Catherine, thank you for sharing this incredibly bittersweet story! And I do believe it was the same crow because of what I experienced with my snakes (not your favourite, I know!).

You said it was as though the crow was listening and I believe it was, because there was a period of time when I used the services of an animal communicator to help me with my last two snakes (well, Bob was also the first one I ever had, I had him for about 12 years while others came and went).

He hadn't been eating for a couple of months and the vet didn't know why. I had to take him for awful force-feedings every other days. He detested the car rides in his box, and wasn't happy about the force-feedings, although he was always such a good boy and tolerated them.

Long story short, it was terribly stressful on him and the vet was still at a loss.

After 2 months, the advice was that if he wouldn't eat in a week I should put him down. I was absolutely devastated. A friend recommended this animal communicator and I tried it out of desperation. I couldn't bear the idea of losing this little guy. We had such a special bond of trust and connection after what he'd been through prior to him coming into my life.

Everything the animal communicator said about Bob and what was happening in his world and mine was accurate. I'd moved into a new home 2 months earlier and had to put the snakes' tanks in a room where I didn't spend a lot of time. He was in my husband's office, across from the the desk where my husband sat on days he was working from home, and in the evenings.

It had been a busy period shredding the old cottage and restoring it. I hadn't seen much of him while we were getting settled. Prior to that, Bob had always been in my room or my office, so he saw a lot more of me, plus I held him way more.

He told the a.c. that he missed me, he didn't see me anymore. And that "Dad" was often across the room with his back to him.

He said that if we moved him to a place where he could be with me more like before, he would eat in 2 days.

We moved the tanks into our bedroom that day, and 2 days later, he ate.

It was like this for the next 7 years, which were fraught with personal challenges for me, my marriages etc. Every time Bob went off his food or was obviously in distress, the a.c. tuned in and got it right. Incredulous on two particular occasions after connecting with Bob - and knowing nothing of what was happening in my life - he said, "Did Reg (husband) move out??" Yes. Another was "Is Willow (daughter) moving back to Canada??" Yep.

Things that were deeply upsetting to me and Bob was aware and so worried for me, he would stop eating.

Through Mason (a.c.), I was able to hear what Bob's concerns for me were, and tell him what he needed to hear. He would always eat again exactly when Mason told me Bob said he would.

Mason even nailed it when Fluffy (my last boa) had been off his food for a loooong time. Mason told him Fluffy wanted to go to the vet and that he needed blood tests. He said, "He's telling me the answer is in his blood. He has cancer."

I went to the vet with Fluffy that week, and sure enough, he had leukemia. He nailed it around the same time with Bob having a tumour in his tummy - and helped me with figuring out what they both needed, especially when it came to having to put both of them around the same time. They wanted to go together, but they were both worried about me losing both of them at once. The last thing I could do to repay them for their love and concern for me was to let them go together. They left this life in back-to-back appointments.

I'm sorry for the looong response (there's so much to tell about what happened during my years with my boys and especially the years with Mason helping us - hence, a series of stories here!). I just really wanted you to know that when you were talking to that crow about the cigarette butts and afterward, it was listening. It heard every word, and no doubt followed your car because it knew you needed the company.

I hope you have more visits with crows or other animal messengers who can help you.

Thank you for sharing this story, Catherine. I hope it brings comfort to others who are grieving, too. 💜