From Fearful and Hiding to Joyful Cuddling and Playing: Simon and Caleb

It is an extra-special pleasure when I am able to continue to work with cats who I have worked with in a shelter after they have been adopted into a loving home.  And in this case, it was so beautiful to witness the transformation of these two dear boys from being shy and a bit scared of people to being so open and loving.

When I first met these two young kitties, who I affectionately call "the orange boys", it was at Bideawee shelter, and their names were Ticky and Tocky.  In working with them, I could tell that they were shy, but so sweet, and they were so connected with each other, I was hoping they would go to a home together.   The bigger boy, who would later be named Simon, was especially shy, but was receptive to being petted when nestled in a cozy place.  Caleb started out shy, but once you started to make contact with him, he came forward pretty readily, rubbing on my hand.

These little boys could not have had better fortune! They ended up going home with Brigid, a friend and client of my friend Eileen, who is a wonderful animal communicator, and has done cat sitting for years for Brigid.  A couple of weeks or so after their adoption, Eileen connected Brigid to me, and I began doing sessions with them in their new home.

Brigid had been starting to let the boys have the run of the apartment, not realizing that this was too overwhelming for them, especially for Simon, so I had her seclude them in the bedroom as she had initially.  Whenever introducing shy cats to a new place, it is important to keep them in one small space for a good while, til they are comfortable in that space, then let them slowly expand their territory to include another room, etc.  A bathroom is good for the first space, especially if the cat is very shy, then a bedroom might be next.

Caleb was still a bit shy initially, but soon after touching him, he would register that he enjoyed the contact, and he would start responding to it.  So I showed Brigid how to do some of the TTouches, and encouraged her to make contact with him frequently, to keep reminding him that he liked touch.

Simon was more shy.  And sometimes when feeling very shy, he would also start nervously grooming.  At times, though, he would settle in a place enough to touch him, so it was a matter of being patient and waiting til he settled pretty well in a place, like on the bed, and then gradually approach him, perhaps stroking him with the stick end of a stick toy first.  In one of my first sessions, it was not until the end of the session that he really settled, but it was so worth being patient, because when I approached him, he really settled into the TTouches and started responding to him.  I had Brigid come and sit next to me and do exactly what I was doing (gentle TTouches on the head) so that she could experience it as well and have the confidence that it could happen with the two of them. Such a beautiful moment!

Simon tended to hide under things or in edges or corners of the room.  I had Brigid block under the bed as much as possible.  But she needed to provide him with hidey spaces which were more accessible, so I had her do that at the same time, so Simon would not feel he had no place to hide.  A simple cardboard box with a towel or something cozy inside can do. I also suggested that a tunnel could be a good idea, or cozy hidey beds, and so she got these items as well.  Simon still seemed to find underneath places to hide, like under a chair, but at least these were more accessible than under the bed. 

And each week, more progress was being made.  Caleb got friendlier and friendlier, really turning into a lap cat, and Brigid slowly was able to touch Simon more. And of course, the boys are just the best of buddies, and are seen curling up with each other or playing together all the time.

The boys both love to play, so one thing that worked really well with Simon was to play with him gently with a string toy, and then bring the toy closer to me, so he would need to come in closer proximity to me. At times he would end up resting not too far from where I was.   So I would be able to stroke him a couple of times with the stick end of the toy.  I generally don't mix play energy with a petting-type thing, but in Simon's case this combination worked well.  It helped encourage Simon to come nearby in a non-threatening way.  I also told Brigid to simply sit quietly with them not even trying to touch them, just letting them get used to being near her.  One session I took her through a guided meditation that she could share with the boys. Following is a version of it.  This is similar to Reiki, but is something that anyone can do, whether trained in Reiki or not. 

I incorporated Reiki into our sessions.  Usually I let the Reiki flow throughout the session, no matter what else we might be doing, but sometimes I spent a certain amount of time with just a dedicated Reiki session.  The boys are young, so sometimes they would take a while to settle into the energy, or would relax for a while, then play for a while, etc.  But that is all good.  Reiki will go where it is needed.

As we continued to work, I saw Simon's nervous grooming less and less.

I also made flower remedies for the boys for them to take internally as well as to be sprayed in the environment.  The essences I used helped to de-stress them and to let go of some of their fears.

OK Sarah, where are the treats?

 

In the beginning I tried to work a bit with treats with the boys, but it took a while for them to be comfortable with this.  However, after their general anxiety lessened, and we experimented with a variety of treats, then they realized that they loved the treats, and loved them enough to be able to eat them around us.

So...I taught Brigid some basic clicker training, which turned out to be a great success with both of the boys.  Using the clicker and treats, we got the boys used to coming to us, and really wanting to come closer to us.  First you just click and treat to get them used to the association.  Then you can get them to come to a target.  A natural one is to offer your finger or the stick end of a stick toy, and usually naturally the cat will touch its nose to it.  Then you can use the target to help them get closer and closer to you, or to do other fun tricks.

Once the boys were comfortable with the clicker and treats, we started to pet them while they were taking the treats.  I remember one session when it seemed like things really "clicked" for Simon with this exercise, and he seemed to start enjoying the pets as much as the treats, leaning into my hand.  So beautiful to see!  The real breakthrough was to see Simon seeking out the touch and really enjoying it. 

I also showed her how to help the boys start making friends with their carriers, by working with the clicker and tossing treats for them to retrieve from inside the carriers. 

As we continued working with the boys over a few months, they kept progressing and progressing, so I kept adding in more things to do with them.  Now that Brigid could touch them both more, I taught her more of the TTouches so that she could share them with the boys.

Eventually, it was time for Brigid to just take over the process of working with them on her own, and she has done a wonderful job.  I have not seen them for a few months now, and they continue to progress.  I am so happy with how far they have been able to come, and that they continue to learn and grow with Brigid with all the love that she surrounds them with, and that they give back to her as well. 

And, shy Simon is not so shy any more! Simon now will come on her lap at times, and is doing just great, as is dear Caleb! And, both cats are very friendly with Eileen, who comes to cat sit them whenever Brigid is away. The following photo was taken by Eileen recently.  This is Simon being sooo relaxed after playing with Eileen!

Patience, love, persistence, trying different tools, not giving up.  Trying something different if one thing is not working so well.  When working with shy cats, something doesn't work one day but might work another day, and visa versa.  Keep your mind open, and you may think of a variation on what you are trying that will work better.  The cats have so much to teach us - we just need to quiet our minds enough so we can hear them:)

I wanted to say a big thank you to Brigid and the orange boys.  I have learned so much from you, and am so happy that you all are doing so well.  Thank you, Brigid, for adopting these sweet souls and for all your patience, love and care.  And for providing most of the lovely pics which are in this blogpost:) And thank you to Eileen, and of course to Bideawee, for helping make this adventure possible:)

PS. I encourage everyone with a shy, fearful or feral cat to check my recommendations for acclimating a shy cat on my website.  There are some more in-depth descriptions and links there that could be helpful for you and your cat(s).

TTouch, Clicker Training and More with Bella: Helping a Rambunctious Kitten To Get on the Right Track:)

Bella is a beautiful, confident, friendly kitten who was adopted by Elizabeth and Mike into their lovely and caring home.  To say Bella is energetic is putting it mildly!  She has so much energy that some of it builds up into over-stimulated behavior, and she has been biting them (primarily Elizabeth).

I went for a session with them to see what was happening, and to help give them some strategies to help.
I had mentioned clicker training to Elizabeth, and she had already gotten Bella started with this, which was great.
Bella came right out to greet me enthusiastically when I came in.  We worked a bit with clicker training with her, explaining some variations she could do with the training.
Then I showed Elizabeth and Mike how to do some basic TTouch.  As Bella was in a very active mood, I demonstrated on a stuffed animal for part of the time, and worked on Bella a little at a time. I could tell that the TTouches would be helpful for her.  I worked a bit with the stick end of a stick toy with her at times, as she can get overstimulated.  I gave her lots of breaks, continuing to explain to Elizabeth and Mike about the TTouches.
It was very interesting, as I could see Bella's energy slowly begin to calm as I very gradually worked with her.
I advised Elizabeth to continue with the clicker training, TTouches, and lots of play time, and to get Bella some toys she can play with on her own as well. 
It is beneficial to do the TTouches a few times a day, if you can, depending on what is going on.  You don't need to do a long session - even a session which is only a few minutes can start to make a difference.  The work builds on itself.  The animal begins to recognize the feeling of the TTouches, and usually relaxes right into them.  And, over time, the TTouches can have such a profound effect on an animal's general level of relaxation and well-being, and helps an animal to not be as reactive to stressful situations.
I also showed her something that usually works really well as a corrective sound with kittens, as it mimics the type of sound a kitten makes to another kitten if they are playing too roughly.  It is a sudden, high-pitched squeak-type sound, that usually gets the other kitten to back off.  Thank you to my friend Kerrie McKeon, cat behavior expert extraordinaire and keeper of the cats at Bideawee, for teaching me about that. 

I explained the importance of giving a variety of kinds of spaces for Bella, such as vertical space so she can have another dimension to explore and play, and cozy hidey spaces where she can go to calm herself down.
I have video tutorials on TTouch, as well as a few on clicker training on my youtube page, http://youtube.com/sarahsuricat.
After the session, I made a Bach Flower remedy for Bella both in drops and spray form, so it could be sprayed in the environment as well as taken internally.  The remedy can be taken four or more times a day, depending on what is going on.  As Bella can continue to be hyped up after play time, one good time to spray and give the remedy is after playtime.  I also advised Elizabeth to leave the room for a bit after their play session and just let Bella calm down.
So.... the wonderful news that I heard shortly after our session was that Bella is doing so much better:)  Good work on the part of one and all! xxoo

My Journey with Luther and Mr. Maps: Relaxation, Recovery and Focus with TTouch, Reiki and Clicker Training

Above left: Luther, above right, Mr. Maps

Some months ago, I began doing Reiki sessions with a dear black Persian cat named Bunny, who had kidney disease. You can read more about him in a past post, http://sarahsuricat.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-power-of-patience-and-quiet.html.  His people, Suzanne and Mike, did everything they could to help him but sadly, this quiet, sweet and powerfully spiritual creature passed away the end of June.

Mr. Maps

Bunny had two adopted brothers, Luther and Mr. Maps.  Luther is a handsome young tabby and Mr. Maps is a delightful white Persian cat with two different colored eyes. Mr. Maps seemed to take Bunny's death especially hard, so I made both cats Bach Flower remedies following Bunny's passing.  It was a loss, an adjustment and a shift in dynamics in the household, but both cats are now doing quite well, and most likely have become closer to each other.

Luther had been adopted when he was still recuperating from a broken leg, so he was on cage rest for a while.  When he was able to emerge from the cage, the people soon were able to see more of his behavior.  He is very energetic, being a young cat, but is so sensitive that he can become overstimulated extremely easily.  And when he becomes overstimulated, he sometimes will exhibit that with scratching, pouncing on you, etc.   It was often difficult to handle or pet Luther without him becoming overstimulated and reactive.

I began working with Luther after I had been working with Bunny for a bit, as Suzanne and Mike wanted me to do what I could to help Luther calm down.

Initially, I worked with Luther using long TTouch wands, so I could give Luther plenty of space.  I felt he needed the space as he was so sensitive to any kind of direct contact with people, even though I sensed he really was a very loving being, and that he longed for contact.  This worked very well at first, and doing the TTouches with him this way got him accustomed to being touched in a gentle way, yet not having someone too close to him.

After a while, he wanted to use the wands as toys, so I decided to shift to a different approach.  I did some TTouches on him using paintbrushes, but also began doing Reiki with him.  Reiki energy helps to calm on a very deep level, and my hope was to release some of the trauma that he may have been holding from having the broken leg and whatever else he may have gone through before he was rescued.

Luther, relaxing into Reiki

Luther, being so sensitive, is very receptive to Reiki, and usually settles into it right away, stretching out and closing his eyes, taking it in.  After he settles for a while, he often will come up to me and sniff me and start brushing his body against me.  I stay very still when this happens, as I do not want to risk him becoming startled or possibly reactive if I move.  What he generally does after this is to go a few feet away from me and settle down again.  It is really beautiful to see him become so truly peaceful, to sense a very tangible shift in his whole energy.

Luther, relaxing into Reiki

Over the past couple of months, I have started to feel a very tangible shift in Luther's presence.  He is still a lively and playful cat, but he seems to have more openness and ability to shift into a more mellow space, which is great.  And if he does get overexcited and jumps at you or hits you with his paw, it is much more gentle and the claws are usually in. 

And as he has gotten more used to me and to the energy, I think we both have become more comfortable around each other, and I know that over time he will start to receive the energy on an even deeper level.

Mr Maps, relaxing into Reiki

I began doing Reiki with Mr. Maps after Bunny passed away, as Mr. Maps seemed particularly distraught.  Mr. Maps is super-affectionate, so I started out by doing some TTouches with him, and then began sending the Reiki energy to him.  He has been more and more receptive to it each time I have worked with him, and now he completely stretches out on his back or on his stomach with his back legs stretched out behind, with his eyes closed and a blissful look on his face.

Mr Maps, relaxing into Reiki

I have recently added some clicker training into the sessions, particularly for Luther's benefit, as I think it helps him to feel a more focused energy.  Mr. Maps seems to enjoy it as well, but he is not really interested in the treats, so for him, I click and then reward him by a little stroking around his chin and chest area.  I have wooden dowels which I set up in various configurations, sometimes in a path, sometimes in more of a labyrinth.  But even just going through the dowels set up in the path seems very effective, so I often just stick with that.  Cats can have a pretty short attention span for  clicker training, so I observe them closely to see when they are done with it.

Mike and Suzanne were away recently, so I came by to do Reiki with the cats while they were away.  I had been doing sessions with them separately, but it felt right to have both boys in the room with me and just start to let the energy flow to both of them.  Then at different parts of the session, I would focus on one cat, and then the other.  Both kitties completely stretched out as if they were sunbathing, really letting go.  So beautiful to feel this connection, to feel such peacefulness and joy with both of these cats, with the sun coming in through the windows and a slight breeze - that late summer, balmy temperature.

Luther and Mr Maps, relaxing into Reiki

After a recent appointment, Mike picked Luther up and gave him a good hug and kiss, which was so sweet to see.  Mike said that a few months ago, that would not have been possible at all, and he remarked at how he also had noticed Luther's behavior shifting.  Not only that, but he mentioned that the house call vet who they use had been there recently and she immediately remarked on the change.  This is the kind of feedback that truly makes my day :)

I look forward to a continuing and interesting journey with both of these dear beings.xxoo

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Little JB: The Power of Quiet Patience and Persistence

Little JB is a gorgeous little calico cat who has been at BARC Shelter for some months now.  The JB stands for Josephine Baker -- she looks like a smaller version of one of the cats who the shelter people own who is named Josephine Baker.

Sometimes I come across a cat who is not so responsive to either the tools with contact with the hand, and that can be a bit of a challenge, but the lesson I learn over and over is to continue to try different approaches, different tools, using the TTouches or tools in a different way, etc. until something starts to click.  It can take patience and persistence, but it is so worth it.  There is always some way to connect with an animal, whether it is in a huge dramatic way or a very subtle way that grows over time.

She has been a challenging kitty to get to know.  The shelter environment is particularly stressful for her and she gets overstimulated easily and will let you know when she is not in the mood for contact with a swat.  She can get engaged in playing with a toy but when it comes to being touched, that is hard for her.

First I tried working with her with a paintbrush, or with a feather, as hands seem to scare her, and usually her response was to swat at them.  Sometimes, if she was in a more sleepy mood, I would be able to do TTouches on her head area with a paintbrush, but that was not so often.  Sometimes I would make the TTouch circles in front of her with the paintbrush, and sometimes she found that to be relaxing. Below is a demo of that.

I started just opening her cage and staying quiet and still, and sometimes she would come to the front and rub a little bit against my hand.  I would just let her do the rubbing instead of trying to reach to her.  Sometimes I would talk quietly to her.  The BARC staff and volunteers also do whatever they can to help her be at ease.

Recently, she was moved to a lower cage and that seemed to make her much more comfortable than she was previously.  She was in a cage next to a very gentle, quiet kitty named Katie Bell, and the two became good friends.  I think both these things were really helpful to her.

At that time I also began to do a bit of clicker training with the cats, having them simply touch their nose to the end of a stick and then I would click and treat.  This simple activity energized some of the cats who tended to stay at the back of the cage, and Little JB was one of them.  When she saw me get the clicker out, she started coming to the front of the cage, and now when she just sees me, she starts to come to the front of the cage, which is terrific.

There was something about the clicker training that helped to energize her, and it was something more than the treats, as she was not always that interested in the treats.  She seemed to be coming forward for a connection of some kind.  I felt like I was getting closer to her, even though I was not touching her.  I would often just sit outside her cage, sending her Reiki, or even just sitting there quietly.

Recently, a new volunteer opened her cage and she actually came out on their lap for a bit.  She didn't want to be touched, just wanted to sit there.  A couple of days later, she came out on my lap briefly - didn't settle there but I had a feeling that she was thinking about it:)

She also started feeling very comfortable with me doing TTouch circles on her head with the stick part of a stick toy.  This was a new level of comfort for her as well.

Last week a larger cage on the upper level came available so Little JB was moved there.  Even though she is back on the top level where she previously was not so comfortable, the location is different and the space is twice as big as before, so she seems even more comfortable than in the cage on the lower level.

Yesterday was a real breakthrough for little JB.  Diana, one of the wonderful keepers of the cats (Colin is the full time cat guy and Diana is two days a week) said that she had noticed that JB was comfortable being touched through the bars of the cage, though not if you opened the cage and tried to touch her.

Little JB was resting in her bed which was close to the bars of the cage, so I began to do some very gentle strokes and TTouches on her head.  She pushed into my hand and made the cozy smile that cats can make when they really are enjoying something.  I continued for quite a while, as she kept gently pushing into my hand and rubbing into it.  This was the first time I had seen her truly enjoy contact for an extended period of time.  And I felt like I was getting a glimpse into the real personality which I had always felt that was there beneath her sometimes bristly exterior.  That sweetness, that longing for connection.

This lovely moment is the type of moment I really live for - when you feel you connect with the heart of another creature, when they trust you enough to make this connection.

I look forward to seeing you again, little JB, and of course look forward to the day when you will go to a beautiful forever home.

TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: Ashanti - The Power of Patience

Ashanti is a lovely young black and white male cat with light green eyes that stare right into your heart.

I am sure he has touched the hearts of all who have met him at Bideawee.

He arrived at Bideawee in bad shape with a very badly injured paw.  They gave him great medical care, so he is doing much better now.  However, he seems fearful in a way that has led us to suspect he may have been abused.  He is extremely afraid of hands.

The wonderful Bideawee keepers of the cats (Jon and Kerrie) have been working with him to help him to feel safe and to encourage him to play, and he has gradually become more confident and less reactive.

I have been working with him with Reiki from a short distance, with TTouches using various tools, and with clicker training to help him feel at ease.  I also made a custom Bach Flower remedy for him.

Clicker training is something I have recently incorporated into the work I do.  I am finding that it can benefit so many different personality types - it can help bring a shy cat out of its shell, can help to focus a hyperactive cat, and it Ashanti's case, it seems to help both his confidence and his focus, and it is a way of connecting with him that does not need to involve direct touch.  He is in a larger cage with shelves, and I have had him jumping across the cage from shelf to shelf in the process of the training.  I will describe more about that in a separate post.

I particularly wanted to a recent TTouch session with him, because I think it is a good example of just how important patience is when working with with any animal, but especially an animal who is fearful.

As he is so scared of a hand coming towards him, his reaction to anything coming towards his face can be to bite.  So before even beginning the TTouch session, I usually sit quietly by him and share Reiki energy with him for a few moments (in this case, he was in his cage, though he is let out of the cage on a regular basis).  This gives me a chance to establish a quiet energy and connection with him.

Then I started working with him a bit with a fan-shaped brush (the brush part is smallish, maybe an inch wide at the widest part).  His initial reaction was to bite at the brush.  I tried this a few times, and he still bit at the brush, instead of allowing me to stroke him with it.

At this point, one could easily give up or think that the biting is what he is going to do every time.  However, I wanted to see what would happen if I gave him a break and tried again.  So I sat calmly by his cage a bit longer, and he began to get into a calmer energy.  Next time I tried it, he may have pawed a little bit at it.  So I paused again, continuing to send him energy and saying (silently) to him that everything was all right.

Ashanti had been moving around a bit, and at this point he started to settle.  So I tried again.  This time he did not bite or paw at the brush.  I began to do TTouch circles with the fan brush on his forehead, and he began to relax into them.  He laid his head down and became completely relaxed as I worked with him.

He was in such a snoozy mode that I decided to carefully try touching him a bit with my hand.  The first thing I did was to just use the back of one finger (actually just the flat part of my fingernail) to do some TTouches on his forehead.  He was very comfortable with that, so I continued for a while.  Gradually I found that he was comfortable with me gently stroking and doing circular TTouches with the back of the top part of several fingers on his head.  It was truly lovely to feel that direct connection with him, to feel him totally at ease with it, to feel that trust.

I know that this may not happen every day with him, but I do think with time and patience, he will feel more and more comfortable connecting with people.  I feel his soulfulness in his sweet eyes, and know that the personality behind his fear is coming forward more and more every day.

Below is a photo of me TTouching him with a paintbrush when he is out of the cage - it was great that he felt comfortable doing this :)

Thank you to all the dear Bideawee people for helping Ashanti and all the animals there :)