Amy Allan is a paranormal researcher, physical medium, cohost of The Dead Files, and -- perhaps most importantly -- a cat lover.
In The Dead Files, a TV show on the Travel Channel, Allan teams up with Steve di Schiavi, a retired homicide detective, as they travel to locations across America to investigate paranormal phenomena. Allan and di Schiavi conduct separate investigations: di Schiavi depends on his detective knowhow, and Allan listens to what spirits have to tell her. At the end of the show, they convene and share what they each discovered.
Allan's first experience with the paranormal took place when she was only four years old and was tormented by beings she called “shadow people.” As she got older, she came to the conclusion that these shadow people were spirits of people who had passed, and she started seeing other spirits as well.
Today she is committed to solving the mysteries of the paranormal. She is also committed to her three rescue cats: Yugi, a talkative tortoiseshell who is the queen bee of the household; Omi, a shy calico who keeps to herself; and Uma, a beautiful 17-year old Maine Coon with the energy of a kitten. Allan even has two Hello Kitty tattoos, which she considers a tribute to all cats.
Many of us think that cats have souls, but can cats communicate from beyond the grave? Allan believes they can.
When her cat Pig, Uma's twin brother, passed away, Allan had a difficult time letting him go and believes his spirit was trapped with her. “He was trying to be there for me, and it was a very selfish thing for me to do,” she says. A friend of hers had recently died, and Allan says this friend did an intervention. “She came and told me that I had to tell him to go and release him, even though it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.”
Losing a cat, or any pet, is painful. Allan believes it is important to keep the well-being of your pet's spirit in mind, as well as your own. “When it is the end of the pet's life, it's important to make it as easy a transition as possible, and make sure you do release them and allow them to go on,” she says.
Some people opt to preserve their pet's body through taxidermy, but Allan thinks this is unwise. She believes it's important for an animal's soul to be released, but when she sees a stuffed pet she sees the animal's soul still trapped in its body. Keeping ashes, however, doesn't come with the same risks -- she believes cremation is a cleansing process and allows their spirit to be released.
On The Dead Files, Allan usually investigates paranormal activity involving human spirits, but she says animal spirits also come to her. While humans have a lot to communicate (they have “a lot of baggage,” she says), the spirits of pets communicate something simpler. She says that, usually, they just want to let their owners know that they're OK. “It's a very selfless type of energy,” she explains.
Not all animal spirits are completely selfless, though. Allan told the story of a dog who had passed away and was then jealous of the birds his owner adopted. The owner had no idea what was causing the birds to act strangely, but Allan thought that the dog's spirit was tormenting the birds. Eventually, the birds died; Allan believes the dog killed them.
If you're interesting in trying to communicate with a pet who has passed away and you're considering a pet medium or pet psychic, Allan recommends not providing any information about your pet besides its name. The type of animal, gender, or pictures should not be necessary. “You want a valid reading, and the only way to do that is through an unbiased reading,” she explains.
Allan herself used to do readings and would never ask for any information -- not even who the person wanted to contact. "Whatever needs to come through, comes through,” she says.
Allan also believes that cats and other animals can see spirits. “They are able to interact, see them, hear them, play with them, and be afraid of them,” she says. She believes her cat Uma is especially open to seeing spirits, and she sees her playing with and even being pet by dead people. Yugi, on the other hand, is terrified of people in general, and Allan says that she hides under the covers when spirits are near.
Have you ever communicated with or felt the presence of a cat who has passed away? Do you think your cats can see dead people? Share your stories in the comments!