TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Easy Does it with Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne is a very soulful-looking tabby kitty at BARC Shelter. He was given this name as he arrived with a very big clump of matted fur on his back. Of course, they took care of the mat, and his fur is all one length now :) He started out in the shelter as a bit shy, but friendly cat. But he has been through a few health issues, which I think made him feel a bit grumpy, so he started occasionally nipping. When this happens, people start to approach the cat with more fear, which can make the cat more fearful, and a negative dynamic or cycle can get set up. I wanted to see what I could do to try to get that dynamic to change around.

Initially I started doing some TTouches on him using very fitted long leather/kevlar gloves (made by ACES), so that I would not be afraid at all if he did decide to try to nip me. This went well for a while, and he was enjoying being TTouched. Then he seemed to be afraid of the gloves, so I wanted to try another way.

I tried briefly doing TTouch with a paintbrush or a back scratcher, I would actually suggest transitioning from the paintbrush or back scratcher to the hand at this point as a next step, but decided to take a little more risky approach (though, as you will see, it was done very gently and gradually, I didn't just stick my hand in there!!).

As I always do with the cats in the shelter, I stood sideways to his cage (head-on can be too overwhelming for most cats). I spoke gently to him, sending him some Reiki from outside his cage. Then I opened the cage.

I continued offering him Reiki energy from outside his cage, and told him I would wait til he showed me he was ready to be touched by putting his head out of the cage for TTouches. I was feeling that when someone stuck their hand inside his cage to touch him, that was a bit too scary for him at the moment, and could result in a nip.

So when he put his head outside the cage, I would do a few TTouches on his head, using the back of my hand (less intense feeling than front of hand), or even just the back of a finger or two. The minute I felt him start to pull his head back I would stop, then wait for him again.

He began to rub his head against the sides of the cage door, then eventually brought his head out again. I was continuing to send Reiki energy with my left hand, and would TTouch him with my right hand.

I also found that he was receptive to being TTouched with the back of my hand (llama TTouch), as shown above), while he was eating. Again, I would take my hand away the second I felt him move his head back or do any movement which felt it was leading up to being overstimulated. This all requires being EXTREMELY attuned to their body language. And, keep in mind, this was often just a few TTouches before I took my hand away.

After some days of trying this strategy, I am able to do TTouch with him for longer periods of time. I am still watching his expression and body language and will gently move my hand away if he moves his head back or does any other type of movement that signals overstimulation to me.

Now he realizes that he needs to signal to me that he is ready to be touched by putting his head outside of the cage. Usually he warms up to doing that by rubbing his head against the sides of the cage door.

I am continuing to primarily do TTouches using the back surface of my hand and fingers. I do the TTouches on the top of his head, his forehead, and if he turns sideways to me, I will do some llama TTouches (circular TTouches using the back of all the fingers) going down the side of his back.

He seems to be more comfortable in general, and now waits at the front of his cage for me to give him attention.

What a beautiful being he is! He has already come a very long way in a couple of weeks.

I know that with time and patience, he will continue to make progress and become more and more comfortable in general, and less apt to become overstimulated. Patience and a very quiet mind are SO essential when working with a cat of his very sensitive temperament.

Staying in the Moment with Pip

Above: Pip in energetic mode - photo by his owner Sarah - thanks, Sarah for letting me use a couple of your
spectacular Pip pix for the blog post :)
Hi folks, thanks to a referral from my Reiki teacher Sheryl, I recently had the pleasure of working with the lively and intelligent kitty Pip and his people, Sarah and Chris.

They rescued Pip a couple of months ago from a dumpster not far from where they live. He was apparently in pretty scruffy condition when they first rescued him but they have done a great job with him, taking great care of him, getting him veterinary care, etc. He now looks healthy and in great shape.

I was contacted because, though Pip can be the most gentle, cuddly fellow you can imagine, when they are sleeping -- or, I should say, trying to sleep! -- he can turn into a little wildman, crying a lot and rampaging around, etc.

So I met with them to work with Pip, share some of the TTouches with his people, and to find out more about Pip so that I could make an appropriate Bach flower remedy for him.

Above: lovely portrait of Pip by his owner Sarah

As you can tell from his pictures, he is a very alert, inquisitive guy, so I suggested that they might want to try doing some clicker training with him or some more interactive type of play, such as a confidence course of some kind, which does not need to be made w/the orange cones I use in the link. It can be made using objects you have in your home. Or you can make a small labyrinth using rope or something similar. With a young, energetic cat, it is wonderful to stimulate both their mind and their body with interactive activities like these.

I started out with Pip sitting on the floor, letting him come to me and doing just a few TTouches at a time, giving him breaks in between. Sometimes I showed the TTouches on a stuffed cat as well, so that I could slow down and be a bit more clear to his people about what I was doing.


I first did a few TTouches which use the back surfaces of the hand, such as the chimp TTouch and the llama TTouch, as these TTouches are less intense and less apt to trigger him into being overstimulated. I then showed them some of the other TTouches such as the clouded leopard TTouch, the raccoon TTouch and the abalone TTouch. You can find videos of many of these TTouches on my youtube channel: http://youtube.com/sarahsuricat.

I also showed them the ear work, explaining that there are many acupressure points in the ear, so that can be extremely relaxing. The mouth work will also be very important for him, as that can be calming since it connects with the limbic system, which affects the emotions.


Pip started out in a bit of a squiggly mood, but became increasingly relaxed as I worked with him. By the time I got to the mouth work (doing raccoon TTouches all along the outside of his mouth are), he was quite relaxed and spread out.


Then I wanted to show them about the possibility of touching him with a tool such as a paintbrush or feather if he starts to get revved up. And that is when Pip taught me something more about himself :) The feathers prompted him to start to get more into a play mood, a more lively mood - as he wasn't so interested in being touched with them as he was in playing with them. So that was actually a chance to see what TTouches might be useful in calming him. Previously, I had mentioned the zigzag ttouch but thought it might be too stimulating for him.

However, at that moment I intuitively began to do a zigzag TTouch on him rather slowly, and he did an almost immediate shift. I realized that since the zigzag can be such a great connecting TTouch, for Pip that touch at that moment was really helpful in bringing him back into his body.


Above: I snapped this after the TTouch session
I tried the octopus TTouch on him as well (which is like a double zigzag TTouch), and that one was too overwhelming for him, but the regular zigzag TTouch worked really well.


Sarah and Chris were both really adept at picking up the TTouches - I had them try them on the stuffed cat, and they really understood how light the touches are, etc. I often find that people tend to do the TTouches with too much pressure or too quickly. I know they will do a great job with him :)


The next day, Chris told me that Pip had been really great that night, extremely relaxed, and that everyone had had a restful night. Thanks so much to all three of you, and I look forward to further reports about Pip. He is a special being, and he is so lucky to be with such caring guardians in a wonderful home.

And thank you Pip for reminding me that, as always, it is best to truly be in the moment with the animal in order to feel what is most beneficial to do with the animal in that moment in time. I think it is important, too, to be flexible with our ideas about what TTouches are most appropriate for what situation, as that can fluctuate according to the particular animal and the mood of that animal.

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: "Less is More" with Quinn

Quinn is a cat who I have recently been working with at BARC shelter in Brooklyn. He was terrified when he first came into the shelter, but working very gradually and slowly, especially using paintbrushes and other tooks, has really been helpful for him.

I feel like there is a sweet, funny cat underneath his unsureness, and I think we are starting to see that coming forth more and more.



He now will often come ambling up to the front of the cage, seeming to seek attention, but as he can get suddenly startled and swat (he generally does not use his claws though), it is less stressful for him and for the person making contact to still use a tool at this point with him.



He is a very good example of the "less is more" TTouch philosophy. When I work with him, I generally use a paintbrush. The one you see in this post is a wide one, but since these pix I have actually been using a smaller, round-shaped one or a fan brush, and both of these seem to work even better. I start out doing just a few little circles and strokes on the top of his head, then stop for a bit to give him a break.



Then I start again, either continuing to do circular touches or strokes on the top of his head or starting to do some of these around the whisker area or under his chin. Then I stop again, giving him a rest. Each of these "rests" may just be a few seconds, and the touches may be for about half a minute, depending on the body language which I see from him. If he is starting to get over-stimulated, twitching his tail or seeming to get ready to swat, I stop for a longer period of time, maybe even going to another cage and coming back if he seems to have had enough for now.

Very often, though, after a few short bursts, he starts to settle more, relaxing and closing his eyes. At the moment he is still usually a bit too sensitive to be touched on his back much, so I usually concentrate on doing TTouches around his head.

Or, if he seems to be more relaxed, I will incorporate a couple of TTouches on his body (still using the brush), then going back to his head. Or, a few times I have used the back of my fingers on his head, but only for a few seconds, and then I go back to using the brush.

Thank you Quinn, for reminding me to continue to be as patient as you need, and to always truly stay in the moment and listen to what you are ready to do.