I've been asked to clarify. I hate doing that because I see the belief in animal communication as being a faith type of thing and I do figure that faiths are personal so I've been tip-toeing. I can clarify my own beliefs, though. My belief is that an assortment of people are involved on both sides of the issue. Some animal communicators, I believe, are well meaning folks who don't realize on the surface what pieces of info they are putting together from their observations. Observation is a very powerful tool and it is very easy to not be able to put into words WHY an observation may result in the feeling it creates. It is somewhat easier when a person has read references on the topic. Examples: Take neoteny (also called juvenilization) where juvenile characteristics persist into adulthood. Without knowing of the concept and the word a person might have the feeling that was happening -- and may put together the concept on her or his own -- but having read of it then the related things come to the fore and are recognized more easily. Ditto, many medical things. How many times have we all read of what sounds like classic cases of adrenal neoplasia or insulinoma but the people involved with those ferrets don't recognize it because they don't know that the pieces fit a pattern? In fact, we all also know that each of us gets upset when a ferret is ill and may not put things together specifically because of that upset, even when we do know the pattern. I know I've done that. I think that the well meaning communicators may be very observant individuals who just don't put together the "why aspects" when they come to certain conclusions. Then again, there are the not good people who get involved, whether for money (using tricks like the ones discussed at a subset of the site Dr. Kemmerer gave http://www.randi.org/library/coldreading/index.html which is a very eye-opening read), but there are also people like the one Amy ran into who use their claims to harass others, and when they find someone who is affected enough even come back later to hurt yet more. Used that way, such a claim of special powers is a mentally ill power game designed to find people to hurt and nothing more. Anyway, I have a feeling -- and this is just my belief -- that a number of folks who figure that they are animal communicators are people who could make fine behavioral biologists if they read enough to have words for the "whys" of their observations and began spending more time working on the whys themselves. Therefore, to the question of books on animal communication, working from what I hold as my personal truth, I'd have to answer, "Go to the websites of some good universities and find out what texts, and other references if one is very serious, are being used by classes on animal behavior, and also read about symptoms of diseases and disorders. Get yourself those sources of info and have fun with them!" I pretty well see those who don't learn about the "whys" as being folks who could be real assets to the furthering of bodies of knowledge if they got over that hump so I feel sadly deprived about them as possible lost resources (hopefully temporarily only), and that's just me, take it or leave it. --- Yes, food can make poop seem stinkier if fish is in it, especially if the people dislike fish, but it is not only a good protein source, but it is an important nutrient source for specific Omega Fatty Acids. You will find some excellent posts on aspects of this by the vet Dr. Jerry Murray at http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG11849 http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG10459 http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG10399 http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG9239 http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG4221 (alternative) http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG3330 (kidney disease food with) [Posted in FML issue 4083]