but they had grown so comfortable at our place by then, that they relaxed right away, even as we filmed them. As you will see, these wild kittens were adorable . . . so playful, so free.

You can easily “quick click” on the following link to see the video on You Tube; it’s titled “DOTS (short for Dance of the Spirit) Bobcat Kittens”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCAn1hIq4Zc

For a long time after they left our property, I missed those little “fur balls”. I had truly grown fond of those two. And, I still think about them whenever I hike in nearby woods, wondering how they are …. Are they still alive? Have they had kittens of their own?

I also think about Mama Bobcat. About the connection with me that she initiated. An understanding between mothers that crossed that profound, invisible boundary that usually separates all animal species. A  line that wild creatures are not known to cross (as a rule), especially with humans.

What made her trust me? I will never know the answer to that question. I do know that the experience profoundly changed me. Forever.

My best guess is that Mama Bobcat trusted her extrasensory instincts and I am so grateful that she did. That I passed such a test touches my heart and soul in a way that mere words cannot express. It was a gift, a blessing, another learning lesson from the Universe … the message underscoring, yet again, that love knows no limitation.

Perhaps, Mama Bobcat, her kittens, my husband and I were early “explorers” of a new frontier. A new earth. Maybe we are part of a growing group of humans (and animals), expanding and engaging in interspecies communication.

Is it possible for mankind and all of the animals that

share this beautiful, blue planet to peacefully co-exist?

Is it conceivable that we can/will relate (and communicate) with other creatures in different (more positive) ways as we evolve? As our Collective Consciousness evolves? If that is true, what an honor it was to be given a glimpse of that future world!

Henry David Thoreau said it best: “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.”