Catwom3,
I haven't been here very often of late, but I happened to check in tonight and noticed your subject....one near and dear to my heart. But first-off, please accept my condolences on the passing of your dear, 16 year-old cat and know that I understand the need to continue your relationship and contact, even though its form has changed now. I could STILL talk to my girl every week, if I were rich enough to afford it!
But to give you my take on your 2 subjects:
1.) I've noticed this differing perspective among a few communicators, too, although most I've talked to no longer hold to a set time frame for a first communication. (this used to be more common about a decade ago) The first one I ever used (who was fabulous at it!)
used to do this (I believe her wait period was a minimum of 3 months, but preferably 6), but in later years she stopped using that protocol for some reason. I never found out why because by the time I heard about this change, she'd already moved onto other things and was no longer providing ACing services.
In any case, I've wondered if perhaps this has more to do with them simply not wishing to 'deal' with the high emotionality of the newly grieving, more than anything else. If so, I suppose one could hardly blame them, as this is a very 'touchy' time and if they don't have a counseling background, it might be difficult for them to handle well. Equally, it could simply be tied into how all things 'energetic' have magnified on the planet over the last while, and so perhaps it was just harder to pick up on these newly-transitioned souls in the past. So this could be something your communicator learned was so THEN, but hasn't revisited more recently to see if anything's changed.
I have also heard a more reasoned approach, I think, and that is that as with anything else,
it's all very individually-based. Some animals, JUST like some humans, seem to need a sort of 'rest' period upon arrival in the other realms. The length of this rest period varies according to the individual and supposedly also according to the length and severity of their illness, whether their death was sudden or not, etc., etc., etc. But nothing is written in stone as to reasons why this may be, and many communicators (and human mediums) will tell you they're uncertain what the reasons really are.....if they're honest, that is. I'd also had a few tell me that they would TRY, but if they sensed the animal's energy was too weak yet (or the animal simply told them they weren't ready to chat yet), they just wouldn't charge for it and I could try again a few wks. later.
While I'm talking below about signs, and not formal communications with ACers, the ENERGY is what's important here. In other words, if you can get a sign, there shouldn't be any reason you can't communicate with an individual. Getting a sign indicates that their energy is strong, focused, full of capability and NOT 'at rest.'
So I CAN tell you, first-hand and for certain, that my boy began sending very clear, definitive messages to both me and his sister (when she was still with me) only a day or two after he crossed,
even though he'd had a traumatic and quite swift illness, and what
seemed, on the surface at least, to be a very difficult passing. We both heard auditory signs very clearly and loudly and I personally felt him nuzzling my ear and tromping my hair, just as he was known to do. He came through loud and clear, just as he'd always done with me while here in the flesh. He'd always just been very GOOD at these kinds of things.
And yet his sister (by blood), who was with me for a much longer time, did not (at least not early on), and according to her distance Reiki practi*tioner (for over 6 yrs.' time) sensed that she WAS taking & needing a short resting period....but that lasted for only for about 2 wks. Her illness was chronic, slow and lengthy, if that's any indication of anything. She, by comparison, has sent only subtler signs for the most part....similar to her telepathic style when she was on earth. I did have a communication with her a fairly short time after her passing, whereas I'd had to wait many months for one with my boy (with that first communicator),
despite his strong presence around us. So I suspect it's rather a stupidly rigid rule.
As well, it does appear to be true, in mine and others' experience, that some of us are just better at sending messages than others are, both while in the earthly realm and seemingly translated into the higher realms as well. And some of us are better attuned as receivers. Mediumship is as much an art as anything else and some are just better at it than others (even if we ARE all capable to some degree), so perhaps this wait period is ALSO a mark of how receptive any one communicator is, or isn't. Or, maybe it's only their beliefs that muck up their 'antennas'.
Let's also not forget that there are literally THOUSANDS of accounts of people seeing, touching and even having two-way conversations with spirits (of any species) who have crossed over mere moments before, when the person who saw, spoke to, touched them,
weren't even aware that individual had JUST crossed! So, it does appear to be VERY individual by nature as to time frame.
You might just want to take a look at dozens of ACer's websites to see how many agree or disagree with each other's messages from the animals....also trying to find out just how MANY communications each one has done. Myself, I tend to listen more keenly to the ones who've done thousands, as that seems to be more fairly representative of the diversity or similarity in the info. they've amassed from the souls in question. However, that said, there's never anything MORE powerful and affirming than having your own, DIRECT experience, should you be so fortunate.
2.) Okay, I just have to shake my head at this one. My personal opinion, but taken from my intuitive 'knowings', is that this is nothing more than the usual human arrogance and insistence that this species, and this species ONLY, is somehow "superior" to all other species. To my mind, this is part of the old world paradigm, and one that's starting to die out, slowly but surely. So I have as much "trouble" with this one as you....and probably even more! lol! What I find quite distressing, though, is that your communicator would hold fast to this and state it as fact, when I suspect this is only really her opinion and chosen viewpoint. I suspect this because most of the best communicators take courses on the ETHICS involved with ACing, where it is taught to leave out, to the best of your ability, your OWN personal viewpoints and stick to WHAT THE ANIMALS HAVE TOLD YOU in the course of your work, or sometimes better still, ONLY what that PARTICULAR animal you've just connected to has told you is so for THEM....unless a client asks you for more elaboration on the subject at hand. And obviously, I do believe in reincarnation as an individual choice/soul.
And on another personal note, whether people think I'm "crazy" or not (nope, don't care, either), I, for one, always had the feeling, intuition, 6th sense, call it what you will....that my boy had actually been my spouse or partner of some sort in another lifetime. It wasn't logical, in a linear-thinking way, but there it was, all the same, and nothing could shake that feeling in me. I felt like HE'D looked after ME at some other point in time. And by comparison, I did not have this particular feeling about my girl. With her, it felt like I'd always 'played' her Mommy, or guardian in some way before.
So there you have my take and some of my experiences. While they don't answer anything definitively, it's a sharing, and what you asked for, and I just hope it helps somehow. Once again, I'm so sorry for your loss and hope you can find some sort of resolution and peace from a communicator whose beliefs align more closely with your own should you decide to try someone new.
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And perhaps those who've had the good fortune to find really great communicators could share their names and contact info., either in this thread or in that old one we'd started in a different forum quite awhile back (I forget now which forum it was, but a quick search should yield it), for the sake of those interested in finding reliable ones? (E.M., I think you'd listed yours already, but I'm not certain) As with any profession, there are good, just okay, bad, and ugly ones, so word of mouth is always worthwhile.
Oh, and I actually DO personally now know someone who died for certain on the operating table (it was more than a few minutes) a few years ago and then came back here, even though he wasn't slated to. Guess what he told me about my views on animals always having been (and never having lost that ability) so in-tune with our Source?......that I've got it "exactly right" and that I "already KNOW"....it was a very welcome affirmation of what my soul had already told me so many moons ago.

P.S.- E.M., you'd also likely enjoy Gary's book, "The Energy Healing Experiments". It, too, is right up your alley. The form of healing work I now practice has also been studied a bit already in Gary's lab and in the field by both him and William (Bill) Tiller (another preeminent scientist), with more experiments planned, and an official paper by Gary on the work to date is in the works, too. So keep your eyes peeled!