Mrs. Patches and her kids, continuing story

Hi folks, here's an update on Kathy's ferals - Mrs. Patches (pictured at the bottom of this post) and her three kids (clockwise from above pic) - Darla, Bette and Einstein. First of all, it appears that little Einstein is actually a girl :)

Last Friday, first I did some TTouch on Mrs. Patches, who was still shy and squished herself in the back of the cage. She was not resistant to me doing TTouch on her, so I did this for a short while to try to get her to relax.

Then I took Bette out of the cage to do TTouch on her. I did not have to wrap her in the dishtowel this time and she settled very well. I tried some raccoon touches on the outside of her mouth and jaw area, and this quite profoundly settled her to another level. After I put her back, I took Einstein out and did the same thing (although I had to keep her wrapped a bit), with the same result. Unfortunately though, little Bette did a little leap inside the cage, startling Einstein, so she jumped out of my hands and I had to quickly catch her. After I put Einstein back in the cage, suddenly she seemed very sleepy and decided to take a nap. Darla is quite often sticking close to her mother, so I did some TTouch on her within the cage.
Mrs. Patches seemed a bit stressed by all the activity, so I quietly explained to her why I was doing TTouch on all of them, and that I was trying to help all of them. Her paw was hanging out of the cage, and at that moment I touched my finger to the bottom of her paw and felt an amazing connection with her. We stayed there for a while. I tried to see if I could touch the other front paw as well, but this was too much. I finished the session by doing Reiki, picturing a bubble of light right outside their cage, and a couple of kittens who had been inside a carrier within the cage came out of there, and they all went to sleep. Mrs. Patches got on top of the carrier, relaxing with her leg dangling over the side.
Yesterday I went again to work on them, and I took Einstein and Bette out of the cage each separately, and I did not have to wrap either one of them. They settled for a longer time than they ever had before. Again I did raccoon touches around the outside of their mouth area in addition to clouded leopard and chimp touch and hairslides on the body and strokes on the ears, and they found the mouth touch especially relaxing.

Mrs. Patches was inside the carrier with a couple of the kittens. The carrier was turned facing away from me, and so I reached into the carrier and did some chimp touch up and down her body a bit. She was a bit tense but did not try to move away.

I stepped away from the cage to go into another room for a moment, and when I returned, Mrs. Patches was lying outside of the carrier, against the cage. She looked quite relaxed, so I decided to try doing some more TTouch on her. I opened the door and gently put my hand on her body, slowly beginning to do abalone touch. She would have usually moved away towards the back of the cage, but she did not do that this time. She did seem still a bit concerned though and was looking at me and I was afraid she felt tense with me looking at her, so at that point I closed my eyes and continued doing connected abalone touch up and down her body. She then shifted to her other side so I could do the same thing up and down the other side of her back. Every once in a while I would slightly open my eyes, and I noticed her eyes relaxing closed. Her body was also relaxing as I did this, more than I have ever felt before. After this, I was able to do some raccoon and baby chimp touches around the outside of her mouth area, as well as TTouch around her ears. Every once in a while I would tone to her very softly. She was very comfortable by the time I finished. I wanted to work on Darla, but after having this much progress with Mrs. Patches, it felt important to let everyone chill out. Next time, I will make more time for little Darla. Below is a photo of the lovely Mrs. Patches.

These gorgeous, sweet cats are all up for adoption, so if you are interested, please email Kathy at ktyates@gmail.com.

A Quiet Moment with Garbanzo

Though I am working on many cats in the outside world, every day I am so grateful for my own cat, Garbanzo (pictured here with me - and yes, my hands look strange here, I was in the process of getting ready to plug my camera into my computer!).

Garbanzo was rescued from the streets of Williamsburg by an acquaintance who works at Animal Medical Center. She knew I was looking to get a cat, so I met her at AMC and I fell in love when I saw Garbanzo and adopted him. He was a wild, nearly-feral young guy who was pretty out of control when we first got him. He led me to TTouch in the first place, and has taught me so much. He has taught me how patient and respectful one needs to be with other creatures, especially those who have had a tough background and are afraid. I was totally bonded with him from day one, but was able to get closer and closer to him as he became less fearful and less apt to suddenly become over-stimulated and bite or scratch.

As you can see from this picture, he has calmed down considerably over the years. Often when I sit on the couch working on my laptop, he will come and snuggle next to me. As he has hyperthyroidism, I have him on a very low dose of medication and also need to monitor his heart rate, and he actually seems to enjoy when I listen to his heart with a stethescope. It has become like another way of connecting to him.

I'm very happy to say that this week he had blood work done and he is in tip top shape and looking good, especially for a gentleman who is nearly 16 years old :)

here's to you, Garbanzo!

Sleepy Summer Days at Social Tees

It has been humid and steamy-hot the past few days at Social Tees shelter http://socialtees.com/ making a lot of the animals apt to be very sleepy and stretched out!
The cat pictured above is the one which was huddled in the back of its cage and recently turned around, coming to the front of the cage and asking to be touched. When I come into the shelter, she always comes to the front and calls to me. She is getting more receptive to touch the more I work with her, but I have to still be careful. She craves touch, but is easily over-stimulated. What I have found works well is that I wait for her to rub her head against me, then I do some TTouch on her head and ears and a few Noah's marches with the back of my hand or llama touches on her body. As she is still a bit flinchy about being touched on her body, I have been using the type of brush used for hair-tinting that has a long handle to stroke her body. This gives us some distance in case she starts to want to bite, and also is getting her used to the sensation of something touching her body without it being something so personal as my hand yet. This combination is working well and I am sure that little by little she will get used to my hand on her body as well.


This little darling pictured above is still quite shy. She enjoys being touched with a feather all around her head and ears, so I have been doing that for about a week or so. Last time I was there I had a soft makeup brush with me, the type that one uses for applying blush or powder. I used this to do strokes and circles on her body, as well as a bit on her head. I did this because she is very fearful of being touched on her body, and the makeup brush seemed to be a soft, non-invasive beginning of making contact with her body. So far so good! She is a lovely little cat and I am sure little by little she will become less shy, which will increase her chances for adoption.

The lovely grey tabby kitty above is also still quite fearful, and I am continuing to go extremely slowly and patiently with her, as that is what she asks for. She continues to really respond to feather strokes and circles on her head, and she curls up or stretches out and gets a cozy look on her face when I do this. She is still quite fearful of being touched on her body. Today I tried stroking her body a little bit with the type of hair-tinting brush I mentioned above. She seemed to be ok with this as long as it was only a little bit. Next time I will try using a makeup brush on her body, as a softer brush might be comfortable for her. The advantage the hair-tinting brush has is that the handle is longer than on a makeup brush, which gives the cat and you more space, in case she decides to get hissy or try to swat etc.

The kitty above is a new little calico. She had just met me when I took this picture, which is why she looks a bit skeptical. However, very shortly after starting TTouch with her, she came to the front of the cage, seeking more closeness and touch. I am able to do circles and strokes on her ears and clouded leopard all over her body. Now when I come to the shelter, she comes to the front of the cage and asks for TTouch.

The cute little kitten above is one of a pair of shy kittens (you can see his roommate, a little bw kitten, sleeping to the left). They are becoming less shy though. They still initially pull away when I open the cage and put my hand in, but this is starting to change, and once I start to touch them, they are becoming more and more receptive, starting to rub their bodies against me. The last time I worked on them, I did some tiny raccoon touches on the outside of their mouth and jaw area, and they were extremely receptive to this. The mouth ttouch brought their stress level down and started to make them seek touch more. I had had the same response earlier that day with Kathy's little feral kittens (which I will describe in another post) and so that is what led me to try it. After my session with these kittens, they were hanging out more in the front of the cage, which is different for them.

The new little guy above we have decided to call Jigsaw, since the very interesting pattern on his face is like pieces of a puzzle. This kitten has a problem with the bottom part of his front leg, which is limp and he cannot use, so that is why the hair is worn away on his knee there, since that is where he steps on that leg. He does not appear to be in any pain. I did TTouch on his head and all over his body except on that leg, as he is new and has not yet been to the vet so we don't know what is going on there. He really responds to TTouch and it feels as though it makes him aware of his body in a different way. He purrs the entire time I am touching him and calls to me asking for more even after I tell him we are done and close his cage. My heart goes out to this little cat.

Here is another photo of my pal who is missing part of one of his hind legs. He now is routinely in the front of the cage, which is great, and he meows to me, asking to be touched. I do strokes on his ears and very gentle abalone touch down his body and gentle lifts on his legs. This dear little cat is so filled with love and gratitude. He and the other animals at Social Tees are teaching me so much every day.

PS the Maine Coon cat I mentioned in the previous post was adopted by the woman who was looking at him the other day, hooray! I wish him the best in his new home.

This week at Social Tees

This week at Social Tees http://socialtees.com/ I have been working on some new animals there, as well as continuing to work on other animals there. Below is another photo of the cat who is missing part of one of its hind legs. It is making more eye contact and looking more confident now. It has been lying in the front of the cage instead of the back when I arrive there, and has been continuing to be very receptive to Ttouch. I start out by stroking its ears and doing raccoon touches on its head, then slowly work down its back. When I get nearer the lower back and hindquarters, I use a very light touch as he starts to act a bit flinchy when I get there. Sometimes I just put my hand on that area and leave it there for a while, letting him feel the warmth of my hand. I have also done some abalone touches and chimp touches with very light pressure on the lower back/upper part of the back leg areas. This cat is so filled with love.

I have also been continuing to work with a grey tabby who is still quite fearful but I am making progress with slow, patient work. The cat now is very receptive to me doing circles and strokes on its head with a feather. She stretches and makes a cozy face when I do this, I can tell she enjoys it. She still gets hissy when I try to do circles or strokes on her back, so I am just sneaking in a stroke or two with the feather once in a while. It does feel like a step forward just to gain her confidence that I am only going to move as quickly as she is ready to move.

I have also continued to make progress with the tabby with a white chest, who used to be in the back of the cage. Now she comes to the front of the cage and meows for me when I get there. I do have to still approach her with caution as well, as she is easily over-stimulated. I open the cage and wait for her to rub her head against me. Then I am able to do circles and strokes on her head with my hand, and sometimes some light strokes down her body with the back of my hand. I have to continue in this way, waiting for her to come to me, as if I reach out and start to touch her on my own, sometimes she tries to bite or swat. Little by little we are moving forward.

Below is an amazing-looking little cat who I have just started to work on. She is a little shy, so I am moving slowly, but she is quite receptive. There is something about her face that really looks kind of human! I look forward to working on her further.

The big orange and white cat below is like an old friend. He is so friendly, he meows for me when I arrive. He loves to receive TTouch on any area of his body, and purrrrrs up a storm. I am hoping he will be adopted soon, as he is just waiting for someone to love him and looks like he would come and just sit on your lap and purr.

The beautiful cat below is a young Maine Coon. He also asks for attention, and puts his head right in my hands for ear strokes when I open his cage. I have to be a bit careful when it comes to touching his body, as he is easily over-stimulated, but over the past couple of weeks I have been able to make more contact with his body, using chimp touches and llama touches, just doing a little at a time and increasing that amount of time with each session. Someone seemed interested in him today so we'll see what happens!

The fellow below is a new arrival, and was very scared when he first got there, hissing and swatting. Now he seems a bit confused - he wants to be touched but gets over-stimulated after a bit. Yesterday he was rubbing against my hand as I did some TTouch on his head and strokes down his body, but then suddenly he hissed. I gave him a break and closed his cage when this happened, but was able to work on him a bit more later on. Today it was quite hot and he was sleepy, and he let me do TTouch very gently on his head and llama touches on his body, and was receptive without one single hiss.

Below is a feral cat who resides at Social Tees who always comes up to me to check out what I am doing. He has the most amazing bright green eyes.

There is an orange and white kitty with long hair who I have also been making slow but steady progress with. Now I am able to start out by doing circles and strokes with a feather and then am sometimes able to touch her with my hand. Again, I am being sensitive to what she is ready for, trying to forge ahead a little bit every time I work with her. She has such soft lovely fur, and I do feel her becoming more comfortable with me little by little.

Below is a little black cat who unfortunately was declawed before arriving here, but has the sweetest, friendliest personality. This is a rather surrealistic picture of me doing TTouch on her. Apparently she had been shy upon arriving, but the first day I worked on her it was like someone turned on the lights in her eyes and body and she just craved more and more attention. As you can see, she is in constant motion, rubbing against my hand. She is looking to be adopted soon, and is comfortable being touched on any part of her body. This is kind of what some of these cats appear like to me when they come to me in my dreams.

Meet Trudy

Hi folks, remember a while back this little doggie who was brought in to Social Tees http://socialtees.com out of the rain? This was what she looked like when she arrived


She was taken to the vet to be checked out and her fur was quite matted so she was given quite a makeover. She is back in Social Tees now and up for adoption. This is what she looks like now. Este, who is a very nice woman who comes in to volunteer, thought her name should be Trudy (Gertrude, and Trudy for short) and I think it fits her perfectly



She loves to smile and will become your best friend, especially if you give her a treat. I gave her a yummy Wellness treat today and she followed me around the rest of my time there. I gave her a few more treats as well as some TTouch, which she was more than happy to receive and there was no growling like she did when she first arrived. She is looking for a new person or persons to be her friend(s) for a forever home. If you come by, look for me and I will show you what her favorite treats and TTouches are.

Friday at Social Tees

We're finally getting some really hot summer weather, and the dogs really stretch out to take a good nap in the heat.

My little pal Ranger was adopted, hooray! There have also been quite a number of other cats adopted recently there, which is great news.

Below is a photo of the little kitten I worked on the other day who rolled onto its back shortly after I started working on it. Este took this photo when that happened, so ithat's why t took a couple of days for me to get a hold of it and put it up here.


The little fellow pictured below used to be the most shy of four black and white kittens in the same cage, and he has turned into the most outgoing of the bunch. Now when I open the cage, he rubs against my hand and starts purring, nearly coming out of the cage, and he is usually hanging out in the front of the cage. His roommate, a little black kitten (these four kittens are now split into two cages w/2 kittens each), seems to be learning from him and has become increasingly friendly and outgoing each time I work on it. I generally use chimp touch on their bodies and do gentle ear strokes and raccoon touches with 1 finger on their heads.

The striped cat pictured below is missing part of one of its hind legs. It has the sweetest personlity, and is filed with love and gratitude. I feel such a deep connection with this cat. I am glad I have been able to spend a good amount of time with it, working on its head to begin with, and then slowly working down its back and down its legs. Sometimes I will work on it a little bit, go work on another cat, then come back to it again, as sometimes it will then be laying on its other side so that I can work on its other hind leg.

It starts to be more sensitive when I get near its hindquarters but is comfortable as long as I go slowly and use very light pressure. I am doing clouded leopard touches, connected as I move down the back. sometimes I just put my whole hand on the lower part of its back and/or upper thigh and keep my hand there just to give the area some warmth. When I am able to touch the leg which is missing part of it, I first gently place my hand up on the thigh, then have done very gentle abalone touches there. After I work on the cat, often I have noticed it eating or moving to a different part of the cage, both good signs.

The striped cat who was so scared a few days ago is now hanging out in the front of the cage, meowing to be petted and/or have TTouch done on it. I am so happy for this cat - it had looked so scared and miserable only a few days ago.

Mrs. Patches and her Kida, continued

Above, right to left: Bette, Einstein, Darla, Ms. Patches


Above: Bette

The end of last week I went to visit Mrs Patches and her three kittens. The kittens now have names - the black on with white chest is Bette, the little white with black one is Darla, and the tortoise-shell one is Einstein. AAWWW!

Each time I go there, they are more comfortable with me in general and with being touched. Frist I worked on Mrs. Patches a little bit, doing circles on her head with the wand and ace bandage wrapped around the end. She is still quite shy but once I started touching her she calmed down somewhat. Then I took Bette out, and she is the most comfortable of the bunch. I placed her on the floor near me and gently did abalone and chimp touch on her body, and ear strokes and raccoon touches on her head. She was a bit squiggly when I picked her up to take her out of the cage but settled down quite well as I began to do TTouch on her. I made sure that mommy could see her and she could see mommy at all times. When I put her back, I put her back near mommy and she went to her for a little grooming. Then I took Einstein out, who is the most skittish, and he was more relaxed than he had been before. I gently contained him by wrapping a little dishtowel around him like a cape, holding it in the front around the upper chest area, and he settled for some abalone touch, chimp touch and ear touch. Darla was mostly staying right near her mom so I did ttouch on her while she was in the cage, which she was quite comfortable with.

Above: Ms. Patches

The cats all seemed hungry so I gave them a bit of food, which they all ate with gusto. The kittens went wild and were playing, wrestling etc Mom started looking more relaxed, so I tried to do a bit of TTouch on her with my hand. I started out on her head. She is still shy, so moved towards the back of the cage when I did this but she didn't totally run away from the touch so I persisted a bit, and was able to work a bit on her body, doing strokes and circles (chimp touch and abalone touch and Noah's March with the back of my hand). Her body was still tense but relaxed somewhat in this process. It was a big breakthrough for her to let me have this much direct contact with her body.

Today I went back to visit them again, and again they were all increasingly receptive to touch. I did TTouch individually on Bette and Einstein, who I took one by one out of the cage. Each time I work on them they let me keep them out of the cage for a longer time before they get squiggly to get back in the cage w/mommy. Darla was cozy in the cage again so I worked on her inside of the cage.

I wanted to see if I could work on more of Ms. Patches' body today, so I nearly got completely inside the cage to do this, as she was behind a small cat carrier that is within the cage. She was comfortable with me working on her there, as she was hidden enough so she didn't see me looking at her. I did raccoon touches and ear strokes on her head, then worked little by little down her back, doing llama touch and chimp touch (these are touches using the back of the hand, so are less threatening), and Noah's march with the back of my hand. Though her body is still tight, she did not move away while I was doing this and relaxed somewhat while I worked on her. She gets more and more comfortable with me each time I work on her.

All of these cuties are up for adoption now, so please contact Kathy Yates at ktyates@gmail.com if you are interested, and check out this website

http://picasaweb.google.com/ktyates/MsPatchesAndFamily?feat=directlink

to see more photos of these cats. She is hoping to adopt them in pairs, preferably Ms. Pathces and Darla, and Einstein and Bette, as these pairs really are bonded w/each other. Enjoy!

Dogs and Cats at Social Tees

There are cats in every size and color at Social Tees http://socialtees.com/ , and each one has their own distinct personality. This big guy pictured above is so friendly, and always calls to me to do TTouch on him when I come. He practically jumps out of his cage with excitement when I open the door and purrs up a storm. I can see him happily sitting on someone's lap, and hopefully he will be doing that in the near future.

Above is a gorgeous little kitten who I had been told was very shy. I opened her cage and gently put my hand on her body (which covered nearly her whole body). She really responded to this. so I gently did some abalone touch on her. Before long, she rolled over onto her back, stretching out in total comfort. This was such a pleasure to see. I also did TTouch on her head and ears, whch she also responded to. Some kittens really seem to enjoy the warmth of a whole hand on them, while others prefer the smaller touches like raccoon and chimp touches.

There are a number of feral cats who roam around loose in Social Tees, and once in a while one pops up in an unexpected place. I heard a little rustle above me and here is what I saw when I looked up!

A new kitty arrived yesterday and was very shy, so I went very slowly with her. Yesterday I did circles on her ears and head with the wand and corn dog. She was resistant to having me touch her body, so I did not do that. Later on I came back to her and did circles and strokes with a feather, which she found relaxing. Today when I came back I started out with the feather, and later on was able to do raccoon touch and ear strokes on her with my hand, as well as some abalone touch on her body. Her body was very tight, and at one point she hissed, so I left her alone, gave her a break and later came back and did TTouch on her head again. I believe she will come around but she needs her own time to become accustomed to the situation.

I made a nice breakthrough with the striped cat who was very shy the other day. I had only been able to touch her head. Yesterday I brought some Greenies, which she liked, and was able to lure her to the front of the cage. Once she was there, she started rubbing her head against my hand, so I was able to do some TTouch on her head and gentle strokes on her body with my hand. She is still a bit nervous about her body being touched but it was a big step for her to come forward and then to seek touch from me. After that, I noticed her staying in the front of the cage and looking around to see what was going on, a big change from scrunching in the back of the cage. Today when I went back I gave her another treat and again she came to the front of the cage. I was able to touch her on her body a bit more today, and she was more comfortable being touched in general, rubbing her head and her body against me. I am so happy for her to be feeling more comfortable.

Meanwhile, there have been a lot of adoptions this week, which has been so great to see. The little rascal below is one of a bunch of lovely dogs at Social Tees. Not sure if he has been adopted yet, there has certainly been a lot of interest. In any case come on down, there are many cats and dogs to see and adopt there. You can call Robert at Social Tees, 212 614 9653, or check out their website http://socialtees.com for further details.

Dog (and Cat) Days at Social Tees

When I got to Social Tees on Monday, I was greeted by a group of lively dogs, all eager to play. Some new ones had arrived over the weekend. I will have to try to get some pictures of the new ones soon - it was a bit difficult at the time as they are in motion a lot of the time. Above is Mama (right) with one of the other dogs. Mama is blind, and is a very wonderful dog.

When I went to the back, the grey cat who had been sitting in his litter box since he first came in about a week ago was sitting in the front of the cage. I was so excited to see him there. He seemed to have broken out from his initial fear and was really craving attention - so much so that he was over-stimulated and began to try to swat after I just did a few touches on him. I went back to Social Tees today, and again he was in the front of the cage and this time he called out to me to pay attention to him. This time, I used the wand with the corn dog (ace bandage) on the end to do circles and strokes on him. This eventually brought his energy level down to the point where he was able to enjoy the touch without his energy getting too riled up. It felt as though he needed to learn how to react to being touched, as though it was a new sensation. I look forward to working on him again soon, it has been such an interesting adventure with him so far.

Yesterday and today I also worked on the orange, long-haired cat who is shy. Yesterday I primarily did TTouch on her head with the wand and corn dog, and a bit on her body. Today I was able to do more circles and strokes on her body than I had been able to do before. I started to try to work up to using my hand on her but as she started to pull away, I just touched her w/the wand. I feel sure that I will work up to contact with my hand in time.


There is also a lovely striped cat, pictured below, who is very frightened. Yesterday I did circles and strokes on her head w/the wand and corn dog. I tried to work my way up to touching her with my hand, but she gave me a swat to tell me she was not ready. Today when I went back, I just settled on using the wand and corn dog on her. She is very comfortable with circles and strokes on her head but becomes frightened and reactive when I start to touch her body with the wand, so I just focused on strokes and circles on the top of her head, along her ears and under her chin. A while after I finished doing this, I looked in her cage and she looked more comfortable. She was resting with her head on her front paws and almost looked like she was smiling at me. I feel so much gratitude from these animals!



I have also continued to work on the young tabby who I mentioned before. He is named "Ranger", as he prefers not to be with other cats (as in the "Lone Ranger"). He has become more and more receptive to touch over the past few days, and almost right away begins to rub her body against my hand. Yesterday before I left I noticed that his stool was loose, so today I made sure to do ear strokes, which can help digestion, as well as some little belly lifts. He really responded to the belly lifts and acted as though he wanted me to do more. When I left today, he was sitting in the front of his cage, which is very new for him.

I also had a lovely breakthrough with one of the quartet of timid black and white kittens. Yesterday the most fearful of them turned a corner and suddenly was purring and rubbing his body against my hand, then coming forward to seek more TTouch. Today when I left, he was sitting right in the front of the cage.

Over the weekend, I went to a psychic fair where I saw my friend Eileen Garfinkel, who is a wonderful animal communicator http://dreamsofamelia.com/. She did several readings for me which were all quite helpful. One of the cats I asked her to speak to was the calico cat at Social Tees who I have had a very difficult time reaching, as she is so extremely fearful. She advised me that this cat would be able to accept distant Reiki, so I will try this and it will be interesting to see what happens.

Sunday at Whiskers

Sunday I went to do TTouch on the gang in the Rescue Ranch at Whiskers (http://1800whiskers.com) in NYC. Rascal, his sister Emily, and Brooklyn are still there and waiting for the perfect person or persons to give them their forever homes.
One of the staff at Whiskers gave me some nice treats for the cats, and Brooklyn (pictured below) came right up to me for a treat and began to rub himself against me. I did Ttouch on his head and very lightly on his body. He still gets over-stimulated with too much contact but he is craving contact much more and has come such a long way.


Later on Brooklyn went into the cat tent to rest, but look at how alert and confident he is here, pictured below:


He has come such a long way from when I first saw him. Below he is pictured in a cat tent when I first met him in June, he was very scared and hiding in there:

I am so happy that he feels a lot more comfortable now.

Rascal's sister Emily, a lovely tabby cat, was resting in a cat perch above, and was too cozy to move. One of the staff told me that if the cats seemed tired today, it was because they had gotten out of their enclosure the night before and among other things, had gotten into a lot of catnip! Anyway, I guess Emily was still sleepy from her adventure.

Rascal, however, was excited to have TTouch and came running up to me and plopped on my lap. He did not want to move from there! Below you see me with him.

And in the picture below, notice his right claw dug into my jeans!

Rascal is a dear cat and he spread himself out on my lap, so I did TTouch on his ears, head, body, even around his mouth. He was purring the entire time. Brooklyn came and sat on a perch nearby while I was doing this and I did some TTouch on him from time to time. At one point a woman came by with a little black dog, and Rascal seemed to want to make friends with him, rubbing up against the screen door where the dog was on the other side. When I finished the session, Rascal did not want to move from my lap, and it was very hard to want to move him because he also had touched me inside my heart! I told all three cats that I hoped the best for them - that I would see them soon unless they got adopted, and if that happens, I hope them the best with their new owners.

Mrs Patches and her Kids, part 3

Yesterday I went again to work on my friend Kathy's feral cat and kittens. Above you see mommy, aka Mrs. Patches, on the left, and one of the darling kittens on the right. The black kitten pictured (it has white on its chest) has become the most receptive to me, and I can now take it out of the cage and do TTouch on it without having to contain it in a wrap. Several times today it also came towards me for touch, which is a big step forward for this little being.

When I got there today, I started out doing circles and strokes on mommy's head with the wand and corn dog (ace bandage). As she is the most skittish, and also seems concerned about her babies, I wanted to be sure that I could make her feel as safe as possible first. She still initially moves away a bit, but once I start doing this, she really settles down and relaxes. I was able to work up to doing TTouch on her head and ears with my hand as the session went on (this was after taking some breaks, working on the kittens and then going back to her). She still is shy about being touched on her body, but I am trying to respect the pace at which she is comfortable.

I then took out the black cat and did TTouch with it sitting on my lap, where it settled pretty well for a few minutes while I did TTouch, making sure that it could see its mother and that she could see it. Then I took out the tortoise-shell one who you will see in the above picture bottom left, and this kitten is still the most squiggly, though once I wrapped him in a dishtowel and had it seated on my lap as I kneeled on the ground (the dishtowel is wrapped around like a cape, so the feet can have contact with my lap or the ground, wherever you have them). I did some circles through the cloth on its body, and some TTouch on its ears.

A few days ago, I initially wrapped the kittens with their feet on the floor but they seem to prefer the warmth of my lap.

The third kitten, the black and white one, who is in the top left of the above picture, was more interested in sleeping than being touched, so I just did a few gentle strokes on it with the back of my hand. Later it woke up when I brought some food out for all of them, which they were ALL very interested in. After I fed them, the tortoise kitten was sleepy and I was able to do TTouch on its head and abalone touch on its body with my hand, and it was perfectly relaxed. It was around this time that I was also able to do some TTouch on Mrs. Patches with my hand. Before I left, I thanked them all and sent them a big heart hug.

If anyone is interested in adopting any of these dear creatures, please contact Kathy at ktyates@gmail.com.

Friday at Social Tees

This past Friday at Social Tees http://socialtees.com, when I arrived there, there were a bunch of folks checking out the animals there, and the day ended up with a bunch of adoptions, yay. A woman came to pick up the lovely swirly-striped cat I spoke of in my last post. I have worked a lot on this cat and it is still shy but has come a long way. I wish the kitty well in his new home. Also, a family came in and adopted three kittens.
I had a nice breakthrough with a gray cat who I have been working on. He is friendly once you touch him, and receptive to touch but has been cautious, staying at the back of the cage. About a week ago he arrived there and was a bit stumbly, coming out of anesthesia from being at the vet. The next day I saw that he must have gotten wet and then got litter stuck in his tail. I took a cat brush and between that and my hand, managed to clean his tail, so he was a lot happier after that. He was very cooperative while I was doing this, seeming to know I was trying to help him. He is very receptive to TTouch on his head and ears, and enjoys TTouch on his body but with a lighter pressure, as he is rather tight in his body still. In general, I find him lying inside of his litter box in the back of the cage. However, today I found him lying OUT of the litter box, in the front of the cage. I told him how happy I was to see him out of the litter box etc and had a great TTouch session with him. He started to act rather playful, rolling over on his back, and he had not been relaxed enough to do this before. zn
The big gray cat is still there, calling Meep meep meep to me, always asking for TTouch. And I worked again on the little tabby I worked on last time, he seemed to recognize me and seems very comfortable with me. He particularly responds to touches with the back of my hand - llama touch, chimp touch, Noah's march with the back of my hand, and also responds to ear touch.
Today (Saturday) Social Tees had an adoption event with a bunch of my furry pals in a van on First Ave near Third Street. I stopped by there briefly today to say hello to everyone. I wish them all well and hope some of them got new homes today.

This Week at Social Tees

Hi folks. Above is one of the feral cats which is loose at Social Tees (http://socialtees.com), it is a very charming being!
And below is a big grey fellow who is very dear, and constantly wants attention. He is soft, gorgeous and friendly and asking to be adopted - he can't wait to cuddle with someone. I do TTouch on him each day and he is always impatient for me to touch him.


Below is a new little tabby who was scared in the back of his cage when I began to work on him. He was not aggressive at all, just scared. So I started out with touches with the back of the hand - llama touch and chimp touch, and Noah's march with the back of my hand. Before too long, he was rubbing his body against my hand and asking for more, and I was able also to do some ear strokes and touches on his head. The more I worked on him, the more confident he became, coming more towards the front of the cage. Maybe because I always have a special place in my heart for tabby cats, they usually seem particularly drawn to me. This little charmer will find a place in someone's heart and a new home soon, I'm sure.

The lovely striped cat below is one that I have worked on for about a month or so now. Sorry about the out-of-focus on some of these pictures, but this is actually more like I see them when they are in my head later on. She is very sweet, she is just scared when you first start to touch her and then she gets more comfortable. When I was there today it seemed she had a good chance of being adopted so I am crossing fingers for her and imagining the best for her tonight.
These cats have been staying with me and now often inhabit my dreams. There was one who has had a cold that was in my head all last night, and I kept sending him good thoughts and light. I was very glad when I saw him today to see that he is feeling better.

The little dog below with the stuffed cat has the dearest personality. He has mange but is definitely well on the road to recovery. He always follows me around and watches me when I am working on the cats.

There are two black kittens and two black and white kittens who are in the same cage, and were all initially quite timid. It was about a week ago that I first met them, and I am happy to say that the most timid of all of them, the black and white one on the left in the picture directly below, finally seemed to turn a corner today and was actually purring a bit today and started to lick me with his tiny little tongue. He is still shy but he started to come towards my hand and ask for TTouch, which is quite different for him. The rest of the kittens in this cage settle quite quickly once I start to do TTouch on them. The touches that this little bunch responds to are chimp touches and abalone touches on the body, raccoon touches on the head and around the ears, and ear strokes using a very light touch. xoxox to this whole darling gang!

Mrs. Patches and her Kids, #2

Another report on my further adventures with Kathy's feral cat, Mrs. Patches, and her kittens. They are all coming along, it is just taking time for them to get used to people and to being inside. Especially the kittens are becoming more receptive to touch, and I can touch all three of them now by hand without using the feather as an intermediary step, though the b/w one and calico one are still skittish of this at first.

Mrs. Patches still especially responds to circles on the head w/the wand and ace bandage wrapped around the end, and sometimes I am able to touch her on her head and her body with my hand, but this is only for short periods of time.
The kittens I have been taking out of the cage one by one and wrapping in a dishcloth. I had been doing this by putting the kitten in between my crossed legs sitting on the floor but found that they responded more positively when I placed them on my lap as I kneeled on the floor. Perhaps the warmth of my body below them was soothing to them. I still kept the dishtowel only partially wrapped so that I could contain them but they could still feel their feet on me. I also made sure that they could see their mother and that she could see me and the kitten I was working on. The black kitten (who has white on her chest) lets me touch her with my hand very readily now, and sometimes comes to me to be touched. When I took her out of the cage I did not have to wrap her to contain her, I just had a hand in front of her chest and then used my other hand to do TTouch on her. She responded to hair sliedes and abalone touch.
The black and white kitten is the most shy and becomes a bit passive when I hold her and contain her but settles down once I start doing TTouch on her (clouded leopard touches through the cloth), and the calico one is the most squiggly but little by little lets me contain him in the cloth to do TTouch for longer periods of time (abalone touch and clouded leopard through the cloth).



Below you see two of the kittens relaxing, and on the bottom are Mrs. Patches with all of the kittens in one clump.



When I had finished the session, I still felt Mrs. Patches to be a bit concerned. I sat quietly and told her that everything was going to be all right, that I was only there to help them and wanted all the best for them. I told her I loved them all very much.
We blinked back and forth at each other, and shortly after this, she went over to start eating ane began to eat with real gusto, and the little black and white kitten, who sticks the most closely to her, also went over to eat alongside her.