Reiki and TTouch with Doris: Gentle Energy

Doris is a lovely petite senior kitty, who lives with her guardian Mari and four other kitties (I was referred to them by my wonderful Reiki teacher, Sheryl Berger, http://reikiforyourlife.com). Each of Mari's cats has its own interesting story.

Doris has diabetes and was recently diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. The cancer is terminal, but Mari is giving Doris insulin, a good diet and supplements and doing what she can to keep Doris comfortable. Reiki and TTouch can help the body and mind to be in optimum balance, so can be a great complement to medication, good diet and other types of therapy, in an effort to help give the animal a better chance of remaining stable for a longer period of time.

Today was my second with Doris. Her coat looked better and her energy seemed better to me than last week. Mari agreed and said that the supplements and improved diet have been helping her to feel better.

I started out by doing TTouch at first on her head and a bit on her ears. Then, as she did last week, she ate and drank, then settled behind the couch, though she was close to the edge of it. I sat on the floor rignt next to the counch offered her Reiki from a foot or so away from where she was. I have found her to be most receptive to Reiki from a short distance away, as she is SO sensitive. Reiki for animals is most often best started at a bit of a distance, so that you can see what the animal is most comfortable with. Some animals are comfortable with hands-on Reiki and others are not, or may not be at least at first.

As I continued sending Doris Reiki, she settled in, stretching out and stretching one of her front paws out towards me. I felt her very strongly absorbing the energy: my hands and whole body felt pulled towards her by the Reiki energy, as though she were a magnet.

After a long stretch of time, she took a break, walked around and ate some more, then settled again near a ladder. I sat on the floor near her and held one hand about six inches above her head and neck and the other hand was facing her body. I follow my intuition as to where my hands are most of the time, although sometimes I will focus on specific chakras (energy centers of the body), depending on what is going on with the animal. I felt strong energy, especially coming from my hand which was near the top of her head, where the crown chakra is, which relates to the life force connection with the universe. Again, after she had enough, she walked away. Animals will tell you when they have had enough Reiki energy by moving away, but I always tell them to only take as much or as little as they feel they want and need.

After this, I showed Doris' owner Mari some of the TTouches. I had shown her some last week, giving her a bit of an overview, but this week I honed her on some TTouches that would be useful for Doris or that she would probably be most receptive to. As she is so sensitive, I thought that the LLama and Abalone TTouches on the body, which are gentle and calming, would be good, and that the raccoon TTouches around the head, as well as ear work and mouth work would also be beneficial.

At the end of the session, Doris was sitting in the window, one of the places she loves, looking very content.

Mari emailed me the next day to tell me that Doris felt really good the next morning, that her energy was good and she was giving her head butts, asking for breakfast, which was wonderful to hear. I feel like this outwardly delicate kitty has a very strong spirit. Look forward to seeing you soon Doris!

Connecting with Krishna: Day 13, One More Time!

When I entered Krishna's apartment today, he was meowing a lot. I think he was sensing the excitement and energy of his people people coming back.

He did calm down after eating, and then we settled into our usual routine, as he drank some water from the bathtub faucet, then we went to play (incorporating some TTouch and Reiki too).

Today, as I have done recently, I distracted him a bit by shining the flashlight on the floor, keeping it pretty much in one place for a while. While he was looking at the light on the floor, wondering where it would go next, I did a little TTouch on his head using a paintbrush, then worked my hand down the paintbrush, TTouching his head with my fingers. I did this keeping the handle of the paintbrush so that I was holding it out of his line of sight, behind his head, so my hand wasn't scaring him by being in front of his face.

I also tried doing some TTouch using a couple of long feathers, but he tended to want to play with the feathers more than being touched by them, so I went back to TTouching him with the paintbrush.

After a while, he had tired of playing and went under the bed, which is a place where he sometimes goes to feel safe, also a place he feels comfortable resting. I sent him Reiki as I sat on the floor right next to the bed, sending the energy to him from there. I felt a strong connection and a lot of energy flowing out of me.

I reassured him again that the people would be coming back later that day. I will seeing him, I've gotten used to seeing him every day :)

Rebecca texted me when they arrived back at the apartment, and said it was the first time they had arrived back from being away that they found Krishna to be relaxed, affectionate and not angry at them. Below is a picture of him, blissing out the morning after Rebecca and Tim returned :)

Connecting With Krishna, Day 12: Balancing Play and Relaxation

I was happy to be able to tell Krishna today that his people are coming back tomorrow. I can tell he misses them, and he's probably starting to feel the energy of them getting ready to come back soon. Today when I arrived, he started rubbing his head on their shoes!


Each day I am trying to balance the energy work and the playtime with him, so he can feel the different types of connection that are possible, and I am trying to really stay in the moment and not push him too hard, to really listen to what he is ready for. I do feel him more comfortable and getting closer each day with me, though of course I know that it is all somewhat complicated by the factor of him missing his people who he loves so much.



Today, he became intrigued with the little sparkly ball pictured here, and as it is very light, I discovered he likes to play catch with it, so we did that for a while. I'd throw it to him, and he'd either catch it and throw it back or just hit it back to me.



I also played with him using the flashlight and again, while I held the light still, he calmed and was comfortable with me doing some TTouches with the paintbrush and a bit with my hand, mostly on his head. I just do a few TTouches at a time with him, the "less is more" approach which most often works best with cats who tend to be fearful. Again, at certain points he came right up to me and sniffed me. I so wanted to touch him at those moments but just stayed very still, so as not to startle him.


OK Krishna, one more meeting tomorrow and your people will be back! xo

Connecting with Krishna, Day 11: More Contact

Hi folks, I have been cat-sitting for Krishna while his human mom and dad have been away on their honeymoon. He usually will not allow anyone other than them touch him, and often bit the legs or feet of previous cat sitters. I can tell that he misses his people a lot, but am pleased that he has felt comfortable connecting with me through Reiki, TTouch, and play, particularly when it comes to his new favorite game, chasing the light from the flashlight. Ever since I started using this with him, if I set it on the floor near me, he will come up to it, touch it with his nose and yesterday he pushed it towards me til it was touching my hands.



Today, again we played with the flashlight, and got in some Reiki energy work. I also discovered something new with him. If I shone the light on the floor and held it still, Krishna was pretty mesmerized in watching it, and in this state he was receptive to being stroked and TTouched with a paintbrush. After a while, I was also able to sneak my hand down the paintbrush and do some TTouches and strokes on his head and even on his back today.

Then, intermittently I would move the light and he would play with it, then I'd hold it still and he would settle again.

At one point he actually came right up to me, sniffing my hand, then my arms, and my hair, which was a complete surprise. He surprised himself I think! After he sniffed my arm, he let out a little hiss and meow, then backed away for a minute, then settled down again.

Thank you Krishna, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Connecting with Krishna, Day 10: More Play

Krishna is teaching me more every day! Today I noticed he had knocked a few things off of shelves, so it said to me that he needs more playtime, so he can get more of his energy out while I am there :)

Above you see him in the bathtub. He loves to drink water from the bathtub, but he is not always so comfortable walking past me to go into the tub, so today I lured him there a bit with the flashlight. Once he was near the bathtub, he saw the water running and so hopped over the edge to drink from the faucet. I get a very thin stream of water going, so he can drink directly from the stream if he wants to.

After he ate and drank, we went into the living room and I did some Reiki with him for a while. I had the flashlight on the floor next to me. He moved closer and closer to me, then walked over to sniff the flashlight.
I didn't pick up the flashlight yet, so he took his paw and moved the flashlight closer and closer and closer to me . . . . til it was touching my hand.
It was clear what he wanted me to do! so I picked up the flashlight and shone the light on the floor, playing with him as he chased the light around. What I like about this too is that it gets him used to being in close proximity to me without concern.

Today I also did some TTouches on him using the paintbrush as he played with the light. He seemed to be pretty comfortable with this.
After we were done, he went under the bed, which is a place he seems to go to take a break and feel safe, and is also a place he seems to like to rest.
I offered him Reiki from a short distance away while he was under teh bed. Little by little he moved closer and closer to me, receiving the energy. I continued to praise him in a very slow, soft voice.
As always, I reassured him that his people would be coming back, and told him how many times it would get dark before they returned. I also reassured him that I would come there every day to take care of him until they returned. At whatever level the animals receive this, they do seem to be reassured by this.

Thank you Krishna - much love to you and look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Connecting with Krishna: Day 9, Keeping Calm and Casual

Today I went again see Krishna, who I am cat sitting. I have also been offering him Reiki, giving him some playtime and generally doing what I can to make him feel at ease while his people are away.

We have a bit of a routine going now. I enter the apartment, he comes from wherever he is resting (usually on the bed, on the cound or sometimes under the bed) and as I send Reiki energy to him, he generally sits down near where his food bowls are, waiting for me to wash them and put new food and water in. Then, after he eats some wet food, either we go into the bathroom or I lure him with the flashlight into the bathroom, where I run a trickle of water and he goes into the bathtub to drink the water coming from the faucet. While he does this, I scoop the litter in the litter box. Then when he's finished, we go into the living room.

Today we played using the flashlight again, he loves to chase the light! I vary the speed and direction of how the light moves. He is very fast!

After we had played a bit, I realized I had a message on my phone (I mute my phone when working with animals, as the sound often scares them), so I had to make a quick call. He seemed to be calmed by just hearing me talking to someone (I was trying, too, to keep my voice on the low-key end!).

After I hung up, he came up to the flashlight and nudged it in order to get me to play with him again, which I did. After that, I sent him Reiki from a short distance away. He seemed to be still a little stimulated from running around, so I didn't touch him with my hand today, but maybe we'll try that tomorrow! I think it does help him to keep a casual attitude about how much direct contact is made. Slow and steady!

Reiki and TTouch with Jinx: A Circle of Connection

Jinx is a very handsome, dear cat belonging to my good friend Jordyn Thiessen. I ran into her yesterday and she asked me to come and work with him, as he is losing mobility in his hind legs, most likely due to either a tumor or disc damage. Above is a photo of me working with him a couple of years ago, and below you will see pix of me during our session today.

We took him into a neighbor's apartment to work, so it would be more quiet without the two other dogs and cat. Jinx decided after a few TTouches that he wanted to go under the bed, so I spoke with Jordyn and continued sending Jinx Reiki energy from where I was sitting. I felt quite a strong flow of energy coming from my hands.

At one point he came out for a few more TTouches, then went back underneath the bed. All the while I was continuing to let Reiki flow, and the atmostphere was becoming quite calm. Jordyn is familiar with a lot of the TTouches, and I explained to her how she can do some connected TTouches going down each side of Jinx's spine, and some zigzag TTouches going from the front of his body and front legs, wrapping around his body and then going down his hind legs. This will help to activate the neural pathways and help body awareness and connection from front to back. I later shared with her that it will also be helpful to do some raccoon TTouches (with the tip of the finger) down his legs and all around his feet and paw pads, if he is comfortable with that.

Then we had one of those beautiful surprises that truly touch my heart.

Jinx came back out and sat on a chair near me, and he settled in and laid down.

I began to send him Reiki with one of my hands around his pelvis area, about 8 inches away, and the other hand was in front of his front paws, again about 6-8 inches away from his body.

Then he extended one of his front paws and touched my hand, and kept his paw there, so I was feeling a circuit of connection with him. He stayed there for quite a while. I was feeling energy coming to me from his paw, and I was feeling energy coming out of both of my hands: energy going to his paw from my left hand and energy going to his body around his pelvic area from my right hand. His eyes got sleepy and he seemed very calm and serene.

Another surprise, Jordyn was able to stand up, leave the room and retrieve her camera to catch the moment. I thought that he would probably move when she moved, but he didn't move a muscle!

I always tell the animals that they can take as much or as little of the energy that they want and need. So, when he had enough, he very calmly got up and walked away.

Thank you so much Jinx! I feel honored for you to feel comfortable enough to connect with me in this way, and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Connecting with Krishna, Day 8: Reiki and Play

When I went to feed Krishna today, the poor boy initially seemed more stressed than he has been. I think it was a combination of missing his people, and me getting there a bit later than usual and so he was hungry. This is the longest they have been away from him, and I'm sure it is hard for him.
Anyway, there were some angry MEOWs when I first entered. I started sending him Reiki energy right away, and he started to calm, and of course after I got some food out for him he started to chill a bit more.

Once again, as I have been doing every day, I reassured him that his people will be coming back, and told him how many times it will get dark before they return. I think this does help them.

He likes to drink from the bathtub faucet and he seemed hesitant to go in there, when I realized that he wanted me to pull the curtain from the end of the tub away from the faucet instead of near the faucet, as he wanted to jump in there. So sure enough, once I pulled it there, in he went to drink his water.
Then we went into the living room, where I sat with him and offered him Reiki from a distance. First he was sitting with his tail switching, but little by little he came closer and closer to me and his tail stopped twitching. Again I had brought a flashlight with me, as he loves to play with the light from it. I had set it on the floor near me. I was trying to decide whether to play with him today or just keep calming him w/Reiki, when he let me know what he wanted to do by coming near the flashlight, as you see, and he touched his nose against it and rubbed against it. So I turned it on and he started chasing the light around. It is so interesting that he seems to realize it is all a game, that the light does emanate from the flashlight, as opposed to it being something alive all on its own. He is so smart!!
When we were done, I gave him his mouse to play with, thanked him and gave him his dry food, which he loves, so it is always a great way to end my time with him. Love you Krishna, and thanks for all you are teaching me!

Connecting with Krishna, Days 6 and 7

Krishna is a remarkably alert, smart, soulful cat who I have been cat sitting for. I have also been offering him some Reiki when I go to visit him, as well as a bach flower remedy, both of which are helping his comfort level while his people are away.

This is the longest span of time they have been away from him, and I am sure he misses them a great deal, as he is so attached to them. He generally does not allow anyone else to touch him or pet him. I feel privileged to have been able to do a bit of TTouch and petting on his head. I haven't been pushing the issue at all, sending him Reiki energy and following his lead as he comes towards me. Occasionally he will let me know with a hiss that I have gotten too close for comfort. But the past few days I have been engaging him in play and I think he has suprised himself at how close he has gotten to me, as you see above!

The day before yesterday I discovered that he was fascinated by the light that shines on the floor when I take a picture with my cell phone, so I decided to bring a small flashlight to see if he wanted to play with the light. Indeed, yesterday when I brought it out, he just couldn't get enough of chasing the light around. When we were done, I gave him one of his "actual" toys so he could feel he "caught" something.

Today , after feeding him we went into the living room area and I had put the flashlight on the floor. He came right up to the flashlight (which was right next to me) and sniffed it, pushing it a bit with his nose as if to ask me to play with him with the light. So we did - it was lovely to see him enjoying himself. I feel when I'm there with him now, it is good to allow some time for play and some time for energy work, especially as he is a young cat and he obviously enjoys getting some exercise.

Another interesting thing, I noticed that if I wanted to lure him to where I was, he would immediately respond to and follow the flashlight if I turned it on, even if he was in the process of going under the bed, which I think is a place he retreats to from time to time just to feel cozy and safe. He is definitely a hunter! and it is interesting that this instinct seems to override some of his scarediness. The flashlight seems to be a really useful tool in getting close to him, in addition to doing the TTouch and energy work. When he is playing, he sort of forgets to be scared, and often ends up sitting right next to me after the play session.

He was a bit too revved up today to try TTouch, but we'll leave that for another day.

Connecting with Krishna - Day 5, Engaging in Play

Krishna's human mom and dad were back for a day, and then went off on their honeymoon. So I went back to cat sit for Krishna today, and for the next week while they are away. I wasn't sure how he would react to me today, but he really was quite sweet. After I came in, he started rubbing himself against things, and rolling around on his back. As soon as I enter the door, I start sending him Reiki energy, and he appears to feel it and calm down.

After I fed him, gave him water, changed his litter etc I sat down with him in the living room. He seemed in a rather playful mood so I thought it would be fun to try engaging him in some play. He has a little squeaky mouse he likes, so I threw it toward him. He caught it and threw it back to me, so we continued for a while in a game of catch. So sweet! then I did some Reiki with him, and again was able to touch him with my hands briefly on his head. At one point he got comfortable and stretched his paw out to me, touching my hand.

I was getting ready to leave and took my phone out to take a couple of pictures. Suddenly he sat up and ran towards me, with big eyes. I was sitting on the floor with my legs bent, feet on the floor so there was a space under my legs, which he ran through.

I realized that my phone, when the camera function is turned on, was making a little spot of light that appeared on the floor, so Krishna was attracted by that and started to chase it. So we played chase for a bit, then I gave him one of his "actual" toys so hopefully he wouldn't be too frustrated at not being able to catch the light :)

Each time I see him, I feel like he gets more comfortable with me, but I still keep reminding myself to just take it slow and easy with him. He reminds me too sometimes! At one point I got closer to his paw than he wanted so he batted me with it, but with no claws out :)

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow, little guy!

Connecting with Krishna, days 3 and 4: Feeling Safer, Getting Closer

Krishna is a very shy cat who I have had as a TTouch/Reiki client and I am getting to know him better in the process of cat sitting for him. I am offering him Reiki and a little TTouch during this time as well. Especially the Reiki energy is very relaxing for him, and helps him to almost immediately be in a more relaxed space so that he feels more comfortable being in closer proximity to me. He is generally a cat who does not like to be touched or even approached by anyone other than his human mom and dad. Now when he sees me enter, he comes into the kitchen area, lays down and stretches his body out, paw stretching towards me.

Here you see him sitting on the edge of the tub. He loves to drink water out of the tub faucet if you let a thin stream of water drip there, very cute! So, after I feed him and let him drink his water this special way, I sat down on the floor with him in the living room. He was sitting in a box that he loves (see below), and was relaxing as the sun came in the window. I felt Reiki energy flowing quite strongly from my hands. I also did a little TTouch on his head using a paintbrush, doing circles and strokes under his chin and on the top of his head and forehead.

Then I started to say a mantra taught to me by my friend and wonderful healer Karen. She had actually taught it in the context of a class, and is meant to put yourself at ease when you are feeling nervous -- "I am very loved, and I am very safe". I have been using this but substituting the "I" with "you" for some animals I have been working with, and it is very calming. So I began to say this to him, very slowly and very softly, over and over. Little by little, he crept over to me, and touched his nose to my hand. Then, instead of walking back away as he had done before, he sat down with his face just a couple of inches away from my hand. It felt like such a huge breakthrough and moment of real trust from him.

I took a deep breath and very slowly and quietly did a few circles and strokes with my hand on the top of Krishna's head and on his forehead. He settled into the TTouches, staying where he was. I didn't want to push the issue, so just did this for a few seconds, then backed off. He looked very comfortable. I continued to send him Reiki from where I was, and felt him to be very peaceful.


Today after his food and water, for some reason he went under the bed to rest. I wanted to see if he might respond to a treat and, to my surprise, he came out from under the bed and practically put his nose in my hand when I brought out the treats that he liked. I gave him a second treat, then he came out again into the living room area.

He wasn't in the mood to be TTouched with the paintbrush, so I put that to the side and offered him Reiki from maybe a couple of feet away. After a while I was able to move closer to him and, eventually, touch him briefly on the top of the head directly with my hand.

After that, his eyes met with mine in a way that felt like we had a direct heart-to-heart connection. For some of you, this may sound a little out there, but when this happens, I literally feel it in my heart. It is a very intense, beautiful connection, as though you have a very fleeting direct connection with their inner being.

I always thank the animals after being with them. I feel it is a privilege to be given permission to connect with them in this very deep way. So much of it is truly being in the moment with them.

I know he looks a little wistful in the picture below. He seems to have such a deep, wise soul.

Thank you so much, Krishna. I look foward to seeing you soon, and seeing what will happen next.

Connecting with Krishna: Day 2

On my second day of cat-sitting for Krishna, he was comfortable with me quite soon after I entered. First there was one big MEOW, but then I sent him some Reiki and he sat down, looking relaxed, then stretched out, stretching his paw right towards me. This was a great start.


After I fed him, I went into the bathroom and pulled aside the curtain in the bathtub to turn on the water for him to drink, and he came in on cue and jumped in the bathtub. Unfortunately he scared himself as he knocked over a couple of bottles of shampoo during his jump, so he jumped back out. But after I left the bathroom I saw him go back in to drink the water that was dripping down, as he likes to do.

Then he settled in the living room for some Reiki from a short distance. I sat on the floor with him. He settled more quickly this time, and then went up to one of his very cozy spots, on a blanket on the couch. I moved gradually, a couple of feet at a time, closer to him, til I was about a foot away from a couch. He first stared at me with big wide eyes, as you see in the top picture, but then got quite comfortable, in the position you see below, with more relaxed eyes.


During the course of our session, I told him how many times it would get dark before his people came back, which is a great thing to do, as they do pick up the information on some level, and it is good to reassure them that their people are going to come back to them.


When I got up to put his dry food out before I left, he looked at me as though he was wondering where I was going? I told him that I would be there tomorrow, and every day til his people get back, to feed him, play with him, , etc, telling him in a very calm, quiet voice. The tone of your voice makes so much difference as well. love ya, Krishna!

Connecting with Krishna, Day 1

From time to time I do cat-sitting for my TTouch/Reiki clients, especially in situations where the animal may be afraid of strangers. I was asked to take care of Krishna while his human parents were on their wedding and honeymoon. In the past, he would usually bite the feet of the people who took care of him.

I taken care of him for a day a couple of weeks before that, and it had gone well - I calmed my energy before I entered the apartment, and did Reiki with him to create a calm space.




Today, I did the same thing. I was a bit nervous before I went, so I made sure to calm my own energy before I opened the door. I had a couple of hisses and a meow while I was there, but after a few minutes I felt him start to calm and the space feel calmer. I kept feeling Reiki energy coming out of my hands and out of my pores as I gave him his food, scooped the litter box etc.


He enjoys drinking from the bathtub faucet so I turned on the light in the bathroom and got a thin stream of water going in the bathtub, which is what he enjoys. Then I went and sat off to the side, continuing to send him Reiki. After a few minutes, he went in there on his own to drink the water. I left him alone to do this, then went out in the living room and sat on the floor.


He came out in the living room and sat in a box which he likes, and the sun was coming through the window, making a nice warm patch on the floor. I continued sending him Reiki, and felt him being at ease, grooming himself, etc.


Then he really surprised me - he got up, slowly walked up to me and started sniffing my hand and my arm. I didn't want to startle him so stayed very still. then he went back to the sun patch, stretching and rolling in the sun.


Thank you Krishna, for trusting me, I feel it an honor to connect with you in this way and look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

TTouch and Reiki at BARC Shelter: Update on Quinn

Hi folks, happy July 4th!

Quinn is a big grey and white cat with a big personality at BARC shelter. As with many if not most shelter cats, I feel must have gone through some serious trauma before arriving at the shelter. He seems to have some feral-ness in him, and seems to want attention but to be afraid of it at the same time, and seems to be very ultra-sensitive. He sticks his paw out of the cage to say hello, but then if you open his cage to try to touch him, he seems to be overwhelmed by a hand coming into his cage. He will sometimes swat, and, though he has never used his claws along with the swat with me, the swat is a bit unnerving because it is fast, and he also vocalizes along with the swat.

I have been working with him using a paintbrush, but thought it was time to try another texture, as he initially responded to the paintbrush but then seemed to be irritated by it. I also felt that I needed to approach him from the side of his cage instead of from the front.

So the next took I decided to try is a long feather. I did little strokes and circular touches around his head and face, working in a few strokes down the body. He immediately found these soothing, as you can see by his expression below.


I am touching him with the flat part of the feather, not the end of the feather, and using just enough pressure to move the skin around in a clockwise circle and a quarter. It is a very light touch. I stop to give him breaks frequently, and do not do too long of a session, to avoid him becoming overstimulated (which he will tell you about with a MEOW). Every once in a while I can sneak my hand in there for a few touches. I am standing to the side of his cage and putting the feather through the bars in the cage.

Using the feather with him felt like a real breakthrough, as though he was able to really settle with these touches in a way that was not possible before.

Saturday I felt another level of this breakthrough with him, as I had made him a Bach Flower remedy (a custom blend which I made of several of the essences which suit his personality and emotional state). I am trained and certified in Bach Flower essences, so I often incorporate these into the work I am doing with the animals. As I put a few drops of it into his water bowl, he started licking the dropper as though this was something he was craving or knew he needed (I washed the dropper before putting back in the bottle, which is only for him). I noticed an almost immediate shift in him -- subtle, but definitely there, as others noticed it as well. The irritatedness which I often sense in him looked like it was easing.

As I worked with him with the feather, he grew so sleepy and relaxed, it was lovely to see. I was able to work with him for a longer time than usual, and felt the relaxation to be deeper than I had seen before in him.

Much love to you Quinn, thanks for all you are teaching me on my journey, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

TTouch and Reiki with Mayor's Alliance Rescue Cats, June 27

Today I went to work with the Mayor's Alliance Rescue Cats thru Tavi & Friends' TTouch-in-Rescue Program, which I do once a week. As usual, some of these cats I have worked with for a while and some are new. I mention quite a few of the TTouches here, and I welcome you to check out my youtube channel (http://youtube.com/sarahsuricat) so that you can see demonstrations of these TTouches.
Blackie (above) usually is eager for attention, but she can get over-stimulated, and she started out in a bit of an over-stimulated mode. When she is like this, it is sometimes best to use the jelly scrubber instead of my hand with her. The jelly scrubber is a horse-grooming tool, and has two textures on it. Most cats like the texture with the smaller rubber things on it, as Blackie does. I do the TTouch circles using the jelly scrubber, going very slowly and working along the top of her head as well as going down her back. She can be a bit sensitive around her hind end so I don't always go all the way down. I only worked with her for a short time today, as that seemed to be what she preferred.


Blackie 2 was a bit shy when he first arrived at the shelter but now he is super-friendly and seeking of attention. He was very excited and was rubbing his head against my hand. I did the llama and abalone TTouches with him, as these use large surfaces of the hand and are very calming for animals who can get over-excited (or who are nervous). These began to calm him, and then I started doing some ear strokes with him, and I noticed a real shift in him when I did this. Suddenly his whole energy calmed down, and I felt so connected with him.


Honey (above) is a sweet kitty, but today she mostly wanted to just hang out outside of her cage and wasn't in a mood to be touched too much. She generally prefers more contact around the head than the body, so I did some gentle raccoon TTouches around her forehead, top of the head and around her ears.


Ices has a very gentle, sweet personality. She immediately began to rub her head against my hand. I did chimp TTouches (uses the back of your fingers), and she settled right into these and stretched out.


King Kong is a friendly little guy but can get over-excited easily, so I do the TTouches using the back of my hand and fingers such as the chimp TTouch and llama TTouch with him, which can help bring him back into his body.


Lee was very very shy when I first started to work with him, but now he meows to be let out of his cage for some interaction. He can still startle easily, so I wait for him to come to me, then do a few abalone TTouches or llama TTouches, then let him walk around some more. Eventually he is becoming more and more comfortable with contact.


Lil Panther, Tiger Lily and Sweet Mama are new and extreeeemely shy. Sometimes when there is more than one shy one together in a cage, I start with the one who seems to be the most dominant, since if they come around, then the others usually follow what he does. Lil Panther seemed to be the "top cat" here, so I worked with him first, using the back of the hand part of a back scratcher to make contact. I did gentle TTouches on his head and a bit on his back. I would do some TTouches, give him a break, then start again. He growled at first, then after a while he closed his eyes and his body began to relax. I did a few TTouches on his cagemates but didn't want to push the issue with them so kept it short.


Marette still can get startled quite easily but she has gotten so sweet. When I let her out of her cage, I sit on the floor with my legs bent up, and she walks back and forth under my legs, and I do TTouches on her as she goes by. She did a real shift today when I did little circles using my fingernail and back of my finger to do the circular TTouches first on her head, then ou her body. The forehead is an especially calming area for her. She was purrrrrring.


Mila is a very sweet girl and seeks attention, but she can get a bit worked up, so I do very slow chimp TTouches with her, mostly on her head, and it brings down her stress level.

Otto is a new little guy, he is adorable, of course, and quite friendly. He started rubbing his face against me as soon as I began to do TTouches with him, he really relaxed into them.

Thanks all, look forward to seeing you soon, unless you get adopted, which would be even better!