I’ve been dealing with a particularly challenging kitten rescue situation this week.

And I’ve noticed that, as usual, when I decide to handle such a complex case, I end up feeling emotionally drained.

As an animal lover reading this, you’ve probably felt a strong emotional connection to an animal’s suffering before.

Perhaps it was when your pet got sick or when you rescued a helpless kitten or puppy from the street.

The truth is that not everyone cares as deeply about animals as we do.

Many people are indifferent to animals and would walk past a dying dog on the street without trying to help.

Worse yet, some human beings are downright cruel to animals, whether through neglecting or abusing them.

But not us. We are the voices for the voiceless, the angels of the animal world.

And do you know why?

It’s not just that we’re good people who feel compassion for all living things, but because we’re animal empaths.

What is an animal empath?

It’s a term I came across recently when reading “The Empath’s Survival Guide” by Judith Orloff.

As soon as I learned about animal empaths, I understood why I am the way I am.

So, I want to share this concept with you so that you, too, can understand where your deep empathy for animals comes from and the positive and negative ways it can affect you.

What Is An Empath?

Before I explain what an animal empath is, let’s talk about empaths.

You’ve likely heard this term before, but perhaps you don’t fully understand it.

So, let me break it down.

Sympathy and empathy are not the same thing.

Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. Empathy is experiencing someone else’s emotions, pain, or suffering as if it were your own.

Not every human being has empathy. It’s easy to spot someone who lacks this essential trait.

However, empathy levels can also vary significantly.

People who have exceptionally high empathy levels are known as empaths.

Empaths don’t just understand the feelings of others; they actually take on those feelings.

But in the case of an animal empath, they take on the feelings and suffering of animals…

What Is An Animal Empath?

An animal empath is one of the six types of empaths and often, a particular kind of emotional empath.

Emotional empaths are highly attuned to others’ feelings. They can feel and absorb the emotions of others as if they were their own.

Animal empaths, however, are specifically attuned to the feelings of animals.

We share a profound bond with the animal kingdom and have a way of communicating with them and understanding them on an intuitive level.

It’s not that we don’t care about human suffering; we really do. It’s just that when you’re an animal empath, you feel so much more immense sadness towards animal suffering.

As an animal empath, you may feel this bond with all animals or more strongly with a particular species.

For instance, while the suffering of all animals affects me, seeing a cat in distress is an incredibly intense experience. This is why I would consider myself a ‘cat empath’ (yes, I just coined this term).

Moreover, I feel deeply attuned to the emotions and needs of cats.

I often sense when a cat is in pain, sick, or needs help. And when I’m caring for a sick rescue cat, I absorb its pain on an emotional level.

The emotional pain I experience from seeing and dealing with cat suffering manifests as a range of emotions:

• Despair
• Helplessness
• Anger
• Intense protectiveness towards that cat

When you feel such a deep connection towards animals, you may feel that it is your responsibility to help them all.

That’s why animal empaths are often drawn to work in animal welfare.

Many of us, including animal rescuers, fosterers, veterinarians, animal rights advocates, and animal communicators, are driven by our empathic connection with animals.

The Benefits Of Being An Animal Empath

Being an animal empath is not just a label; it’s a unique way of relating to animals. We connect to animals in a way that most people don’t, and we hold the power to make a difference in their lives.

But our connection to them goes beyond just enjoying their company or finding them cute. Like many animal empaths, I feel a deep karmic bond with cats.

Let’s take a look at some of the positive animal empath traits.

1. Deep Sense Of Peace & Happiness Around Animals

Finding solace and healing by being around animals is one of the most apparent signs of animal empathy.

For us, having animals in our lives offers a profound sense of peace and connection, something that many people may not fully comprehend. This is because we feel the love and affection from our pets on a deep, empathic level.

For instance, when Georgie, my ex-feral three-legged cat, sits next to me on the sofa and wraps his tail around me, I feel nothing less than unconditional love.

But the key difference between an animal empath and an animal lover is how we see animals.

Despite being a different species, when I look at cats, I see them as the same as me. I also often understand them more than I do most humans!

2. Intuitive Understanding Of Animals Needs

I sometimes feel like I have a telepathic connection with cats. I can pick up on their needs and feelings very quickly.

For example, if a cat appears only mildly sick, sometimes I will intuitively feel that their sickness is much more severe.

This intuition can be extremely helpful, allowing me to act fast and get cats medical treatment before their symptoms escalate.

This intuitive understanding of animals’ needs can also facilitate communication with them.

While I’m not an animal communicator by any means, I sometimes feel that I can let cats know that they are safe.

For example, if I’m trying to rescue a scared kitten, I will slow-blink at them to tell them I’m not a threat.

Almost immediately, I see their impression change, and their body relaxes. They might not approach me, but often, they will ‘slow blink’ back.

We will do this a few times back and forth, communicating an unspoken sense of trust and kindness. After doing this, I often feel that the cat understands I’m helping them.

Interestingly, science has confirmed that slow-blinking at a cat works. In a 2020 study, researchers found that the slow blink can help to form positive emotional communication between cats and humans.

3. Making A Positive Difference In Animals Lives

Because we have such a deep connection with animals, we often feel called to help them. In fact, not helping an animal in need isn’t an option for an animal empath.

Thanks to our high empathy, we help sick stray animals get the medical treatment they need and find homes for street kittens and puppies.

Moreover, sometimes, our animal empathy can motivate us to make a more significant change in animals’ lives.

We feel called to raise awareness and educate others on animal welfare. We advocate for change, speaking up for those who have no voice.

Here’s a personal example of this…

I’ve seen so many kittens be born on the streets and die before they reach six months old. It breaks my heart every single time.

Initially, I focused on saving the kittens, but I soon realized the answer was to tackle the root cause of the issue—the high unsterilized cat population.

This pushed me into TNR, trapping and sterilizing stray cats in the community.

And let me tell you, trapping feral cats is not easy work. But when you care so deeply about the welfare of animals, it’s something you’re willing to do.

The Challenges Of Being An Animal Empath

While being an animal empath is beautiful, there is also a dark side.

Because we have such a strong desire to help animals, we can take on too much and become consumed by their suffering.

Let’s discuss further the challenges we face as animal empaths.

1. Emotional Overload & Burnout

While animals are comforting and healing for us, they can cause emotional distress if we’re unable to manage our animal empath traits.

For example, when your pet or an animal you care for is very sick, this will immensely affect you. I mean, to the level that you struggle to do or think about anything else.

That animal’s suffering consumes you.

You fixate on them, and your mind runs wild as you try to devise a plan to save them.

And if, despite your best efforts, you’re not able to save them, you don’t only grieve their death, you grieve for all the animals that die on the streets everyday.

There are two reasons for this:

1. You experience their suffering in the form of emotional pain (as explained above)
2. You feel responsible for their wellbeing, which we will discuss next…

2. Feeling Overly Responsible For Their Wellbeing

You know how a parent feels responsible for their child’s health and happiness?

As animal empaths, we can often feel responsible for ALL animals.

When we choose to help an animal in need, we don’t do it half-heartedly. We take full responsibility for their wellbeing and do everything we can to help them.

It’s a huge challenge because we often take on more than we can handle.

We find it too hard to say no to a sick animal. And if we don’t have the time to help, we sacrifice our self-care.

This is the downside of being an animal empath, and if we don’t learn how to control it and set boundaries to protect our wellbeing, we will find ourselves dealing with the following…

3. Compassion Fatigue

As Judith Orloff writes in her book “The Empath’s Survival Guide,” empaths are at risk of compassion fatigue.

Compassion fatigue is a stress-related condition that occurs from caring so much for so many others. It’s prevalent among animal rescuers, veterinarians, and health care professionals.

After dealing with so many sick animals, you can start to feel like you have nothing left to give.

Compassion fatigue can manifest as various symptoms, including:

• Chronic tiredness
• Disrupted or lack of sleep
• Anxiety
• Chronic headaches
• Digestive issues
• Irritability
• Numbness
• A decreased sense of purpose

Animal empaths develop compassion fatigue as a result of the following:

1. Overgiving – They take on too much pain from too many animals. They try to help and heal so many and feel responsible if the animals in their care do not improve or, worse, pass away.
2. Neglecting self-care – When empaths neglect self-care, it’s hard for them to feel the joy of helping others, and it severely impacts their health.

If you rescue, foster or work with animals and are battling with compassion fatigue, I’ve created something for you…

The Animal Worker’s Self-Care Handbook is a FREE, interactive guide to help you reset, reconnect, and keep going without burning out.

Inside you’ll find:

• Quick 1-minute reset rituals to calm your nervous system in the middle of chaos
• Reflective emotional check-ins to help you process what you’re holding
• Stress-soothing tools designed specifically for the unique challenges of animal work

Download the handbook here:

Being An Animal Empath: A Gift Or A Curse?

Thankfully, there are things we can do as animal empaths to protect our energy, which I detail in my article ‘How To Prevent Compassion Fatigue As An Animal Empath’.

These daily rituals and practices will help you recharge and safeguard your energy so that you can continue to be an angel for the animals!

When we learn how to care for ourselves alongside our furry friends, we can continue to serve the animal world, make a positive impact, AND stay sane and healthy!

I’d love to know what you think about this concept. Do you identify as an animal empath? Let me know in the comments!