I have been working with her slowly and steadily through TTouch, Reiki, Debono Moves, play therapy, etc. She is more comfortable being touched more often than she was initially, and has become generally more comfortable in the environment where she is living - in an office space within the clinic where there are always several other roaming cats.
The people who work in the clinic say she is totally out and about now, not hiding as she usually was initially.
As far as contact with her, I follow whatever she is comfortable with, just nudging her forward gently when it feels right, always wanting to promote her feeling of safety.
On this particular day, when I arrived, she was nearly completely hidden in a box on a shelf off to the side. She was curled up and cozy.
I decided to just sit a few feet away and I began offering Reiki to her and to whoever was interested in joining the session. Most often, whichever cats are in the space will come close to me and settle, which is great, as it helps all of them to learn that they can be near each other and feel this connecting, calm energy.
Soon three cats came near me, settling.
The black and white cat sitting further away is generally not comfortable with the other two, but they were all very peaceful.
Then these two (Beamer and Lego) began to groom each other. I continued to send the energy, and felt such a calm, serene vibration throughout the room
Then, I heard a rustling inside the cardboard box, and to my surprise, Sylvie came out of the box, and with no hesitation, settled right on top of the easy chair that Beamer and Lego were grooming each other on, and right next to me.
Please watch this video that shows what happened next:
Sylvie continued to relax, and the other cats around continued to relax for the rest of the session.
This was such a reminder to me of how important it is to release one's expectations, and to truly be in the moment and trust Reiki and, as Kathleen Prasad (who is a true master of Animal Reiki) says, "Be Reiki". I had no idea that Sylvie was going to come out of her box and come closer to me, I merely started with the idea that I was going to share this energy with her and with the room to see what was possible.
Reiki can help to promote a sense of harmony not only within one's self and with another being, but also between other beings. I have worked in households where other animals were not getting along, and Reiki has been so helpful in those situations.
It is not a "quick fix", but it can help a positive shift to begin, a shift which is very organic and really comes from the inside, rather than a change forcibly imposed on another being.