- Emily Cook got her fabulous feline Cole from a local shelter
- He quickly settled into his new home with Emily and her son
- Then one day he started showing a strange interest in her Tarot cards
Here Emily, 46, tells their story in her own words…
That’s the one I want, Mum,’ my son Carson, then nine, said, pointing to a photo of a sleek black puss on the computer.
‘He’s beautiful,’ I agreed.
Following my divorce a year earlier, my boy and I had been living in rental accommodation.
But as soon as I bought a house, in December 2018, the first thing on my list to get was not a Christmas tree – but a cat!
I hadn’t been able to have one in our rental, and I’d always loved cats.
I let Carson choose one from our local shelter’s website after our move.
But when I read the description, my jaw dropped.
At just six months old, the kitty had been rehomed twice. It broke my heart.
That poor puss, I thought, and went to the shelter.
‘Don’t worry. We’ll always love and take care of you,’ I gently told him.
He was named Cole – probably because he was as black as coal.
Back home, Cole bonded with Carson straight away, curling up beside him at night.
And he became a smoochy boy with us both.
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But we had no idea Cole had a secret talent.
I’d always been interested in tarot cards and kept a deck in a cup holder in the arm of the couch.
One day, Cole started rifling through the cards with his paws.
Then, quick as a flash, he grabbed one in his teeth, dropped it on the floor, and stared at me.
‘What the heck?’ I gasped. ‘Are you reading tarot?’
It was both incredible and eerie.
From then on, when he picked a card, I rewarded him with his favourite chicken kibble.
And soon he was doing it regularly – and with uncanny accuracy.
When I had dramas at work, he picked the Seven of Swords, a card that calls for caution.
Within a month, I lost my job!
Another time during a shaky relationship, Cole chose The Lovers reversed, which means disharmony, and Death, representing an ending.
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Sure enough, we broke up.
Wanting to share Cole’s gift with others, I set up a TikTok page.
To my amazement, he went viral, attracting almost 60,000 followers.
People could join a waitlist for readings by donating a minimum of $5 to a wellness charity.
When Cole goes near the tarot cards, I grab my phone, announce whose turn it is, and film him.
Fans love seeing which cards he’ll choose and what the readings reveal.
Cole, now nine, inspired me to embrace my spirituality and leave a stressful corporate job.
Today I’m pursuing my dream as a singer and songwriter, while working locally as a chiropractor’s receptionist, which I love.
Black cats are linked to witches, as companions, serving as a bridge between realms, as Cole’s fans often point out.
This is just like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and her talking cat, one joked.
Although Cole doesn’t quite talk, he certainly makes his feelings known!
I feel so blessed that my mystical, magical moggy chose us.
Follow on TikTok @mycatdoestarot
