Let your pet squish you!
Have you ever had an animal that enjoys laying on you? Like, laying ON you?
Sometimes we call these animals ‘clingy’ or ‘super cuddly’ and sometimes I’ve heard others say that it is because they have separation anxiety with their people, but I want to explain something about this.
Our animals love us. They do, and I hope you already knew that or believed that to be true. If you had doubts I am here to tell you that yes they love you!
When our animals love us, they sometimes reach out for physical touch as a way of sharing and receiving love. One of these ways is pawing you as you pet them so they can “pet” you back, sometimes it’s laying against your leg or at your feet so that they are gently touching you, and sometimes it’s like I already mentioned, they lay completely on you! I find this funny because dogs don’t usually like hugs, a majority do not enjoy that type of squishing. But many of them love being on top of you or in your lap or touching you!
Some people like that their dog or cat sits on their lap or chest. I think it gets more challenging when your pet is upwards of 30 or maybe 50 pounds, but speaking from a 80-90ish pound dog guardian, it can be quite suffocating at times. When they are babies it can be easier to do this, and I really think you should.
Most of the time, or sometimes, we welcome a new dog or cat into our lives, hearts, and homes when they are very young. Typically 8 weeks. If you think about it, at that age they still aren’t fully ready to be independently away from their family unless you are the one stepping in and caring, socializing, and supporting them the way their dog parents would. They are babies, just babies, and around the time they come home, a lot of young animals that I’ve talked to wonder about where their mom is, their siblings are, and how they are doing.
I don’t tell you this to make you sad, because sometimes the thought of this makes me feel like they are so young and alone but when you provide for them the care and love and support to the best of your ability, that their parents would have, you are doing really well and they will thrive. If you worry about this you can explain to them where their family is but most of the grown animals I talk to now don’t really think about it too much unless it was a rescue situation and there are more variables. They consider you to be their family now. They live in the present and so the past doesn’t worry them too much. In my experience, it’s really as a young puppy or kitten (or other baby animal) that they wonder because their mom and siblings are all that they have known so far. So my advice is to support them the best you can. You can’t replace their dog parents or siblings and you shouldn’t helicopter and shadow them (they need independence) but understand they are babies and need unique care at that age.
One of the ways to support them with care is like I mentioned above. Laying close or on you and squishing you (if they are big).
I love it, and I encourage their squishing when I am able to. Why? Because it regulates and bonds you two. Let me explain.
When my Rottweiler was a baby, around 8 weeks or so, I started putting her from my lap to lay on her side on my chest. Her head would tuck under my chin, her chest was on my chest, and she would fall asleep so fast and so deeply. I did this because when I would tune into her, she felt the safety and comfort of my heartbeat and warmth that was so similar to her moms. She not only heard my heartbeat but she could feel my breath in my chest and she could harmonize her energy to mine.
I would take these opportunities for her to lay on me and I would add in Reiki energy work if she accepted it. I would send her so much love and would telepathically (with animal communication) tell her that she was home and safe and so loved with us. That her dog mom loved her, that her siblings loved her, and that this was her new home.
I did this again with my sister's golden retriever puppy as well when he was young. He would fall asleep the same way and I would send him the love too. They both still love to be on top of us and they certainly squish us. They don’t really lay on us the same way they did as babies because they are so much larger but they still try to get a lot of contact with us to share the love.
There is science backing the power of skin to skin contact for human mothers and their babies and I’ve found through my own experience that the heartbeat, breath, and skin contact is also good for the baby animals too. Have you ever hugged someone for longer than a few seconds? Hugging someone face to face for a few minutes can help regulate your nervous system and shoot off so many good things within your brain and body that it can be very supportive to you both. There is also science backing the comfort of weight on us and our relaxation with that weight. Ever heard or have used weighted blankets? Or have cuddled with a young human or loved one? Super comforting.
In an energetic and animal communication sense, our animals want to lay on us because there is that element of connection and harmony together that they enjoy but also just because they love us so much and want to get close to us.
If you don’t already invite those moments, give it a try and allow your animal to choose how close and how much on you they lay, and imagine sending them warm golden light and love to them as you rest together. Let your baby animals or small animals rest up near your heart and lungs, and know that you are both getting beautiful benefits out of it.
You can also learn more about how to provide high quality love and support to your animal friends by learning animal communication! Check out my course Animal Communication Integration on the home page.
Happy snuggling.