Connecting with Gemini at BARC Shelter: The Generosity, Beauty and Wisdom of an Older Cat

Thank you to fellow volunteer and friend Mary G
for taking the first and last photos in this post:)

Gemini is a beautiful older gentleman cat who is at BARC Shelter.  He is gentle and sweet with everyone he meets, whether human or animal, and is so well-loved at the shelter.  At times kittens were put in a cage with him and he would be a sweet and loving father to them. He would have been adopted long ago were it not for his compromised medical status. He has a non-cancerous tumor on one of his legs which is now bandaged because it bleeds.  It would be risky to amputate the leg because he is quite old, and because of the risk of the anesthesia plus the trauma of the surgery.
For some months now, he has been roaming free in one of the play rooms at BARC (and can also be brought out into the main room during the day), which is wonderful.

I have been doing Reiki with him to help relax him, plus TTouch and Debono Moves (gentle, yet very powerful work based on Feldenkrais work and developed by Mary Debono) to help his sense of balance.  Both of those modalities help give him a better sense of his body in space, which is very helpful.

Following is a video of me doing some Debono Moves with him:

He is extremely responsive to the work, and recently we had the honor of having Mary Debono come and teach a class recently. Gemini was a wonderful demo cat!

I know that the work I share with him can not cure him, but also know that it can help provide some peace and balance so that he can be as comfortable a state as is possible, given his condition.

The moments I spend with Gemini are really so special.  He so completely opens his heart to me, and I feel us become one with the peaceful, loving energy of Reiki, which is flowing whether I am just sharing Reiki or whether I am using another modality with him.

During this time that the energy is flowing, it is a very meditative time in which I feel in touch with his very spirit:  the depth of his wisdom and experience combined with his unconditional love.  The love and the energy reverberates and expands beyond time and space.There are times when I really feel transported to another place, even though I am simultaneously present in the shelter as well.

Last week was such a time.  I have been rather concerned about Gemini's condition and comfort level, but as is just about always the case, once I am there and connect with him with the energy, that concern slides away and we are just there in the beauty of the moment.  He laid right into my hands and was so cozy, laying on his side and showing my hands where he wanted them to be.  And I knew that we both were exactly where we were supposed to be in that moment.  It was so peaceful.

Meanwhile, in the playroom where we were hanging out, there were also a number of kittens bounding about joyfully.  I suddenly felt this lovely image of us being in a playground, with sun and light all around us, and the young ones playing.  Trees blowing with a gentle breeze, and the light coming between the trees, the light of late summer.  I felt such love and connection and such gratitude.

I want to thank Gemini for sharing these beautiful moments with me, and for sharing all of his kind and loving soul with me.  And thank you to BARC and my BARC friends for showing him such love and care.