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Animal psychic listens to pets
Donetta Zimmerman says she talks to animals. And they talk back.
Hearing loss made communicating with people difficult when she was a kid, but the family pets were always willing to listen, the College Hill woman says.
Now, she helps people who want to know what their cats, dogs, parakeets and even goldfish think. "I consider myself an animal communicator, but I have no problem with the term pet psychic," she said.
Zimmerman, 61, sees black-and-white images "that just flick in my mind" when she communicates with critters.
She asks the questions pet owners want answered while gently touching the animal or aquarium, if it's a fish. She said the answers come in quick mental pictures.
"Rescued animals will always tell you they have been rescued. Most often they are so grateful to the people who've adopted them," she said. "They'll tell me, 'I always have food and no one ever hits me or I'm never just locked in one room.' "
Most people just want to know if their animals are happy and healthy, Zimmerman said. "The people I see are generally people who really care about their animals," she said.
Sometimes, humans want an explanation for their pets' bad behavior.
"It's a behavior question. Why isn't he using the litter box any more? Why does he bite my daughter-in-law? And usually, we can ask enough questions that the animal can explain it to me. They frequently have, for them, a logical reason for why they're doing what they're doing. 'It's dark in the basement, so I go in the living room where there's a light.' Or 'I don't like her perfume so I bite her when she tries to pet me.' To them, it makes sense."
She's been communicating with people's animals for nearly 30 years.
A veterinarian introduced her to a full-time pet psychic, and Zimmerman was thrilled to learn she wasn't the only one.
Back then, Zimmerman rarely discussed her ability to communicate with animals. "I found people looked at me rather weird," she said.
Now, she does about four readings a week, charging for gas money and other expenses. She makes a living as the human resources manager for a company in Batavia.
Zimmerman shares her home with 10 cats. She likes dogs, she said, and they're good conversationalists, but she's not home enough to care properly for a dog.
The cats are always happy to chat, she said.
"They're like spoiled children. When I come home, they tell me all the bad things the other cats did to them."
Hearing loss made communicating with people difficult when she was a kid, but the family pets were always willing to listen, the College Hill woman says.
Now, she helps people who want to know what their cats, dogs, parakeets and even goldfish think. "I consider myself an animal communicator, but I have no problem with the term pet psychic," she said.
Zimmerman, 61, sees black-and-white images "that just flick in my mind" when she communicates with critters.
She asks the questions pet owners want answered while gently touching the animal or aquarium, if it's a fish. She said the answers come in quick mental pictures.
"Rescued animals will always tell you they have been rescued. Most often they are so grateful to the people who've adopted them," she said. "They'll tell me, 'I always have food and no one ever hits me or I'm never just locked in one room.' "
Most people just want to know if their animals are happy and healthy, Zimmerman said. "The people I see are generally people who really care about their animals," she said.
Sometimes, humans want an explanation for their pets' bad behavior.
"It's a behavior question. Why isn't he using the litter box any more? Why does he bite my daughter-in-law? And usually, we can ask enough questions that the animal can explain it to me. They frequently have, for them, a logical reason for why they're doing what they're doing. 'It's dark in the basement, so I go in the living room where there's a light.' Or 'I don't like her perfume so I bite her when she tries to pet me.' To them, it makes sense."
She's been communicating with people's animals for nearly 30 years.
A veterinarian introduced her to a full-time pet psychic, and Zimmerman was thrilled to learn she wasn't the only one.
Back then, Zimmerman rarely discussed her ability to communicate with animals. "I found people looked at me rather weird," she said.
Now, she does about four readings a week, charging for gas money and other expenses. She makes a living as the human resources manager for a company in Batavia.
Zimmerman shares her home with 10 cats. She likes dogs, she said, and they're good conversationalists, but she's not home enough to care properly for a dog.
The cats are always happy to chat, she said.
"They're like spoiled children. When I come home, they tell me all the bad things the other cats did to them."
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