Animal communicator heals pet owners' hearts

Tseng Yi-ju, from Taiwan, works in her pet studio in Xiamen, Fujian province. WANG JINGHAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Tseng Yi-ju, who comes from Taiwan, has served hundreds of pet-owning families on the Chinese mainland, helping people decode the unspoken needs of their animals while healing the hearts of the owners.

With the rapid expansion of the pet market and a growing focus on the human-animal emotional bond, she has found a clear direction for her entrepreneurial career in this emerging field in Xiamen, Fujian province.

"Xiamen feels just like home to me," Tseng said, noting that her move to the coastal city in 2021 was eased by its familiar climate, warm hospitality and strong government support for Taiwan entrepreneurs — including intellectual property workshops that greatly accelerated her start-up's growth.

"People increasingly treat pets as core family members," Tseng said. Her business integrates patented animal communication training and custom pet accessories.

Tseng recalled one corporate executive who joined a session to bridge the gap with younger employees as he wanted to organize pet-centric activities to boost team cohesion, and hoped that understanding pets would help him better connect with the younger generation, as many raise pets.

"The initial and primary motivation of most clients is simply to forge a deeper, more meaningful connection with their own pets," Tseng said, noting that proper communication also offers critical solutions to severe animal behavioral issues.

Tseng shared a case where an indoor cat was constantly biting its own fur bald despite medical tests showing no physical illness. Through a communication session, she discovered the cat felt disturbed and unsafe due to its noisy environment.

This was because the cat owner's former apartment had poor soundproofing and creaky floors.

The owner later reported that the self-harming behavior stopped after she relocated to a quieter residence.

Tseng also helps owners navigate emotional crises during pets' final days. She recalled a client who enrolled because his dog was extremely old, deeply desiring to understand and accompany his companion through its final stage.

Another client sought Tseng's help for an aging cat suffering from severe organ failure following major liver surgery. During that emotional session, they spent most of their time addressing the owner's past regrets and saying a proper goodbye. The cat remarkably stabilized afterward, allowing the owner to adjust his life and maximize their remaining time.

Liu Jingruo, a Xiamen resident, experienced the deep emotional impact of this practice when she sought Tseng's help for her 17-year-old poodle, Youyou, which suffered from a painful, ruptured abdominal cyst.

"Veterinarians across the city warned me that Youyou was too old to survive an operation," Liu said. However, through a joint session with Tseng, she learned that the dog actually desired the surgery so it could leave the world with a whole body.

Tseng maintained constant communication with the owner and the dog right up to the operation. Just three hours after surgery, the elderly poodle managed to stand up independently.

"I burst into tears when I saw it. It was so tough," Liu said. "Though Youyou later passed away, the experience left me with absolutely no lingering regrets."

The experience inspired Liu to study animal communication herself, finding it deeply therapeutic. She now allows her middle-school child to join the training to help the teenager understand the pure, selfless love that animals offer.

Liu said that there are times when her child prefers to confide in the family pet rather than speak to her. "The animal might give the child a gentle gaze or a very calming feeling," she said.

Sun Xiaonan, another student, found that studying communication heightened her ability to manage multi-pet households, especially after she adopted a fierce stray cat that bullied her resident pet.

Sun discovered that her resident cat was enduring immense stress just to keep the peace and spare its owner from conflict. By providing targeted reassurance, Sun successfully gave the animal an emotional outlet, preventing further stress accumulation.

"Having reliable, trustworthy animal communicators is essential for modern families," Sun said, adding that she believes this specialized emotional support is quickly shaping up to be a major future trend across the mainland market.

Liu Yizhou and Wang Jinghan contributed to this story.