Update on Berry: Getting Closer!

Berry is a gorgeous young little cat, apparently feral, who was brought into BARC shelter right before Hurricane Sandy.  She actually was rescued from the same backyard as my two cats who I adopted from BARC, Natalia and Emmylou.  And interestingly enough, she does somewhat resemble Emmylou! 
Of course, the combination of where she came from and the fact that she is so fearful have both helped me to feel an especially endearing bond with her.
She was terrified and quite sick when she was first rescued, and it has been so heartening to see both her behavior and her health improving.  When she first arrived, she would swat and hiss when approached.  I have worked with her very gradually, doing TTouches on her with the back of the hand part of a plastic back scratcher.  Sometimes now I can transition to touching her directly with my hand, but I just do that for short amounts of time, as she still can get easily overstimulated.  I have shown a few other regulars at the shelter how to work with her, and she has been making very steady and noticeable progress. 

Now instead of staying in the back of her cage, most often she will rest in the front of her cage, watching everybody with interest instead of being afraid.  She will come to the front of her cage for a treat from other volunteers, and easily will come to the front of her cage to get to her food and water bowls, and will eat in front of other people, whereas before she would be hesitant to do this.

One of the huge changes that has happened recently is that when I approach her cage and say "Hi Berry!" to her, she comes to the front of the cage, kneading her paws and rubbing her face against the front of the cage.  She also does a little hello meow. 

Little by little she is beginning to trust me as well as some of the BARC staff and volunteers.

Now that she is feeling better, she also wants to play.  Like many ferals who are in the process of becoming less fearful, she can get confused between play mode and cuddle mode and sometimes swat. So I have started working with two back scratchers so that if she starts playing with one of them, then I can stroke her with the other.  I also give her frequent breaks to avoid her getting overstimulated.  Over some time, this way of working gently will influence a cat's behavior so that they will learn to play with a toy and not with your hand, while they are also getting more comfortable being touched.  When it feels safe to do so, I slide my hand down the back scratcher and do TTouches with my hand, keeping the second back scratcher ready to show her to use if she starts to want to paw at something.
Her whole expression and look on her face has changed as well - so beautiful to see!!
Love you Berry! and look forward to seeing continued progress with you.  And thanks to one and all at BARC shelter for showing her and all the animals such kindness. 

Calming Feral Kitty Berry: Slow, Steady, and in the Moment

I'm calling this dear little feral kitty Berry.  She was rescued from the same backyard as my two cats (Emmylou and Natalia).  She is younger, and has medium/long fur, but has a bit of resemblance to Emmylou, I think.  She was brought into BARC shelter right before Hurricane Sandy. 
Because Hurricane Sandy left many of us, including me, without power and hot water for about a week, it took me a week to get back to BARC, but I was eager to do what I could to help calm her.
When I came back to the shelter, it was clear she was as terrified as when she had been brought in.  When I first work with a new cat, unless they come right up to the front of the cage to greet me, I most often use a long-handled tool such as a plastic back scratcher or paintbrush to touch them. 
But before I even do that, I talk quietly (or silently, inside my mind) to them, reassuring them I am there to help them, and would only do as much as they are ready to do.  I start sending Reiki energy to them from outside the cage. 

When I first opened the cage and gently stroked her head with the back scratcher, she wasn't quite ready for that and hissed and swatted at the back scratcher.  I told her that was ok, and then just continued to send her Reiki for a while.  I tried the back scratcher again, still she was too scared to accept it, so I again took it back out of the cage and sent her Reiki energy from outside the cage.


The next time I worked with her, I gently approached her with the back scratcher (standing sideways to the cage, and kind of approaching her from a diagonal instead of straight-on), stroking the sides of her cheeks and under her chin a bit.  At first she was a bit hesitant, but then she started to gently rub her face against the back scratcher a bit.  I worked with her for a while this way, giving her breaks, then starting again.  I also did some TTouch circles with the scratcher on the top of her head and the base of her ears.
Each time I continued to work with her, she was more receptive to touch and began to come forward and eat her food while I was working with her.  At this point I could do TTouch circles and zigzags on her body as well as her head. 

One day when I opened the cage and began to work with her she sat straight up and looked at me right in the eye.  I could tell we were having a breakthrough by the way we were connecting.  She was really looking at me and I felt the energy from her go right to my heart.  she began to push her head into the back scratcher and began to walk forward towards the cage door. 

I began to work my hand down the handle til I was touching her directly.  She was rubbing into my hand and kneading her paws, looking a bit like she was marching.  I thought she was going to come out the door!!  She seemed so energized and felt so good from the session, first she went to her wet food, then her dry food, then her water :)

Since that session, when I first see her I blink at her and she recognizes me, as opposed to starting with a hiss.  I showed a couple of other people in the shelter how to work with her gently and they have had good success working with her as well.  Now I am able to approach her with my hand, though I still start from a bit of a diagonal approach, first putting the back of my fingers on the back of her head and working from there, so I am not sticking my hand in her face.  It is really important, especially for frightened cats, not to just directly face them and stick your hand in their face.

She now comes right to the front of the cage, kneading and sometimes flopping on her side. Last time I worked with her, she literally jumped up to butt her head into my hand. She really is a beautiful little cat, and it is amazing to see her inner beauty coming forth as well. 
It will take her a while to be comfortable enough to be receptive to others, especially potential adopters she is meeting the first time, but she has come such a long way in a few weeks, it is beautiful to see. 
Of course I feel an extra connection with her too, being that she was rescued from the same yard as my two. 
Thank you Berry, it is such an honor to connect with you.  Look forward to seeing you soon!

Quinn, R,I.P.

(Above:  the green plastic you see on the right is a back scratcher.  Sometimes I would initiate contact with the back of the hand of the back scratcher, and, if he was comfortable, I would then transition to using my hand.)

I feel honored to work with animals every day, and each one has so much to teach me.  But it is a particularly special honor when an animal who is generally too frightened of humans to connect with them feels comfortable enough to let me into their world.

Quinn was a beautiful cat at BARC Shelter.  He was dumped at the shelter some time ago.  Like many of the animals at the shelter, we didn't know exactly what his past was, but he was extremely frightened of people.  I worked with him very gradually, just a little bit at a time.  Most often I used tools such as paintbrushes, feathers, back scratchers and the like in order to connect with him, but there were times when he was comfortable with me touching him directly. 

I found that underneath his often gruff exterior (most often he would meow and swat at an approaching hand) was a gentle, very sensitive soul.  When we connected in our very quiet way, I felt so honored that he trusted me enough to make that connection. 
I would feel the connection even if we weren't literally making contact.  If he did not seem in the mood to be touched, I would often sit outside his cage and send him Reiki energy from there, and I would feel him respond, relaxing and curling up to take a Reiki nap. 
Below, you see me TTouching him using the back of my hand, which is more gentle and less threatening than the front surface of the hand.

I showed some of the other regular volunteers how they could touch him gently with tools, so that he could feel safe, but could have contact. 

As time went on, when I would sit down next to his cage (I would put a chair sideways to his cage, as the sideways orientation is much less intense than straight-on), he would come right up to the front of the cage to greet me.  A few times I thought he was almost considering stepping onto my lap!

I grew to have a very special bond with this cat, who to me seemed like his heart had been wounded. We were able to enter a very quiet, peaceful space together, and I appreciate every moment we spent together.  He taught me so much about being patient and truly in the moment, and always being respectful of what felt safe and comfortable for him in that moment.

The BARC staff and volunteers were very kind to and respectful of him, as they are to all the animals there, and I send them so many thanks for that.  

Sadly, recently Quinn's health suddenly declined sharply, and too soon came his time to cross the rainbow bridge.  I'm sorry I did not have an opportunity to say goodbye to him in person, but I have spoken to him and said goodbye to him in my mind.  He will always live in a very special, quiet place in my heart.  Quinn, I have so much to thank you for and send so much love to you.  I picture you in a beautiful place in the spirit world, curling up on a cozy pillow in the sun for a pleasant nap.  xo

TTouch and Reiki with the Picasso Cats: Quick Breakthrough with Cinder

I work with some of the cats from the Mayor's Alliance Picasso Veterinary Fund through Tavi and Friends' TTouch-in-Rescue program.
Working with TTouch with a frightened animal can be a gradual process, but sometimes the effect can be immediate and dramatic.
Today when I arrived, there was a new cat named Cinder. He was in a tight ball in the back of the cage, staring at me, and when I opened the cage, he growled. As I usually do when working with a new cat, I started out using a tool, in this case a back scratcher, to first make contact with him.
When I began to do little strokes and circles on his head with the back scratcher, he began to lean into it and roll on his side and then his back. The growls continued at the same time for a moment but then subsided as he became more and more comfortable.

I gave him frequent breaks, so he wouldn't get too overstimulated, then I would start again. He rubbed himself against the back scratcher, and once in a while I would slide my hand down the handle to do some TTouches on him directly with my hand, then I went back to using the back scratcher.
He got extremely cozy, and when I closed his cage to give him a longer break, if I was near where his cage was, he came to the front of his cage, looking at what I would do next.

I worked with him several times during my day there, the same thing happening each time, and he more and more easily came up to the front of the cage. One time he did get overstimulated and meow at me, but other than that, he just seemed to get more and more comfortable. I did circular TTouches and strokes first around his head, then began to work down his body a bit, then went back to the head, sometimes workking in some TTouches with my hand as well.

I took these pictures last week, and when I went to see him this week, again at first he was in the back of the cage, but when I opened his cage and he saw the back scratcher, he again rubbed into it, and very quickly I was able to transition to doing TTouch on him directly with my hands. When I was working with other cats in the room, he often was standing up at the front of his cage, as though he wanted me to come back there. He was curious of the other cats around him, instead of being frozen in fear.

Thank you Cinder, for being brave enough to trust me so quickly. xo

TTouch and Reiki at BARC: Update on Dr. Teeth

Dr. Teeth is an extremely shy cat who has been at BARC shelter for some time, and I have been working with her very gradually. She gets to little plateaus, then after a while breaks through to another level. This is all with baby steps, but all those steps add up!

Lately she has started to come to the front of her cage to greet me. I have found that she is still startled to have a hand reach towards her initially, so I start out doing little circles and strokes on her back using a paintbrush. I don't stick the paintbrush directly at her, I sit sideways to the cage and put the brush in at an angle to her. After she is comfortable, then I can transition to doing TTouches on her directly with my hands.

Last Saturday, I showed some of the volunteers how to use some of the TTouch tools, like back scratchers and paintbrushes, and so Dr. Teeth was touched by a bunch of different people, most of whom had been scared to try to touch her before, as she will generally hiss at an unfamiliar person if they stick their hand right in the cage toward her. But she became quite comfortable with all these different people, as they were using a gentler approach, and weren't trying to touch her directly with their hands. She is generally more comfortable being touched on her body than her head, but has been starting to be comfortable with a few touches around her forehead, ears and back of her neck.

Then Tuesday, when I went to see her, again I started with the paintbrush. When I started doing TTouches on her using my hand, first I started on her body, as usual, then transitioned to doing some TTouches around her head. Then I started to try some little TTouches around her cheek and whisker area, which is an area she is generally not comfortable (unlike many cats). But this time she actually started to respond to my touch, rubbing her face a bit against my hand. This was really a breakthrough for her, and it was so dear to see her relax enough to really enjoy and respond. If you look at her face in the photo in this post and then compare it to some of the past posts, you can see a more gentle, relaxed expression. And what is so sweet is that as you work with a fearful cat like her, the more she relaxes, the closer you can get to her and the more you feel her true personality emerging.

I look forward to seeing her soon, and to sharing more about TTouch with the wonderful volunteers at BARC.

TTouch with Mayor's Alliance Cats: Feb. 14 with Louie

Louie is a lovely grey and white cat who had recently arrived when I went to work with the Mayor's Alliance rescue cats thru Tavi & Friends on Valentine's Day. He looked as though he was not aggressive, just scared, as you can see by his look of hesitation above.
With a new cat that I am not 110% sure about, I generally start off using one of the TTouch tools to make contact, to put a little distance in between the cat and me, so that we both feel safe. Louie was in a double-cage with a hole in between the two, so I put plastic the back scratcher through the hole between cages from the cage he was not occupying. I stood sideways to his cage (something I always do), and spoke to him softly as I gradually made contact with the back of the hand of the back scratcher. I softly touched him a couple of places on his his body and head, to see where he was most comfortable being touched. He was most responsive to being touched on the top of his head and along the ears, so I stayed there and he began to push into the back stratcher with the top of his head.

I continued, doing some circles and strokes on his head, including the sides of his face as well and gradually working in circles and strokes on his body as well. Little by little he began walking towards me til he was right near the edge of the cage near the door. He made a few little mewing sounds, as though he wasn't quite sure, but was kind of excited to be making contact at the same time.

During this process, I would give him a break from time to time, taking the back scratcher out of the cage, letting him rest for a minute, then starting again. It is really important to give breaks along the way when you're working like this, especially when you're working with an animal that is shy or unsure. Sometimes when I gave him a break, he would return to the back of the cage, but then would move toward the front of the cage again once I started to touch him.
You can see the full clip of me working with him at this youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CXIgFUibj4
Sometimes I think he surprised himself when he ended up so close to my hand! I think he would have been OK with me doing TTouch on him with my hand, but I decided not to push the issue, as this was my first time working with him.
Thank you, Louie, I look forward to working with you more soon.

TTouch and Reiki at BARC: Dr. Teeth

Dr. Teeth is a beautiful little female kitty who is one of a bunch of cats who recently arrived at BARC Shelter because their owner had passed away. She is VERY shy and sensitive, so I have had to work with her extremely quietly and slowly. I have had to be very aware of slowing myself down before I begin to work with her so that she is not jarred by too much energy coming at her.

A while back, Cookie at Homeless Cat Network shared with me about Halo Liv-a-Littles treats. These are natural treats which cats really love, and it has helped to break the ice recently with some of the new cats. With Dr. Teeth, I first put one in front of her, and she ate it. Then I put a little trail of the treats leading up to the front of her cage where her food and water are. I closed the cage and gave her a break, and she ate the treats, then ate some of her food and drank some water in the front of the cage.

Before Saturday, I had mostly done Reiki at a short distance with Dr. Teeth. The other day I tried touching her with a long feather and got a few touches in, then stopped, as she swatted at the feather and that seemed to be enough. On Saturday I decided to try a plastic back scratcher with a long handle with her. So, after doing the trail of treats and giving her a break, I came back up to the cage again. Before I opened the cage, I began to speak to her in a very low, slow, comforting voice to reassure her. I opened the door of the cage and touched her lightly on the back with the back of the hand of the back scratcher. Af first she started to move backwards to the back of the cage, but interestingly enough, once I began to do a few slow circles on her back with the scratcher, she settled down. I did a few more and she settled a bit then that seemed to be enough, so I took it away. She was now sitting up, and I talked to her again in a low, comforting voice, breathing very slowly, and little by little she settled back into a lying-down position, blinking at me, and folding her front paws underneath. I let her be for a bit, just standing quietly and then repeated this whole process a few times.

Little by little I feel she is starting to trust me. This is such a learning process for me as well, as I really had to continuously and consciously keep in slowed-down mode, hearing even my thoughts and words like a record that has been put at a slower speed.

Thank you Dr. Teeth, for trusting me to start to make contact with you, and I look forward to working with you and the other little ones at BARC soon.