We all know that vets, animal walkers/sitters or anyone that deals with animals, works with the probability that they may get bitten, scratched or nipped at. It doesn’t surprise me at all, in fact you’ve got to expect it in some situations.
What does surprise me is that people often think an Animal Communicator would NOT get bitten at all. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had incidents where an animal has been scared, anxious or outright angry at what’s going on (especially if I’m there to tell them they’re not the B O S S). I’ve still got a scar (smallish) from a big tom cat who was afraid of moving bushes – trust is such a big issue for animals. I rarely get scared or feel like I’m not in control of certain situations. When dealing with animals, I always make sure that my energy is grounded and strong before I enter a home. I connect with the animals prior to the appointment and introduce myself so they are aware there is a visitor coming over.
There has however been one occasion where I was very surprised and had to really work at maintaining my cool. I have a cat named Nero and a snake called Pi. I’ve experienced some interactions with Nero especially when he was going through his teens and he acted out or perhaps played too rough or gotten a little bit out of control – nothing major.
I’ve never had any incident with my little slippery man Pi, never been bitten or snapped at. He’s always been a pleasure to have wrapped around my head while I do the housework or just hang around while I’m working on my laptop.
On this particular occasion I came back to visit the boys (there have been changes on the home front and they’re living with their dad for a couple of weeks) gave Nero a cuddle and then a treat to eat. Now normally I wash my hands and go to play with Pi but this time I was in a rush and needed to leave pretty quickly. I was ungrounded and not maintaining my energy. I felt rushed for time and the fact that I smelled of cat food is not a great mix when playing with your snake.
So guess which hand I chose to greet Pi with? Yep you got, the hand that gave Nero his treat. Pi did his usual slithery dance out of his house and I extended my hand for him to sense me when all of a sudden he bit me – for the 1st time in our 3.5yr relationship. In case you’re wondering, I did let out a little yelp – more in shock than in pain. I’ve never been bitten by a snake before and didn’t know what to expect (Pi is approx 140cm long and 5cm in diameter). He has tiny little teeth and although the actual bite didn’t hurt, he did choose to wrap himself around my wrist while holding on with his vice like grip.
So, what do you do when your snake bites you and won’t let go – DON’T PANIC!
I know, easier said than done but I didn’t panic (even though my heart was racing) and I waited patiently for him to let go of his bite – well 5min later that wasn’t occurring so I decided to place him under running water in the kitchen sink. He let go within 30 sec but still had his body wrapped around my wrist which happened to be changing colour.
By this stage, Pi was panicking which meant his grip was tighter around my wrist – all the while I was working hard to remain calm. It took another 15min for me to get Pi off my wrist and back into his house. Finally both of us had a chance to recompose ourselves and step back into our physical bodies.
I think I’ve learnt my lessons!
1. Wash my hands before handling my snake
2. Being present with them regardless of what’s going on around me
3. I need to be aware of my energy around my animals.
As I’ve always said, our pets reflect what state we’re in. Guess I learned once bitten –twice shy!










