The Power of Love, and Learning to Let Go: Berry, RIP

It is always so difficult to say goodbye to an animal friend, and even harder to figure out how to write about it and how to write about the power of that connection, a connection that exists far beyond the physical body.
Berry's heart and mine are inextricably intertwined.  I know that we learned so much from each other, about love, about trust, and about letting go.

Berry arrived at BARC Shelter the day before Hurricane Sandy hit.  She had been rescued from the same back yard as my cats Natalia and Lulu (I often referred to her as their sister), and it was evident from that first day that she was feral and, if anything, even more fearful than my cats. She was put at a cage way in the back of the shelter where she would have more privacy and would have a chance to calm down.  She was originally named Barracuda - a name which I refused to call her, so I soon decided her name was Berry, and others at the shelter began to call her that so that was the name that stuck.

 Above, before and after: Berry when she first arrived at shelter, and then about a year later.

As you can see from the "before" picture on the left, Berry was initially very distrustful of any human being.  She was fearful and angry, lashing out at anyone who opened her cage.
However, I always felt that with faith, love, patience and positive energy, this could change. 
I began by simply sending her Reiki from outside her closed cage.  I also spoke to her a bit, but very softly.  I did this for several sessions, then I decided to see if I could touch her with a back scratcher, which would give her a lot of space.  I just did one or two TTouches on the top of her head, then closed the cage and gave her a break.  I continued doing this over the next sessions and one day she began to push back up against the back scratcher.  It was then that I knew we were making progress and that I had felt that opening, that opening where our energies and our hearts could meet.
Over the next days, weeks, months, we made steady progress.  I made sure to just go a little at a time with her, and we kept moving forward.  She started to be comfortable eating from her bowl, which was at the front of the cage, while I was TTouching her with the back scratcher.  So it wasn't too long after that before I started to be able to touch her a bit directly with my hands.

I was feeling she was actually enjoying the contact more and more, and she started responding to me when I would walk back towards her cage and call her name.  She would look up and start to come towards me. And over time, she would actually come trotting to the front when she saw me and I called her name.
As time went on, I was able to have more and more contact with her, and I showed a few of the other seasoned volunteers how to do TTouches with her gently with the back scratcher, so that she could slowly get used to other people having contact with her.  And she slowly became comfortable with that.  When someone came to the cage with the green plastic back scratcher, she knew that they were going to gently stroke her with that and that was something she enjoyed. 
As the time passed, Berry was not only transforming behaviorally but physically. As the beauty of her true personality came forth, it manifested itself in her physical appearance as well.  A couple of people who came into the shelter who had not seen her for some months did not recognize her as the same cat!
She had also had an awful problem with what initially seemed like a constant cold, but later was found to be a nasal polyp, so once that was removed, she seemed to feel a lot better.  And that was great to see.
Berry and I were so close, our hearts so connected.  I know that she trusted me.  Even when she was more comfortable with me, I would go slowly, not wanting to frighten her or overwhelm her, wanting to be respectful of her.  We knew each other's energies so well.  I would connect with her with Reiki and TTouch and we felt like one being, merging in a flow of light.

Recently, I wanted to get to another level with her, and so I started luring her onto my lap with treats.  She took to this very well and one day she came completely out on my lap, which you see in the photo.  First she had put two paws on my lap, then three, then there she was, sitting on my lap!

She was a bit startled at first, but it was understandable.  She was realizing that there were cages and animals above her, and was seeing all around and feeling the concept of that openness all around her.
I saw her look above and around, and it was such a beautiful feeling - I felt it too, her having that feeling of the world expanding, opening up.  The open air, outside the bars of the cage.  I wanted to stay in that moment with her forever, her on my lap, feeling completely connected with her like one being, in that moment.  Feeling that expanse, that openness, like we were surrounded in light together.
A week ago, when she turned around I noticed a huge raw sore on her back, and also noticed her pulling at her skin other places.  It looked bad and I was disturbed by seeing this, so I told the shelter people right away and they were going to have her looked at.  It actually brought to mind my first cat, Timmy, who had surgery for breast cancer and was ok for a good while after that but then began breaking out in skin lesions.  But at the time I wasn't thinking that Berry had anything life-threatening going on.
So it was such a shock when I got a call from the shelter that the vet had looked at Berry and found that she had a huge mass, which was moving up towards her lungs, and as a result had euthanized her.  Apparently she had also gotten weak and was not breathing well.
It was so hard to hear this, to accept this.  That this creature who had been alive, active, seeming to feel ok just a few days ago had been so ill??  I consulted my dear friend and colleague, animal communicator Eileen Garfinkel (http://dreamsofamelia.com) to see what we could learn from Berry.
Apparently Berry had hidden her illness.  She didn't want me to know how sick she was, she knew how stressed it would make me.  Berry wanted me not to be sad, she wanted me to know that she was fine, she was at peace now.  That I helped her to be ready to transition.  That she knew how much I loved her, that I had given her so much pleasant time, that I had helped her to change deeply, at a molecular level, and that I was her person.
I miss her so much, but she is still with me, curled up inside my heart. And I thank her for teaching me so much about the power of positive energy, the power of unconditional love, the power of appreciating the moment, and about how to let go.
And thank you to my dear BARC friends for all the kindness you showed her.
xxoo
(please feel free to read more about my work with Berry, type in "Berry" on the Lijit Search on the right hand side of my blog and the links will appear)

The Power of Patience and Quiet Connection: Reiki with Bunny

Above:  Bunny relaxing in the window.  On the turntable, one of his faves, Donovan:)

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Suzanne and Mike to work with their dear cat Bunny, who is a stunning black Persian cat.  He had been recently diagnosed with chronic renal failure. Suzanne and Mike are doing all they can to help Bunny with diet, supplements, subcutaneous hydration, etc. Reiki helps in stress reduction, which is so important for a cat who is ill, and can often help to stimulate appetite and prolong quality of life for cats with this disease. 
There are two other cats in the household: Mr. Maps, a delightful white Persian cat with two different color eyes and a definite sense of humor, and Luther, a very handsome young tabby cat who they brought home when he was recovering from a broken leg,  Now that Luther's leg is ok and he has the run of the house, they discovered that he can be an unpredictable character - he can be affectionate, but can also flip into more into reactive mode, so I am working with him as well as with Bunny.  I will share more about that in another post.
Bunny is a bit shy, so during the first few appointments, I had either Suzanne or Mike sit with Bunny as I worked with him.  Sometimes it takes a while for a cat to trust a new person, and to trust and relax into the Reiki energy.  In these first few appointments I also incorporated a fair amount of TTouch into the session, as that can help to relax the animal as well.
After that, Mike asked if it would be all right to leave me alone with Bunny for the session, and I felt the timing on that was perfect.  It took a bit of adjustment for Bunny to be ok with me alone in the room, but once we started the session, he found a place that was comfortable for him and began to settle down.

With each session, I felt Bunny relaxing into the energy more and more, which was beautiful to see.
A couple of weeks ago when I went to see Bunny, Mike said they had been concerned about him, that at times he had seemed out of it and that he just wasn't seeming as energetic as usual.  During that appointment, Bunny just laid down, curled up and went to sleep for the entire session.  He circled around until one of my hands was right over his lower back, where there is the sacral chakra which relates to the kidneys.  I felt so much heat there.  As I worked, I felt the heat disperse somewhat, as the energy was balancing.
After that appointment, Bunny was taken to the vet and it was found he had lost some weight and his numbers were somewhat higher.  Suzanne and Mike made some changes to Bunny's diet and he has been eating better, so that is great.  It is so important to keep cats eating, particularly when they have kidney disease.
The next time I saw Bunny, he clearly seemed to feel much better.  He was so much more present and his energy seemed much better.
I began the Reiki session with him sitting on top of a speaker and he stayed there nearly the whole time.  I started out with my hands about six inches away from his body.  He immediately connected with the energy and became a bit mesmerized by it, as though he was sitting as still as he could in order to take every bit of it in..

As we continued, I felt waves of energy, of light, going up and down, all around Bunny's body.  I felt the energy going up, then coming down through his head and going through his body.  He stared at me often and I felt I was looking right inside of him, that he was looking inside of me.

I began to feel his real essence, his inner self, a magnificent, strong being, a divine presence, this powerful beautiful creature, with sparkling green eyes.  This real self was much larger than his physical body. This strong soul, a mystical presence.  The feeling of a very deep soul. Such a powerful feeling and connection.

After a really long time, Bunny jumped off the speaker, so I thought at that point he was done with the session, but then he jumped back up on the speaker and put his body into my hands - my right hand over his lower back, my left hand was just off his chest.  

As I had the prior session, I felt a lot of heat coming from his lower back, again from the chakra which connects with his kidneys.  I wanted to make sure it was not too much energy, so a few times I spoke to him softly and slowly, saying gooooood booooy, to see if he had enough, but he seemed to want me to continue.  Felling light around him, energy around him and going into him, a divine presence, a beautiful spirit.  

He connected with me with so much love and a few times I hugged him gently.  He pushed his head into my hands and snuggled into my arms.  I thanked him, and slowly and gradually let the session come to a close.

This was the most powerful session with him yet.  He is getting more comfortable with me each time and it feels the energy is connecting at a deeper and deeper level. 

For a long time afterwards, I kept feeling his presence, a presence much bigger than his physical body, a strong, flowing presence of beautiful black fur and powerful green eyes looking straight into my heart and soul. The animals have so much to teach us.  xoxoxo

TTouch and Reiki at Bideawee: Update on Panther - A Small Step Back, a Leap Forward

Panther is a very handsome, extremely shy black medium-length fur kitty at Bideawee.  He and his sister had formerly lived in a store.  His sister was as outgoing as he is shy, and quickly got adopted.  It was clear he would need some time.  He is not aggressive at all, just very wary of people, particularly being touched by them.
Panther is housed in a "resort" at Bideawee, a lovely small room filled with cat trees, toys, etc.  The space is maximized by making good use of vertical space with ramps and cat trees.  He lives in the room with two other cats at the moment, Mariah and Cleo.  They mostly seem to ignore him, although they are more interested when he is receiving treats!
When I first met Panther, I did some Reiki from a short distance with him, and could generally TTouch him with a paintbrush, and occasionally with my hand as well.  At some point a couple of weeks ago, however, he started to seem irritated by the paintbrush, and afraid of my hand again, so I decided I needed to take a couple of steps back.
I began only doing Reiki from a short distance with him, and not approaching him either with the brush or my hand for a while.  Meanwhile, we discovered that he did like treats, and was fine with taking treats from people's hands.  So I would lure him towards me by feeding him treats from my hand or making a little trail of treats, then would begin to send him Reiki from a short distance.
His most comfortable place to be is in a little cube-like space on a cat tree in the room, which has two openings.  Sometimes I stand near the enclosure to send Reiki.  There were also times when he was comfortable being out of the enclosure as I sent Reiki to him, as long as I kept my distance, so that was great.

About a week ago, he was in his little box and he seemed so relaxed with me while taking the treats from my hand, I decided to try the paintbrush again.  This time, he was receptive to it.  And shortly after that, I was able to do a few strokes lightly along the side of his face with the back of my hand.  And he began to really settle into the TTouches directly with my hand, and to be responsive to them, even pushing into them a bit, so that was really new for him.  I spoke softly to him, praising him.  It was such a lovely feeling, to feel that connection, to feel him being comfortable with my hand doing the circular TTouches.  I even was able to do a bit of TTouch on his body, which I had not been able to do.  I paused, did a little bit more, and then decided that was enough.
A couple of days later, Kerrie had told me that she was able to lightly stroke the side of his face with her hand as she gave him treats, which was great to hear.  That may have been just enough touch for the day, because when I worked with him, he initially seemed receptive but then seemed to be afraid of the brush again, so I backed off again, just doing Reiki from a short distance.
When I returned to the shelter a couple of days ago, I decided to focus on the treats, and gradually take it from there as far as direct contact.  I crumbled up the treats on my hand.  He was out of his box, and came right to me for the treats, licking my hand after he had licked the powder from the treats off, so that was great.  I did that a few tiems, then did a Reiki session with him.
Then a couple of days after that, when I returned to the shelter, Panther once again stayed out of his box, came right beside me for the treats, and even took a few treats off my leg.  He licked my hand after the treats were gone. 
Mariah was also very interested in the treats, so she planted herself on my lap.  Panther didn't run away at that point, both of them stayed, enjoying the treats, which I crumbled into tiny bits to get more mileage out of them.
As I gave Panther the treats, I was able to stroke him a bit under the chin and alongside his face.  I want it to all feel like an organic process, so I am not pushing the contact.  With a very shy animal, it is often a matter of breaking down a process into small enough steps so that they always remain comfortable, yet you are able to inch forward with them a little at a time.
Panther has definitely been more out and about in the room lately, which is fantastic.  He has been receiving custom Bach Flower Remedies from me as well, in both spray and drops form, so I am sure that is helping him to feel more at ease as well.
It is such a beautiful feeling when working with a shy animal, and I am able find that little opening where they are comfortable and that connection can happen.  It is a feeling of our hearts connecting, a feeling of love and trust, of our energies merging.  I am always so honored when this happens.  And I always thank them after the session.
Much love to you Panther!!! And much love and appreciation, as always, to the Bideawee folks who give the animals so much love and care.

The Continued Adventures of Lulu and Natalia: Mouth TTouches and Tooth Brushing/Cleaning

Above: Lulu and Natalia

Tellington TTouch not only has tremendous benefits for an animal physically, mentally and emotionally, it can also have wonderful practical applications.  When an animal is accustomed to having the gentle TTouches done on areas such as paws, around the mouth, or on or near the belly area, this can aid in nail clipping, tooth brushing (or wiping), or picking up the animal, respectively.

My dear cats Lulu and Natalia were brought into BARC as feral cats, and I subsequently worked with them at the shelter and eventually adopted them, going through an extended process of acclimating them to the apartment, etc, which you can see detailed in earlier blog posts if you do a search for their names on my blog (Lulu was originally named Emmylou).

I have done everything with them in small steps, and touching around their mount ha also been a gradual process.  Natalia is particularly head-shy, so I will usually do some TTouches on her body before gradually working up to TTouches on the head, though sometimes if she is relaxed to begin with, she is ok with me TTouching her there.  Lulu is less head-shy but can be hesitant to being touched when she is in certain moods, so I always watch her body language to see what is the best approach.  I may start with her by TTouching her with the back of my fingers, as that is less intense than the front of my fingers.

Lately I have been getting them used to TTouches around the outside of the mouth area, which can be so calming, as they connect with the limbic system, which has to do with emotions.  I started out with these just a little at a time, and they have gotten more and more comfortable with it. 

The next step which I wanted to try was to get them used to me TTouching them inside their mouth, and wiping off their teeth a bit with some gauze. 

 

Above: Raccoon TTouches with Natalia

I started out working with Natalia. First I did some zigzag TTouches and general TTouches on her body to relax her.  Then I put the gauze around my finger, and gradually began to do Raccoon TTouches (circular TTouches with the tip of my finger) all around Natalia's head area -- the top of the head, back of the head and around the outside of the mouth.  I wanted to get her used to the feel of the gauze on my finger before attempting to go inside her mouth with it, as though this is all one cozy process.  Once working along the outside of the mouth, I did raccoon TTouches as well as a few gentle slides with my finger.  She got more comfortable as I continued working with her, so I decided to go to the next step.  Just a tiny bit at a time I slid my finger inside her mouth and along the outside of a few of her teeth.  I did this a few times, paused, and then did it again a few short times and then went back to some general TTouches.  I then gave her a break, giving her a lot of very slow, quiet praise, goooood girrrrl.  The tone of your voice can help to relax the animal as well as the general level of your own energy.

Above: TTouches with Lulu, gauze on finger

Then I tried the same procedure with Lulu, and it worked like a charm with her as well.  It is really key to be sensitive to what they are ready to do in that moment.  If you try this and it feels they are not ready to go to the next step, pause and give them a break, and you may want to wait till later or even another day to try again.  The point is to have it all be part of a really comfortable process, like this is part of a relaxing TTouch session, you just happen to be putting your finger in their mouth and gently sliding over their teeth with the gauze.  The gauze was a tip recommended to me by a vet, it helps to prevent buildup and hardening of plaque.  If necessary you can dip the gauze in something that tastes good, like maybe tuna juice, but I just used it plain and my cats were fine with it.  You will have to experiment a bit!

Above: TTouches and slides with Lulu along outside of mouth with gauze on finger

Bravo Lulu and Natalia! Our journey together continues to be such a moving and beautiful experience as we are continually learning from each other :)

Calming a 3-Cat Dynamic with TTouch, Reiki, Remedies and Wraps :)

 Above: Dr. Germanicus Higgenbottom (aka The Doctor, Higgs, Germanicus, Beans, etc)
Thank you Daniella for the rest of the photos in this post!

Daniella and Phil are a lovely couple who I met while volunteering at Bideawee.  One of their cats, Gus (a darling young black and white cat they had adopted from Bideawee – he had been found outside and eartipped but is definitely not feral), had been through the mill with health issues recently, including hospitalization and surgery.  And it seemed that the balance between their three cats had felt off ever since he got back.  The Doctor (officially named Dr. Germanicus Higgenbottom, he has several nicknames, including Higgs and Germanicus), an incredibly sweet 10 year old ragdoll, had been crying incessantly at night, and the other cats had been beating up on him.  Not only was the fact that this was happening bad for the cats, but of course it was bad for the people because they were unable to get any sleep. 

Gus and Willoughby (a young tabby who had been rescued from the streets of London) are young cats and tend to be rambunctious in their play, which is overwhelming for the Doctor when they try to include him, as he is very passive and seems to feel attacked when this happened.

So I was asked to come and see if I could help to bring a bit more peacefulness to the atmosphere.  When I got there, Doctor was hiding behind the couch, as he is very shy, and the other two cats were out and about.  I showed Daniella some TTouches with Willoughby, as he seemed most receptive and so was a great demo cat.  He subsequently curled up and went into a deep sleep.  We eventually got Doctor seated between Daniella and me on the couch and I was able to do TTouches as well as some Reiki with him there.  Daniella was doing TTouches with him as well, and he got quite comfortable, which was really great to see, especially as he can be so shy with strangers.  Daniella was a natural at picking up the TTouches and she subsequently showed Phil how to do some of them so that they both can do them on the cats.

During that time, I could feel that Gus was feeling the Reiki and so sent some Reiki his way after working with the Doctor.  I felt a deep fatigue inside of him, that he was letting go and giving into this fatigue that felt like a result of going through all he went through in the course of his surgery and hospitalization.  He started nodding and going into a deep sleep.

After the appointment, I made a Bach Flower remedy in drops and spray for the Doctor.  The other cats were responding to the effects of the spray and becoming more relaxed as well.  Subsequently the night crying and craziness has really calmed down, thankfully for everyone!  I also made a remedy for Gus, which was about restoring his energy and vitality.  This also seemed to help, because the next time I saw Gus, he seemed so much more peppy and lively.

A recent photo of Gus, looking very relaxed and happy indeed!

 

In a couple of subsequent appointments, I primarily have worked with the Doctor, and Daniella and Phil have been continuing to give the remedies and TTouches to all the cats. Each cat seems to have their own favorite TTouches.

At the end of a recent appointment, I decided to try something that I had been hesitant about doing, but something told me to just give it a try:  a TTouch wrap!.  Many, if not most cats are resistant to having anything put on their body, so it can be a challenge to use a wrap with a cat, even if it is approached in a gentle, gradual way.  But some combinations of personality, etc combine with the wrap in just a perfect way, so it can be a good thing to try it.  I had thought of it particularly for the Doctor, who I thought might be receptive to it as he was used to having a harness put on him at times, and who could still use some additional calming and soothing, but thought it would be interesting to try with any of the cats if they were receptive to it.

Gus was nearby at that point and so I thought I would first give it a gentle try on him to see if he was open to it.  I have recently made some wraps from very soft, stretchy fleece from inexpensive winter scarves.  I TTouched Gus a bit and draped the wrap over his back.  That seemed to be ok.  Then I just gently put the wrap around his chest, holding it at the back.  He didn't seem to mind at all! So I proceeded to put a half wrap on him. (see wraps for cats demo below)

As most cats do when they first have a wrap on, Gus was still and seemed to be thinking about it, as though it was a very different feeling.  We got him moving, as sometimes animals get a bit "frozen" or even temporarily seem to lose control of their back legs, as it is such a different feeling.  He actually seemed to be very comfortable with it on!

 

Gus in a TTouch Half-Wrap

Over the next day, Daniella tried the wrap on Willoughby and the Doctor, and they were very receptive to it as well.  So they have been regularly wrapping the cats.

 

Willoughby in TTouch Half-Wrap

One day Daniella texted me that Willoughby was just sitting and purring away with the wrap on :)

 

The Doctor with TTouch Half-Wrap.   It matches his lovely eyes!

I went just a few days ago to see the cats, after not having seen them for several weeks, and Daniella said that they were doing very well.  She said the Doctor is even standing up for himself sometimes if Willoughby or Gus try to start something with him.  So that is a very big deal.
Gus has been doing very well, which is a relief, after having been through so much, and Willoughby has been more affectionate than ever, wanting to cuddle in Daniella's lap as much as possible.  So that is all good news!
During the appointment, I spent most of the time with the Doctor.  Instead of staying in the bedroom, he came out in the living room and was quite content with me sitting right next to him for Reiki.  A couple of times he came over to me and rubbed his nose into my hand, which was so sweet! Each time I see him, he seems more comfortable around me, which is wonderful.
He completely settled into the Reiki energy, stretching out on his side, and for a little bit, Willoughby came over and laid on my shoe.  By the end of the session, there was a very quiet, calm energy in the room.  Willoughby was settled on Daniella's lap, Gus was napping on the cat tree, and after finishing with Doctor, he went and cuddled into his favorite chair (see photo at the top of the blog).
Great work everyone! So glad to see that there is more balance in the household, and look forward to seeing them all again soon.

If At First You Don't Succeed . . . Keep Trying! TTouch with Harriet at BARC Shelter

Harriet is a beautiful grey tabby who my friend Jill rescued, along with her kittens, some months ago.  The rescue was a feat in itself, involving climbing around a rather perilous construction site on the Lower East Side.  I had the pleasure of helping take care of both Harriet and her kittens for a while when Jill was fostering them. 

Harriet's kittens were all adopted quickly, but Harriet is still awaiting adoption at BARC Shelter.  She was quite comfortable when being fostered and out of a cage, but being in the cage and at the shelter is hard for her.  She has not been comfortable being touched directly with a hand (except for when Jill has come to visit her), so I have been doing Reiki from a short distance, trying different TTouch tools, and recently started a Bach Flower remedy with her.

Up until about a week ago, Harriet's response to any TTouch tools (paintbrushes, back scratchers, and the like) was to swat repeatedly and become agitated, which of course was not what we wanted to happen.  The purpose of the tools is to give the animal and you distance, so that you both feel safe.  Anyway, at one point I gave Harriet a break from the tools, just doing Reiki from a short distance, speaking to her in a soft voice, doing whatever I could to help her to be more comfortable.  I gave her the Bach Flower remedy on treats, so of course the treats were pleasing to her.  Betty, one of my fellow volunteers at BARC, found that one of her iPhone apps, the Pocket Pond, seemed to be comforting for Harriet.  When Jill came to visit Harriet, she sometimes read to her in a calm voice, which Harriet found calming.


Still, I felt there had to be a tool that would be acceptable to Harriet.  Last week I decided to try using a feather toy with a very long handle to do some TTouches on Harriet.  I kept the cage door closed so she would not feel like I was trying to touch her with my hand at all.  At first she tried to swat at it, but I kept speaking to her in a calm voice and tried doing a few slow, small TTouch circles on her back with the tool.  To my surprise, she started to settle into it.  I kept slowing the circles down, letting Reiki energy flow at the same time, so she would have the relaxing flow of the energy as well as the TTouches.  I was also seeing, as I worked with her, that it was clear she was much more comfortable being touched on the body than on the head (the opposite is true for many cats, but sometimes especially feral cats can be shy of being touched around her head).  However, in subsequent sessions, I started to be able to touch her a bit around her head as well.  Interestingly enough, I found out that Jayne, the main keeper of the cats at BARC, had started to be able to touch Harriet a bit with the back scratcher.

Then, last Saturday, which is when I filmed the following video, a breakthrough happened.  When I began to TTouch Harriet with the feather toy, she was much more responsive than I had ever seen her, leaning into it, rubbing into it, even turning so that I would touch her head with it.  It was confirmation to me of how flexible we have to be when working with these animals - that what we might think to be true one day can change the next, or sometimes when we are wondering if we are making any progress, something happens to reassure us that we are on the right track.  When one thing doesn't work, we need to keep trying different approaches, because at some point something will click!  In this case, I think it was a combination of elements -- perhaps, most importantly, the continual positive intention on the part of all who have been working to connect with her -- and, perhaps, for Harriet, the growing feeling that people were in her corner and ready to open their hearts to her.

I have had a couple of sessions with Harriet since this, and have seen the same positive reaction, which is a delight to see.  I am going to share what I did with other volunteers so that we can reinforce the work to help Harriet to be more and more comfortable each day.  I know that eventually she will be comfortable being touched while in the cage, but we have to let her guide us. 

Ttouch and Reiki with Autumn at Bideawee: The Quiet Opening of a Gentle Soul

Autumn is a quiet, beautiful, sweet cat at Bideawee.  She was abandoned outside, so who knows what she went through before she was taken into the safety of the shelter?  She is very very gentle - not an aggressive bone in her body - but she is extremely shy, and was very shut down when I first began working with her. 

She is coming along, and was recently moved from a cage to a small room with two other cats.  She is still getting used to being in there, but is now bravely venturing forth from her hiding place (inside a bench) sometimes while people are around.  And she will still start out shy and held-in with me, but starts to relax more quickly now.

Still, I felt I wanted to take some further steps to increase Autumn's comfort, which will in turn increase her confidence.

So last week I brought in a Bach Flower remedy, which the staff will give to her.  I also brought in a cat Thundershirt.

I use Thundershirts all the time with dogs, but it is a much trickier matter with cats, who are usually not accustomed to or receptive to wearing clothing of any kind. 

When I opened the top of the bench to work with Autumn, she was curled up and resting, and, as she often does when I open the top of the bench, she looked up with me with rather startled eyes.

To help calm her, I spoke to her slowly and extremely softly, and spoke to her in my mind as well, telling her she is safe, that everything is all right, that we are going to go just a little at a time.  And as I did this, I began to do some TTouches around her head area first - stroking her ears, doing little circular TTouches on her head and around the outside of her mouth. 

She began to calm, and I did some zigzag TTouches as well, to help her feel that she was inside her body.  In the video above, she was purring.

When she was feeling calmer, I began to introduce the Thundershirt.  She likes Temptations treats, so I gave a few to her on the folded-up Thundershirt.  Then, as I didn't want to traumatize her by actually trying to put the Thundershirt on, I simply draped it over her body.  Then I put my hand over the Thundershirt and began to do some slow abalone TTouches.  I could see that she felt calmed by having the Thundershirt over her, like a bed cover.  And when she starts to feel very comfortable, I hear her purring, which was the most delightful sound to hear from her!

So we stayed like this for a while.  I did some TTouches on her head, then on her body over the Thundershirt.  Then I took it off for a bit, then repeated the draping and TTouches.  After that I gave her a long break, working with some other cats.

When I came back, again I worked with her briefly with the Thundershirt draped over. 

Then, after I took it off her, I decided to try doing some little TTouches on her paws.  She had been purring a bit before, but the TTouches on her paws seemed to r-e-a-l-l-y relax her, as she began purring like crazy.  And her eyes, which generally are quite open, began to r-e-a-l-l-y relax as well.  Many, if not most, cats are very hesitant to have their paws touched, but on the other hand, the ones who do enjoy it or become accustomed to it seem to really be relaxed by it - like we do when having our feet rubbed.  And it can feel such a personal and intense connection, to be touching the animal's feet.  For example, my namesake at BARC Shelter (a young kitty named Sarah Hauser) is comforted by me holding her two front paws in my hands.

It was such a lovely feeling to see her so relaxed and so open, so comfortable.  And to feel such connection, our spirits merging in the flowing energy.

All of this reminds me of how important it is to have our hearts and minds open when working with an animal - follow your intuition, and you can end up in places you never dreamed of.

Thank you Autumn - and thank you to all the wonderful creatures and people at Bideawee! xo